# American Rodsmith = JUNK



## jeffscout (Jun 22, 2004)

I bought a what I thought was a nice rod to go with a Shimano Stradic for my wife's 45th birthday last year. I took it out last Tuesday with her (probably the 10th time she's ever used it) and three of the guides had cracked out. What a piece of garbage. I paid nearly $100 for this thing and in a year's time it is total junk. I've got rods that have lived in the salt since we bought our Tiki place in 2007 that are fine, some even were submerged in Ike. 

I tried taking it back to Academy with no receipt and they looked it up. It was worth $0.01 since I didn't have a receipt. I don't fault them, though, as I didn't have the receipt. I fault American Rodsmith for building a piece of garbage rod. I let Academy keep their $0.01 and replaced it with a Falcon that matches one of my other rods that has been there for a few years. I rinse all my rods and reels after every trip and I've never seen one just completely fall apart in a year's time. You can see one of the eyes that is cracked and about to fall out in the photos. One of the guides completely cracked and fell apart. Very disappointed in what I thought and heard was a good company.


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## 230Ag (May 20, 2012)

sorry to hear about your rod. Falcon rods are awesome. i have several Coastal XG's and they are top notch!


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## Long Pole (Jun 5, 2008)

Did you wash it off with saltwater? Those eyes are pretty corroded. Looks like it was dunked and set in a garage.


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## Gr8_Outdoorsman (Jun 2, 2007)

1) That looks like typical salt corrosion from not being cleaned and stored properly. 

2) It looks like a rod meant for freshwater use judging by the material of the guides.


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## Gr8_Outdoorsman (Jun 2, 2007)

Yup, it says it's a wacky worm rod looking at the last pic. Get a coastal version of whatever brand rod you go with going forward. Falcon makes a really nice coastal rod....


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## BullyARed (Jun 19, 2010)

Are those guides Fuji guides? I have AR rod with Fuji guides and have no problem with it yet. I have a Kistler rod and the guides (Titanium!) just rusted out like yours. The Kistler rod has not even been used! Falcon is my first choice for price and performance.


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## Juan Mas Kahst (Jun 20, 2012)

You do realize that if you took it straight to American Rodsmith then they would have bent over backwards to make it right? They don't make every part in their rods... maybe it was a bad batch of guides or something. I've had my head up my arse a time and two that ended in a broken rod(completely my fault, and not a defect or anything). Went directly to their office and they replaced it, no questions asked. I have always been taken care of by the good people at their store: http://americanrodsmiths.com/contact/


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## team cut em deep (May 14, 2010)

Gr8_Outdoorsman said:


> 1) That looks like typical salt corrosion from not being cleaned and stored properly.
> 
> 2) It looks like a rod meant for freshwater use judging by the material of the guides.


X2


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## Smackdaddy53 (Nov 4, 2011)

Wash your equipment off and it wont rust the guides out! If i drove my truck through saltwater last year and parked it in the garage and drove it today id probably fall through the floorboard and be pavement surfing. It sounds harsh but i have anerican rodsmith rods from eight years ago that have been used countless times and still look new. 


-mac-


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## reeltimer (Feb 5, 2010)

:rotfl:Maybe if some of ya'll would read his post it's bigger than Dallas that he does rinse his rod's!Geez!:rotfl:


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## jeffscout (Jun 22, 2004)

I rinse it like I do every other rod I own from cheapo Ugly Sticks to high dollar Lagunas. In less than a year it has cratered. Ive not seen this with any other rod and they are all treated the same. I have a $50 Zebco combo that i bought 4 years ago for my 85 year old father in law that has worked perfectly for 4 years. This rod, for whatever reason, is junk.


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## jeffscout (Jun 22, 2004)

Smackdaddy53 said:


> Wash your equipment off and it wont rust the guides out! If i drove my truck through saltwater last year and parked it in the garage and drove it today id probably fall through the floorboard and be pavement surfing. It sounds harsh but i have anerican rodsmith rods from eight years ago that have been used countless times and still look new.
> 
> -mac-


They are all rinsed after every outing. I have 20+ sets and have never seen this in a years worth of service. I take care of my stuff after every trip, and my wife hardly fished last year.


