JDM rod/reel near-disaster at the ramp.. uh oh!
Launched the boat yesterday, and forgot to unhook one side of my transom strap from the trailer. When I parked the trailer, it dragged behind and managed to hook the most expensive rig in the boat, right in the stripper guide, and yank it out (boat was on the shore by the ramp, not the courtesy dock). I dragged my Tict Ice Cube Rockin' Power and 2015 Luvias 1003 up the ramp and across the concrete about 50 yards. Yikes! I saw it when I got out of the truck, and some cussing (at myself) was heard. When I saw it was my Ice Cube, the cussing god exponentially louder. I shook my head, locked it in the truck, and went fishing with my other rods.
The good news is the damage was surprisingly minimal to the rod. A very close inspection on the bench at home revealed that the stripper guide was cleanly yanked from the wrap without damaging the wrap or the blank. I had some road rash on the reel lock ring, and slightly bent two of the small guides. I was able to straighten the small guides with a finger, and the stripper guide was snatched out so clean, I just super-glued it right back in there. I could not find any other damage, and I studied every mm of the blank under magnification and strong light. Tict's are tough, man! I dodged a $290 bullet.
The Luvias fared worse. The bail took most of the damage, being dragged across the concrete, and had some deep rash on the wire from dragging across the pavement, plus it got bent back toward the rear of the reel. A careful disassembly revealed the screw holding the line roller was bent, but other than the scratches, the bail itself looked ok. It is a pretty sturdy piece of metal. The line roller still rolled smoothly, and the reel itself was unharmed, and still feels butter-smooth, with no wobble. I was able to order a new screw and the plastic bail arm from Plat for about $15.
This morning I got out some various grits of wet/dry sandpaper and carefully sanded out the road rash on the bail. I put shrink wrap over the line roller to keep it clean. I sanded from 120 to 1500 grit, then got out the Flitz and the MotoTool, and polished it to a mirror shine. You can't tell it ever had rash. When I get the parts from Plat, the Luvias should be good to go. It sure could have been worse. The light weight of the rig probably helped it slide across the pavement without digging in and breaking.
This morning I spooled up my new 2020 Luvias 2000S I just got from Japan, and put it on the Tict. I am ready to fish again. PS the new 2000S Luvias is 25 g lighter than the 2015 Luvias 1003. I don't like it not having an anti-reverse switch. Boo. I'll live with it.
Bad storms and 4-6" of rain is on the way here arriving this evening, so I'm not sure when I can get out and fish with it.
I got lucky the damage wasn't worse. Why couldn't it have hooked my $40 Denali, or my $60 ACC rod instead? Murphy decrees any carelessness will harm the most expensive rig in the boat, and it did.
