1 or 2 piece rods?

[KidMoe]

Curious about peoples opinions on whether to buy 1 or 2 piece rods. I like having a couple of 2 piece rod for shore fishing, getting into spots through trees and brush. However, it seems that all the rods that I've had break were 2 piece. So are 1 piece rods stronger and more durable? Interested to hear peoples input.

[jwmiller33]

I have both and each have their time and place. I favor my 2 piece rods for BWCA trips, because they break down making it easier to transport in and out of the BWs and in the canoe. My two most expensive rods are 1 piece jigging rods, and I won't ever bring these into the BWs b/c I don't want to be beating these up in the canoe or walking thru the woods. Some people will say you get better "feel" on a one piece rod as opposed to a two piece. This may be true, but I think the difference is minimal/hardly noticeable, if at all. I think the biggest difference in amount of "feel" you get on the rod is the quality of the rod, which a lot of the time means $$. As for two piece rods breaking more than one piece, I think that is a fallacy. I've noticed no difference in the amount of 1 piece vs 2 piece rods breaking, and I use both frequently. You said all the rods that break on you are the 2 piece ones, and you also said the 2 piece rods are the ones you drag into shore fishing spots, thru the trees/brush/etc, which may be the reason why. Just my

[newmember]

i like 2 piece rods because i drive a compact car and just do a lot of shore fishing ... it seems to me that i can cast farther with 1 piece rods though. i know if i had a truck or a big suv, i'd probably just have 1 piece rods. $0.02...

[Fairchild_82]

2 piece rods eventaully slip apart when casting if takin apart often. I cannot stand it when that happens. 1 pieces also definately have more sensitivity.

[Chode2235]

I have a 2 piece St. Croix avid. I use it for traveling, and it works great to just stick it in your car and go and not have to worry about it (I have a rod tube for it).

It is almost as good as my other 1 piece avids, the sensitivity is great. I do think the same rod will be a bit more sensitive as a 1 piece than a 2 piece, but they are so much more practical to transport when you can pull it apart.

[Wish-I-Were-Fishn]

My newest two new rods are one piece - jury is still out on hassle vs sensitivity.

[goblueM]

i've fished with 2 piece rods my entire life, recently started buying 1 piece rods. I notice little difference in sensitivity, I've only cast off my rod top a handful of times in 15 years, and I've only once had one 2 piece rod break and that was because I was using a 5 wt fly rod to catch 20 pound carp and I hadn't put the pieces all the way together

[TurnUpTheFishing]

Im no rod expert but I think 2 piece rods load up differently because the middle section creates a flat spot. Maybe that leads to more stress in the upper blank? Just a thought.

I know the more telescopic sections or split sections take away from a rods parabolic action.

I only have one two section rod and its just for panfish. If transporting your rods is not an issue Id go one piece. A one piece is just gonna flat out perform better.

[Stick in Mud]

I'm curious to see how people respond to this question. I've traditionally purchased one-piece rods because of the (supposed?) increased sensitivity, but I am in the market for a new rod, and I'm thinking I'll be buying a two-piece. It's going to be a mix bobber and rigging rod for walleyes, and I'm thinking I'll experiment with a two-piece.

I suppose it also might matter what kind of fishing you're planning on doing. Bobbering for walleyes doesn't require much in the way of sensitivity. Riggin and jigging do, at least for me.

[nofishfisherman]

I have mainly 2 piece rods but I do a lot of shore fishing and for some reason the fish never want to hang out in areas that are easy to get to. That means hiking through the woods. Also the 2 piece rod allows me to keep the rod in my trunk so I can be ready to fish on a moments notice.

I actually have never broken a 2 piece rod nor have I ever had the 2 sections come apart during use. I find that 1 piece rods broke more easily since its more common for them to get snagged on stuff or closed in a door.

I can maybe see just a slight increase in sensitivity in the 1 piece rods but not enough to where it makes a huge difference. Maybe it means catching 1 more fish a year.

[Joe's Kid]

I've used both 1 and 2 piece rods and I can't say I've noticed a difference in sensitivity or performance if they're of equal quality, but then, I'm no expert.

I do often prefer 2 or more piece rods for the same reason as others have given; portability.

As for rods breaking,I can only recall breaking 2 rods in my life. One got a door slammed on it.

The other got caught in the spokes of my bicycle when I was 10.(Don't ask,it's still a painful memory.)

I think the only way a rod will break whether it's 1 or 2 pieces is 1:a flaw like a crack in it, or 2: user error. Or 3: maybe I'm not hooking big enough fish.

[Dark Cloud]

My 2cents...

I have built and fished alot of rods and I believe 1 piecers are overrated. With modern technology and materials I have a hard time believing the "more sensitive" thing. Just my opinion and the opinion of many builders. But confidence is huge in fishing so If it tips your fancy, run with it!

As for durability - 98.9882% of broken rods are user error.

Flat spots because of multiple pieces are kind of a thing of the past. I have some 4 piece 9ft fly rods with alot of flex that I cant find flats in...

[mainbutter]

I've never been disappointed in any of my 2 piece rods, and I usually stick to $30-$60 rods.

The only rods that I would pretty seriously favor 1 piece over 2 piece is if I'm strapping into a harness with a penn senator to regularly tangle with 50lb+ saltwater fish.

[IamZombie]

2 piece rods eventaully slip apart when casting if takin apart often. I cannot stand it when that happens. 1 pieces also definately have more sensitivity.