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## jeffscout (Jun 22, 2004)

reeltimer said:


> :rotfl:Maybe if some of ya'll would read his post it's bigger than Dallas that he does rinse his rod's!Geez!:rotfl:


Thanks, reel timer. I rinse everything down each trip religiously!


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## BCSurf (Jul 13, 2011)

My bet is on cheap components, being that it was designed for freshwater fishing


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## CastLReelR (Jun 14, 2012)

You must have gotten a lemon. Take it to ARS and see what they'll do for you.

I've got several ARS rods, including a $50 Genesis Titanium Series from Academy that's at least 5 or 6 years old, and never had any problem with corrosion or cracked guides.


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## jeffscout (Jun 22, 2004)

I pulled it out of the trash pile tonight, hopeful they will rectify it.


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## Goags (May 28, 2004)

Bottom line is the guides are chit. They don't look like any of Fuji's to me. I could guess at the manuf. but won't. I think I've used them in the past, w/ the same results.


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## jeffscout (Jun 22, 2004)

Goags said:


> Bottom line is the guides are chit. They don't look like any of Fuji's to me. I could guess at the manuf. but won't. I think I've used them in the past, w/ the same results.


Two of the three that were broken were sitting on top of the reel. The third broke while we were fishing and I noticed the fourth guide is cracked. 

It was a made in China rod, so no telling what shortcuts were made.


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## Goags (May 28, 2004)

They look like a guide made by an American co., in China. I went to their website and no longer see the ones I was thinking of...may be a reason...


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## Smackdaddy53 (Nov 4, 2011)

I was giving you hell, lemons happen. Take it back bro


-mac-


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## goodwood (Mar 30, 2009)

that blank is pretty decent but ive seen that rod with broken guides in academy brand new. not sure if the cost is worth a rebuild unless you do it yourself.


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## troutomatic1488 (Jun 18, 2006)

I have found that putting a spinning rod in the gunnel rod storage racks on your boat tears up the guides quickly. I don't know if this has any bering on his problem.


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## jeffscout (Jun 22, 2004)

TROUTOMATIC said:


> I have found that putting a spinning rod in the gunnel rod storage racks on your boat tears up the guides quickly. I don't know if this has any bering on his problem.


I don't have gunnel rod storage on this boat so that can't be the issue but I could see how that might happen.


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## jeffm66 (Sep 14, 2010)

I bought my brother one of their rods for his b-day a couple of years ago and had the same issues. I have a FTU and a Shimano rod that have outlasted every thing else I have bought.


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## redman35 (Jul 1, 2008)

Jeff scout you took a fresh water rod saltwater fishing. They are not made with the same components. When you buy these rods you need to buy there saltwater version.


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## V-Bottom (Jun 16, 2007)

Chinese parts....sold here...$130 rod....costs $19 to make in China...some markup....other rod makers here are the same when marking up their junk....only way they can pay for those big boats they putt putt around in


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## caldvn (Sep 25, 2009)

Never had issue with the American Rodsmiths, except for accidentally breaking the tip, they replaced/fixed all 3 rods with miscellaneous issues, no questions asked. They also fixed the guides to my Penn at 5 dollar a pop, it was great work.

Did have a problem with Penn Torque I use for offshore and it had similiar issues to the pic you posted. Those were my fault, not rinsing and stepping/damaging the guides. The top tip inner ring fell out, I don't think I abused that part much, but the 2 closer to reel guides were definetely my fault.


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## jeffscout (Jun 22, 2004)

If it is a "freshwater" rod, it was certainly used in saltwater. I've never had to determine whether a rod was "saltwater" or "freshwater" before. Maybe I've been lucky all these years? Perhaps ARS should clearly state on their rod "freshwater only"?


