bman,

You can't replace just the insert. They are press fit and epoxied in the factory, and nothing you could do at home will do the job properly. Replacing the guide is the only way to go. It should be much cheaper to find a local builder to do the repair for you. The guides are made by American Tackle and readily available to rod builders, so getting the perfect match won't be a problem.

If I were closer I would offer to do it myself, but by the time you paid for gas or shipped it to me, you would be back in the same boat with sending it to Duckett Fishing. I don't personally know any builders close enough to you to make it cheaper than shipping the rod out.

Good Luck,

Joe

 

montagc,

I hope your repair continues to hold up for you. With enough care and effort, I have no doubt you can do a good job. Maybe I should have left it at it's not as simple as gluing in a new ceramic insert. You also need to be very careful applying heat to that guide frame while it is still on the rod, as it won't take much to heat it enough to melt the resin in your blank making it more susceptible to a future break. In any case, it is best to replace the whole guide, as it only involves cutting the old guide off, wrapping and refinishing.

bman,

I can walk you though the process if you want. It's not that difficult. All you need are an Exacto knife, white thread, a cardboard box, phonebook and some finish. There is a new finish product out that is great for repairs called Threadmaster One. It cleans up with water, dries to the touch in about an hour, and just a couple coats will give the build up you need to be similar to the original finish. For about the cost of paying someone to replace one guide, you can get enough thread and finish to 50 guides or more.

Also, if you aren't fussy about how the repair works, you can cover the wraps with a couple coats of Elmers glue thinned with water (very similar to the acrylic color preservers used in rod building). I replaced a loose guide on one of my personal rods a couple years ago the night before a trip. I didn't have time to finish it properly. I let it go just to see how it would hold up over time. Two years later and after spending a couple of hours one day on the bottom of the lake, it is holding up just fine.

Joe

 

I appreciate the offer grub man and may eventually take you up on your offer, but for now I am going to search for a somewhat local rod repair person. M also going to contact duckett fishing and see how they might be able to help me.

Kinda frustrating after less than a full season that I lost a guide insert. This is my first microguide rod and I must say I love fishing with it and even bought another duckett micro magic rod in October. I've never lost a guide insert on any of my st croix premiers or triumphs. In fact, I think I've only lost one insert and that was on my kid's ugly stick. Sure hope I don't end up regretting my first foray into microguide rods!

 

bman,

Unfortunately, rings come out from time to time regardless of the size of the guide. The American Tackle guides that Duckett uses are very nice. Definitely contact Duckett. Some manufacturers will send you the guide on to give to your repair person. Others may insist on sending the rod in, and some may even say that having anyone outside the company repair the guide will void the warranty. I really don't know how Duckett works in that regard.

I don't think you will regret your first foray into microguides. They really do improve the efficiency of the rod. They have their limitations, but when used properly are great!

If you decide to replace the guide yourself, just let me know, and I'll get you going.

Joe

 

bman,

This thread might be useful. It lists a few places that offer rod repair in the Columbus area.

Joe

 

Thanks grub man!

 

I work a tackle shop and had a customer come in with a Duckett and a couple popped out inserts. He said Duckett send him new guides to have installed when he contacted them. Maybe he has a better way of wooing them but they might do the same for you. You'll just need to find someone to put them on so you don't have to buy new guides.

 

I just called Duckett fishing and they could not have been nicer to deal with. I was given two options: send them the rod and they would fix it (but shipping would cost $15/each way = $30 total) or they would send me some guides for free and I could get someone to replace it for me. Straightforward and fair. Best of all, they guy I spoke with was a fishermen and was really knowledgeable. What a refreshing approach to fishing equipment customer service!

I chose to have them send me the guides. Buckeye Outdoors is a MicroMagic dealer so I'm going to contact them to see if they repair rods.

I'll update this post again once I find a way to get my rod fixed! No hurry though I guess - winterized my boat this weekend and she goes to sleep until March 1st starting Wednesday!