I've been using the same 2 piece rod for nearly 20 years, still snug as can bee putting it together and taking it apart.

Rod I used to take apart and ride my bike with.

It's beat up from being held against the handlebars.

Zebco Quantum Lazer Stik. I think it was one of the first ones that had the "firing pin" so you didn't have to hold the line with your finger.

[Joe's Kid]

Rod I used to take apart and ride my bike with.

It's beat up from being held against the handlebars.

Oh, sure, rub it in. You were coordinated enough to ride your bike without breaking your rod!

[slipperybob]

Two pieces for those long rods is nice. For a short rod, a one peice is fine. If one is worried about a flat spot on their two piece rod, then they should also worry about all the line guides on the entire rod too.

[jwmiller33]

There is a certain way to put a two piece rod together to make sure you don't have the two pieces slip apart. It's kind of hard to explain with words, but I'll try. You don't put the two pieces together so the guides are lined up. You put the top piece on so the guides on the top section of the rod are at a 45 degree angle to the guides on the bottom section of the rod. Slide the two pieces together as far as they will go on and then twist the top section of the rod so the guides are lined up. When taking the rod apart, do the reverse order of sliding the two pieces to the same 45 degree angle (always use the same direction) and then take apart. After doing this enough times, you get a groove on the connection part where it "locks" the rod in when you are using it. I've done this with all of my 2 piece rods I have ever owned and I have never had a 2 piece rod come apart when fishing (and I use them a lot). I think people who have problems with the 2 piece rods coming apart aren't doing the above method, and if they were, they wouldn't be having the issue.

[mrklean]

i have both i like the 2 piece for putting in my car much easier to travel with, but i like the once piece rods more sensitive and not a chance of it coming apart when casting, happened to me a few times

[Ed Carlson]

2-piece rods never spooked me at all. Some people say they have less sensitivity and strength, fall apart, not as good, I say Baaaa..it all depends on the components used is what I have found. If the components and blank is [PoorWordUsage], then the end result will be a junk stick.

Most of my big game rods are 2 piece rods and they take the heaviest stress, torture, and torment of all my rods, and I have never broken one due to the 2 piece construction. I broke them due to my own stupidity or others carelessness, but not due to stress failure.

Shorter rods that will never need to be broken down for storage or travel just as well be 1 piece but that too is not a certainty. I have several that are just for travel and I consider as good as any 1 piece in the high dollar range. You can find a lot of excellent quality rods now for under $70 in both 1 and 2 piece.

They serve there purpose. If you watch the quality of your purchase I see no concerns on 2 piece rods.

[JakeJ_Mn]

I use 2 piece rods for walleye live bait fishing. One piece rods for bass, muskie, sturgeon and trolling cranks for walleyes. I agree with Mr. Miller that you should always rotate your pieces together and apart.

My boat looks cluttered with sometimes 20 to 30 rods scattered around, but the only ones that ever broke were my fault.

You can never have too many rods or too much tackle.

By the way Mr. Miller - beautiful sturgeon you caught. Thanks for the great reports.

[jwmiller33]

By the way Mr. Miller - beautiful sturgeon you caught. Thanks for the great reports.

Thanks a lot Jake I appreciate it!

The funny thing about you mentioning the 68" sturgeon in this thread is guess what.... I caught it on a 2 piece rod!

[EBass]

I do like 1 piece rods that are under 7'. Anything bigger then it's 2 pieces

[Sonicrunch]

1 piece always. Never again with a two piece. They create more problems than they solve.

[smb1]

There's a reason why we never--NEVER--fish two-piece rods for large saltwater fish (don't think I've even seen a two-piece big game rod in the 40 years I've fished in Florida)...and that's because a one-piece rod is simply stronger. If you look at high-end rods, like Loomis or high-end St. Croix, you will see very, very few 2-piece rods available. The reason, again, is that the one-piece is inherently stronger. (and manufacturers don't like having to replace $400 and up rods for free under warranty) That being said, the difference between the two is slight when it comes to freshwater fishing. Because I fly to the north country every year, I can't bring one-piece rods over 6 feet on the plane, so I bring several two-piece, including a 7' ultralite, along with 6' light action rods. It's been years since I've had a two-piece come apart while casting and I can't say I notice any difference in sensitivity. Point being that while a one-piece rod is inherently stronger, the difference is so slight as not to matter for most applications. However I would not buy a cheap two-piece rod, nor one with metal ferrules on it. A well-made two-piece is fine.

[fishinfey8]

There's a reason why we never--NEVER--fish two-piece rods for large saltwater fish (don't think I've even seen a two-piece big game rod in the 40 years I've fished in Florida)...and that's because a one-piece rod is simply stronger. If you look at high-end rods, like Loomis or high-end St. Croix, you will see very, very few 2-piece rods available. The reason, again, is that the one-piece is inherently stronger. (and manufacturers don't like having to replace $400 and up rods for free under warranty) That being said, the difference between the two is slight when it comes to freshwater fishing. Because I fly to the north country every year, I can't bring one-piece rods over 6 feet on the plane, so I bring several two-piece, including a 7' ultralite, along with 6' light action rods. It's been years since I've had a two-piece come apart while casting and I can't say I notice any difference in sensitivity. Point being that while a one-piece rod is inherently stronger, the difference is so slight as not to matter for most applications. However I would not buy a cheap two-piece rod, nor one with metal ferrules on it. A well-made two-piece is fine.

+1- well said! I have 2 two-piece rods. One for keeping under the seat in the truck at all times (just in case ), and one for the BWCA.