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## Spectre5922 (Jun 22, 2010)

Sorry to hear about that. Not much sucks worse than finding your rod falling apart. With that being said, I have 2 of their rods. I have a 6'6" topwater and a 7' titanium that have been flawless. Hopefully you'll get it fixed.


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## obergrafeter (Sep 1, 2011)

Well at least you got a year out of it. I had two rods break this year with less than three trips on each one. First a Wright McGill Flats Blue just broke in half on a two pound hardhead, replaced it with a Abu Garcia that had a guide fall off first trip. Nothing but Castaway, Shimano, or St. Croix from now on. Don't ask why I strayed from these.


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## Gilbert (May 25, 2004)

AR will not do anything about that line of rods but probably give you another made in china rod they have there at the shop. Those are mass produced in China. They will stand behind the ones they make there at the shop. The high dollar ones. Those Champion series rods were junk.


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## jeffscout (Jun 22, 2004)

I'm certainly not interested in getting another piece of junk Champion. It bums me out, though, because the rod had great action. I'll keep it in the garage until I can get over there, which is not likely any time soon during business hours. I also see on Academy's website that they only have one AR rod listed. I wonder if stuff like what happened to my rod soured the relationship?


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## flatsmaster14 (Mar 25, 2011)

Gilbert said:


> AR will not do anything about that line of rods but probably give you another made in china rod they have there at the shop. Those are mass produced in China. They will stand behind the ones they make there at the shop. The high dollar ones. Those Champion series rods were junk.


They are all mass produced in china... A few years a go I called about a rod I liked, called them for 3 months! They said it was back ordered? If they build their rods in house nothing should be back orderd.


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## Miles2Fish (Dec 2, 2008)

*Regardless....*



reeltimer said:


> :rotfl:Maybe if some of ya'll would read his post it's bigger than Dallas that he does rinse his rod's!Geez!:rotfl:


It does not mater how often you rinse a rod that is NOT made for salt water. Corrsion will occur just sitting in the rod rack....Unfortunatley it appears the wrong product was purchased for salt water use...


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## barbless (Jul 27, 2004)

same thing happened to my AR rod and i really liked that rod, great action, grip etc. Had it 2 years. I did have the receipt and took it back to academy. They did not have any ARs but i did get a Falcon in exchange.


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## BullyARed (Jun 19, 2010)

Originally Posted by *Goags*  
_Bottom line is the guides are chit. They don't look like any of Fuji's to me. I could guess at the manuf. but won't. I think I've used them in the past, w/ the same results._



jeffscout said:


> Two of the three that were broken were sitting on top of the reel. The third broke while we were fishing and I noticed the fourth guide is cracked.
> 
> It was a made in China rod, so no telling what shortcuts were made.


If they were Fuji, they should have the word "Fuji" engraved on the guides.


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## jeffscout (Jun 22, 2004)

BullyARed said:


> If they were Fuji, they should have the word "Fuji" engraved on the guides.


I don't recall seeing Fuji on the ARS, I did see it on the Falcon that replaced it.


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## BullyARed (Jun 19, 2010)

jeffscout said:


> I don't recall seeing Fuji on the ARS, I did see it on the Falcon that replaced it.


Fuji guides are mostly used for salt and fresh water fishing. Other guides usually are not only rusted out but also the eyes pop out. Don't buy rods without Fuji guides. I have Falcon Coastal and Low Ride and they are great (price & performance).


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## tunchistheman (Feb 25, 2010)

Someone give this man a box of tissue ASAP


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## jeffscout (Jun 22, 2004)

tunchistheman said:


> Someone give this man a box of tissue ASAP


Funny stuff. Got anything to add to the discussion of crappy rods or just want to talk smack?


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## tunchistheman (Feb 25, 2010)

Does not look like a discussion, more like a ride in the Whaaambulance.


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## jeffscout (Jun 22, 2004)

I guess you think it's OK to have a $100 rod crater in less than a year with little use. 

I don't. And haven't had it happen until this rod.


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## perchjerk (Apr 15, 2011)

jeffscout said:


> I guess you think it's OK to have a $100 rod crater in less than a year with little use.
> 
> I don't. And haven't had it happen until this rod.


No it's not ok but I think what most people are getting at is that it's also not ok to bash the company as a whole because of a cheap academy mass produced rod which just so happens to be a freshwater rod you used in saltwater.

Edit: there are way too many good reviews for this company for you to honestly think they make junk. And yes I do own their rods and love them.


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## tunchistheman (Feb 25, 2010)

perchjerk said:


> No it's not ok but I think what most people are getting at is that it's also not ok to bash the company as a whole because of a cheap academy mass produced rod which just so happens to be a freshwater rod you used in saltwater.


Bingo!


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## Goags (May 28, 2004)

Not neccesarily a crappy rod, just guides not intended for saltwater OR crappy saltwater guides. Fuji isn't the only maker of good guides, but they generally lead the industry. As an aside, for kicks, I was looking at some new Fuji titanium/sic spinning guides this morning...ONE #20 SF guide(about the size in your picture) is $33.59. That's the other extreme.


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## Pods (Jan 11, 2006)

Rewrap


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## jeff.w (Jan 22, 2006)

I've had a couple of ARS rods do the same thing, and they weren't freshwater rods. The eyes on both rods cracked and fell out within 6 months of purchase. After a lackluster response from ARS, they went in the trash and I moved on to better rods.


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## jeffscout (Jun 22, 2004)

It is cheap components. 

Shame on me for believing in what I thought was a good company to make a decent mass-produced rod. My TTF's Tamer's and Castaways, also bought at Academy, from years ago have much more use and are holding together. 

And no, I had no idea this was a "freshwater only" rod.


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## flatsmaster14 (Mar 25, 2011)

jeffscout said:


> It is cheap components.
> 
> Shame on me for believing in what I thought was a good company to make a decent mass-produced rod. My TTF's Tamer's and Castaways, also bought at Academy, from years ago have much more use and are holding together.
> 
> And no, I had no idea this was a "freshwater only" rod.


Your rod is a worm rod, that's for bass. What do you not understand?

Your ttf and castaways probably have stainless guides.

Salt water will kill most freshwater rods, get over it. Buy a saltwater rod like your castaway or ttf


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## SwineAssassiN (Jul 24, 2011)

So the rod is fine but the guides are [email protected]? I had a couple rods like this that I just got rebuilt. My boss completely stripped them and used the thread color of my choice and put micro eyes.in a spiral pattern on them. So u could take a really nice rod with some junk guides and have it turned into a custom rod. Just a thought


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## flatsmaster14 (Mar 25, 2011)

SwineAssassiN said:


> So the rod is fine but the guides are [email protected]? I had a couple rods like this that I just got rebuilt. My boss completely stripped them and used the thread color of my choice and put micro eyes.in a spiral pattern on them. So u could take a really nice rod with some junk guides and have it turned into a custom rod. Just a thought


That's what I would do, the blank is fine. Worm rod is for bass, so when ar designed the rod they got china to skimp on the guides to save more money! Higher end freshwater rods will have stainless guides. For example I use a frog rod for redfish and it's made with good components so I've had no problems with it. Just to let him know 100$ is not a high end rod so you cant expect it to be great.


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## johnmyjohn (Aug 6, 2006)

I tend to disagree about the freshwater saltwater use. A good rod can be used for any type of fishing you want to do. I build rods for bass fishing but have and will continue to use them in saltwater also (without any problems). A good rod company will build equiptment to last and if they get or use junk parts to build with it's the company's fault for cutting corners or whatever they did. $ 100 for a pole is not cheap at all and should reflect quality in any water. Junk is what it is, Junk. I feel for the company if they got stuck with bad parts just once but now it's time for quality control.


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## whistlingdixie (Jul 28, 2008)

How many times has American Rodsmith been sold and bought? I read somehwere they are under new ownership again?


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## goodwood (Mar 30, 2009)

have a kistler helium with freshwater forecast guides. theyre rusting at the base but still holding up after several years of hard use. 

that champion ars was made in the states or at least thats what the label stated. i have several of them. however those guides are junk.


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## goodwood (Mar 30, 2009)

moreover i have h3 troutmasters and other models. awesome blank. reel seats blow. none of them fit my e7s and 50es. AR tried to fix the issue but they could not get it right. ill probably rebuild with fuji skeleton reel seats just to work on my rod building skills but i probably wont buy their rods again.


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## dbarham (Aug 13, 2005)

I bought a trout master at the fishing show 3 years ago and i love it but the warranty sux


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## jeffscout (Jun 22, 2004)

Never thought $100 was high end, but it's not exactly bottom of the Academy price points.


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## bubbas kenner (Sep 4, 2010)

I had a AR genesis baitcast that broke in two on a solid speck during a hookset .I was really liking this stick.I took it back to the seller academy and was told the same thing w/o a receipt it a penny,call me cheap it' ok.I was told the same thing china made mass produced for academy.I do have 2 ar troutmaster lites that are bad to the bone,no issues.


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## spurgersalty (Jun 29, 2010)

johnmyjohn said:


> I tend to disagree about the freshwater saltwater use. A good rod can be used for any type of fishing you want to do. I build rods for bass fishing but have and will continue to use them in saltwater also (without any problems). A good rod company will build equiptment to last and if they get or use junk parts to build with it's the company's fault for cutting corners or whatever they did. $ 100 for a pole is not cheap at all and should reflect quality in any water. Junk is what it is, Junk. I feel for the company if they got stuck with bad parts just once but now it's time for quality control.


Bingo, I'm wondering why my Falcon lowrider Carolina rig special hasn't vaporized in the 6 years I've been using it in saltwater as my flounder stick. Guides still look new and haven't had one break yet.As a matter of fact, most of my old bass equipment is still going strong (minus a few that were stepped on). My cheapo ugly stik catfish rods haven't missed a beat either.I must be the luckiest man on earth......heading for a lotto ticket now.


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## cmiller2482 (Jul 5, 2011)

As far as Academy only wanting to give you $.01 that seems like there in the wrong with that i know that if you brought that rod to or even called them you would find that the customer service is amazing! :work:

And as for American Rodsmiths being bought and sold so many times i think you might want to check your source. American Rodsmiths has been owned and ran by the same family for as long as they've been around.


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## bubbas kenner (Sep 4, 2010)

cmiller2482 said:


> As far as Academy only wanting to give you $.01 that seems like there in the wrong with that i know that if you brought that rod to or even called them you would find that the customer service is amazing! :work:
> 
> And as for American Rodsmiths being bought and sold so many times i think you might want to check your source. American Rodsmiths has been owned and ran by the same family for as long as they've been around.


Yes friend true that, but why buy cheap china made junk and ruin your reputation with cheaply made products


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## Dukdogtx (Jul 30, 2009)

johnmyjohn said:


> I tend to disagree about the freshwater saltwater use. A good rod can be used for any type of fishing you want to do. I build rods for bass fishing but have and will continue to use them in saltwater also (without any problems). A good rod company will build equiptment to last and if they get or use junk parts to build with it's the company's fault for cutting corners or whatever they did. $ 100 for a pole is not cheap at all and should reflect quality in any water. Junk is what it is, Junk. I feel for the company if they got stuck with bad parts just once but now it's time for quality control.


I completely agree with your take on freshwater/saltwater rod use. Ironically I bought an ARS Judy Wong rod, made for freshwater application. The rod was $159 and Academy had them clearanced at $52 back 2 or 3 years ago. FANTASTIC little rod!!! I use it for cranking both saltwater/freshwater.
I think the OP may have a lemon on his hands and a crappy customer service that won't stand by their product.

I actually own 2 ARS rods. The JW and an H3. Both have been great for me.

BTW: I'm not one of those die hard ARS enthusiast.


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## jeffscout (Jun 22, 2004)

cmiller2482 said:


> As far as Academy only wanting to give you $.01 that seems like there in the wrong with that i know that if you brought that rod to or even called them you would find that the customer service is amazing! :work:
> 
> And as for American Rodsmiths being bought and sold so many times i think you might want to check your source. American Rodsmiths has been owned and ran by the same family for as long as they've been around.


I don't fault Academy in the least. The item is discontinued and I had no receipt. They told me if I had a receipt I could get the value of the rod back. With no receipt, they will give you store credit of the last price they had for the product. Discontinued products are assigned $0.01.


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## Rawpower (Jul 4, 2011)

My American Rodsmiths had a few corroded guides on it as well. I took it to the American Rodsmith shop near 290 and Jones rd. They put new guides on it in about a week. Great customer service. They did not ask for a receipt or anything like that. They just fixed it. Really nice and helpful people. They stood behind their product. That saved me some cash on getting it fixed on my own. I don’t blame AR for the abuse i put my rods through. It is one of my favorite surf rods. Just take it up there, They’ll take care of you.


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## jamesvaughan (Apr 29, 2012)

*They all do it it's called market share*

They sell a cheaper rod to get the Money of people who only look at price. Walmart ,Academy will only buy your product if fits they're profit margins.


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## gwfisher (Jun 28, 2012)

BullyARed said:


> Are those guides Fuji guides? I have AR rod with Fuji guides and have no problem with it yet. I have a Kistler rod and the guides (Titanium!) just rusted out like yours. The Kistler rod has not even been used! Falcon is my first choice for price and performance.


 you do know that titanium can not rust dont you? 
not all fuji guides are the same. a rod with cheep hardloy guides like that is not a rod i would fish with.


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## jamesvaughan (Apr 29, 2012)

Stil chain saws sold at home depot are not the same saw sold at stil dealers .


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## gwfisher (Jun 28, 2012)

Goags said:


> Not neccesarily a crappy rod, just guides not intended for saltwater OR crappy saltwater guides. Fuji isn't the only maker of good guides, but they generally lead the industry. As an aside, for kicks, I was looking at some new Fuji titanium/sic spinning guides this morning...ONE #20 SF guide(about the size in your picture) is $33.59. That's the other extreme.


 one 50mm k frame surf guide is $95. when i build a surf rod i spend up to $250 on guides alone


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## jdot7749 (Dec 1, 2008)

In the first place the Champion series has been off Academy racks for more than 5 years. I have one purchased more than seven yrs ago and they disappeared shortly thereafter. I used it hard and fast for 3 years and one of the inserts fell out. I manned up and took it to a repair shop and had new guides installed because the blank/ handle combo felt so good. I don't think you can find a post from me complaining about anything except other people complaing about all kinds of stuff.


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## jeffscout (Jun 22, 2004)

jdot7749 said:


> In the first place the Champion series has been off Academy racks for more than 5 years. I have one purchased more than seven yrs ago and they disappeared shortly thereafter. I used it hard and fast for 3 years and one of the inserts fell out. I manned up and took it to a repair shop and had new guides installed because the blank/ handle combo felt so good. I don't think you can find a post from me complaining about anything except other people complaing about all kinds of stuff.


My wife turned 45 last May and it was a gift for her 45th birthday from Academy in Rosenberg. I don't think that Academy was even in existence 5 years ago. If I had used it hard for three years, I wouldn't be talking about it now. It is barely used for a little over a year.


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## jdot7749 (Dec 1, 2008)

Whatever you think. Academy been around since '81 I know.


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## fishinguy (Aug 5, 2004)

jdot7749 said:


> In the first place the Champion series has been off Academy racks for more than 5 years. I have one purchased more than seven yrs ago and they disappeared shortly thereafter. I used it hard and fast for 3 years and one of the inserts fell out. *I manned up* and took it to a repair shop and had new guides installed because the blank/ handle combo felt so good. I don't think you can find a post from me complaining about anything except other people complaing about all kinds of stuff.


I think manning up would require you fixin it yourself. You shelled out to the repair shop.


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## timbo651 (Feb 16, 2009)

http://www.execdigital.com/press_re...to-an-agreement-to-acquire-american-rodsmiths
Should be interesting to see what happens next....


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## jeffscout (Jun 22, 2004)

jdot7749 said:


> Whatever you think. Academy been around since '81 I know.


I meant the particular Academy in Rosenberg, not the chain overall.


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## redman35 (Jul 1, 2008)

jeffscout said:


> If it is a "freshwater" rod, it was certainly used in saltwater. I've never had to determine whether a rod was "saltwater" or "freshwater" before. Maybe I've been lucky all these years? Perhaps ARS should clearly state on their rod "freshwater only"?


It does say freshwater. When was the last time you fished a wacky worm in saltwater


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## fishinguy (Aug 5, 2004)

jeffscout said:


> I meant the particular Academy in Rosenberg, not the chain overall.


I had them repair all the guides on my stick em rod when they did the same as yours. Take it up there and ask them how much to replace them.


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## Gr8_Outdoorsman (Jun 2, 2007)

redman35 said:


> It does say freshwater. When was the last time you fished a wacky worm in saltwater


:rotfl:


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## Blk Jck 224 (Oct 16, 2009)

This sounds kinda like buying a F-150 with a six cylinder to pull a 25' boat. When the motor & transmission fails, the whining that Ford is simply JUNK begins. I have some old ARS rods that have seen lots of saltwater & are still in great shape.


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## jeffscout (Jun 22, 2004)

Gr8_Outdoorsman said:


> :rotfl:


Yup, because we all know nothing we use for freshwater fishing works for saltwater fish. What works for bass would NEVER work for a trout, right???


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## flatsmaster14 (Mar 25, 2011)

jeffscout said:


> Yup, because we all know nothing we use for freshwater fishing works for saltwater fish. What works for bass would NEVER work for a trout, right???


Like I said before your academy american rodsmith was a bare bones cheap fresh water rod, high end freshwater rods have stainless guides! Get over it and buy something else


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## jeffscout (Jun 22, 2004)

flatsmaster14 said:


> Like I said before your academy american rodsmith was a bare bones cheap fresh water rod, high end freshwater rods have stainless guides! Get over it and buy something else


Sure, a bare bones $100 rod. Academy doesn't sell many rods over that price point. Had I paid $30 for a Berkley Lightning Rod, I wouldn't care.

And it was replaced by a $90 Made in USA Falcon that matches another year old Falcon (bought about the same time as the ARS and used much more).


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## Gr8_Outdoorsman (Jun 2, 2007)

jeffscout said:


> Yup, because we all know nothing we use for freshwater fishing works for saltwater fish. What works for bass would NEVER work for a trout, right???


Dude don't get pissy because you couldn't read wacky worm plastered on the rod. You can use what you want for whatever you want, but don't start whining when it breaks.


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## jeffscout (Jun 22, 2004)

Gr8_Outdoorsman said:


> Dude don't get pissy because you couldn't read wacky worm plastered on the rod.


Yeah, it's crazy. I've actually caught fish on a tout throwing a rod that said "topwater special"...


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## redman35 (Jul 1, 2008)

jeffscout said:


> Yeah, it's crazy. I've actually caught fish on a tout throwing a rod that said "topwater special"...


Jeff you missed the point about that. It's not that you can't catch fish on a rod that says wacky worm, BUT that tells you the rod is a freshwater rod and not a saltwater was the point behind it.


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## jeffscout (Jun 22, 2004)

redman35 said:


> Jeff you missed the point about that. It's not that you can't catch fish on a rod that says wacky worm, BUT that tells you the rod is a freshwater rod and not a saltwater was the point behind it.


Just yankin' yall's chain... :cheers:


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## Spectre5922 (Jun 22, 2010)

Like I said before, I have a 6'6" topwater and a 7' H3 titanium that have lasted for almost 9 months now with no issues at all so far.
I understand your frustration, but havent been in your shoes personally, so I can't say how I would react. I have never had a rod fail like that except and Ugly Stick Inshore Select that I took back with a receipt and got something different when it failed at 3 months.
If you look at AR, their "normal" rods run around $170 to $400+ if I'm not wrong, so I would have to agree that for them, a $100 rod is on the low end of their lineup. Why they can't or don't build something that lasts longer is another question since other rod manufacturers build rods that are under $100 that hold up to the salt just fine (Castaway, Falcon, All Star, etc). Maybe the blanks are so much better in general that they cheap out on the guides to save money in other areas. I don't know. You would think that a rod company would build all of their rods to survive in any type of water to increase the buyer's choices. There are a lot of freshwater guys that use the same gear for the salt.
The other side of the coin is that, for example, a Lincoln (made by Ford) is luxurious and powerful with a beautiful interior but yet a Focus is basic with a harsh ride, no power and a cheap plastic interior. You can't blame Ford/Lincoln/Mercury because you paid for a Focus and it doesn't have the amenities, power and life of a Town Car. 
I'm not bashing you at all (I don't do that), I'm just playing the devils's advocate.


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## 24Buds (Dec 5, 2008)

this is fun.


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## Bull Red (Mar 17, 2010)

jeffscout said:


> I'm certainly not interested in getting another piece of junk Champion. It bums me out, though, because the rod had great action. I'll keep it in the garage until I can get over there, which is not likely any time soon during business hours. I also see on Academy's website that they only have one AR rod listed. I wonder if stuff like what happened to my rod soured the relationship?


I only read the 1st 40 posts so forgive me if this is a repeat. 
If you really like the action of this rod, why don't you replace the eyes?


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## jeffscout (Jun 22, 2004)

Bull Red said:


> I only read the 1st 40 posts so forgive me if this is a repeat.
> If you really like the action of this rod, why don't you replace the eyes?


I may just do that. I've never built a rod before so it would be a good learning experience. I think FTU sells everything I would need.


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## flatsmaster14 (Mar 25, 2011)

jeffscout said:


> I may just do that. I've never built a rod before so it would be a good learning experience. I think FTU sells everything I would need.


Go to ftu and get the small business start up kit, it has it all for like 75$.buy a few 5$ blanks and cheap guides to practice on. If you have any questions ask terry in the rod building section and he will line you out!


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## tunchistheman (Feb 25, 2010)

Wow! 9 pages and still whining, oh i mean climbing.


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## livin2learn (Jun 1, 2012)

You guys are brutal...bottom line is in my opinion, freshwater or saltwater the guides should not fail like this. Saltwater would surely cause them to corrode quicker, but freshwater would have had the same results, just taken longer than a year. 
And I have $400 rods and $50 rods....and even a $100 rod is not a cheap rod, regardless of what the price points are of the line of rods carried by ARS this shouldn't have happened.
You guys can all tell him to stop whining, but you would be ****** too, even if it was a "freshwater" rod. it sucks, and based on what everyone has said your three options are to:
1) Rebuild the rod with quality guides
2) Take it back to ARS and have them fix it
3) trash it


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## texasjellyfish (Jan 23, 2006)

Its the saltwater that is brutal and if no care is given everything you own and use in saltwater will become junk.


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## perchjerk (Apr 15, 2011)

flatsmaster14 said:


> Go to ftu and get the small business start up kit, it has it all for like 75$.buy a few 5$ blanks and cheap guides to practice on. If you have any questions ask terry in the rod building section and he will line you out!


The small business kit is awesome. I just bought it. It really does have everything you need but it is not $75. It's more like 189.95.


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## flatsmaster14 (Mar 25, 2011)

Yep 75$ for just the wrapper, my mistake


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## tpool (Aug 21, 2005)

redman35 said:


> It does say freshwater. When was the last time you fished a wacky worm in saltwater


No one (in the know) answer this! LOL...

T-BONE


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## rojogrande (Jul 31, 2008)

Try contacting American Rodsmith... They have treated me very well when I brought a couple rods in for repair. No charge and back in a couple days. They are in Houston. Google is your friend...:cop:


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