TFO Fly Rod Care

TFO Fly Rods are designed as affordable high-performance fishing tools that will give years of fly fishing service.  With a little care and attention, you can keep your TFO rod, looking and casting at its best. TFO utilizes several technologies that make maintenance easy and will help prevent rod breakage.

• Always travel with your fly rod in its case, many rods get broken in transportation, and nothing spoils a trip more than a broken rod.
• Inspect your fly rod before and after each use for nicks, scratches or bruises. These will be the weak point of the fly rod and can cause it to fail under the load of a cast, or with a fish on.
• TFO uses a Blank over Ferrule design that allows a precise fit, and as the rod sections wear with use they continue to fit and hold tight. We do not recommend any lubrication on the self-tightening ferrules simply keep them clean and dry. Rub a cloth or your fingers over the male ferrule to remove any dust or dirt that can scratch the rod. Inspect the inside of the female ferrule and clean out any dirt with a Q-Tip.
• 
• Assembling your TFO fly rod should be a sequence that is repeated the same every time. We suggest that you take the handle and 3rd section out of the case and assemble it by lining up the color dots ¼ of a turn off, then sliding the rod together and turning the rod sections to line up the dots as the finishing touch. Repeat with the first and second section and then join the two top pieces with the two bottom pieces, this prevents the rod hanging on its own as you try to slide the tip section on the other three sections.
• To line up the fly line to the rod once it is assembled pull about 3 meters of the line off the reel and fold over the line about 10 cm from the leader and line knot. Take the folded part of the line and thread it through the guides; this I much easier than trying to thread the tip of the leader through the guides. When you get to the last guide, the tip-top, pull the line out about 15 cm the give the rod a cast, the leader and line will finish going through the guides. This prevents you from pulling on the leader and catching the knots on the guides or over bending the tip, trying to pull the leader back towards yourself.
• 
• Disassembling should be done in reverse, remove the two top sections first then take all the sections apart by slightly twisting and pulling the rod apart. Avoid holding the guides as you twist apart the sections; this can cause the guides to snap off if too much pressure is applied to twist the rod sections apart.
• Store your TFO Rod with the tip and the handle section up in the rod case and the second and third sections down in the sleeve or case; this prevents the tip from breaking when trying to slide it down the tube and keeps the large stripping guides away form the bulky handle section.
• To remove water spots, dirt or fish slime that may have built up during the day, we do not recommend cleaning the rod with any solvents or strong cleaning chemicals just mild biodegradable soap on the rod and handle. Once clean, dry each section of the fly rod with a soft dry terry type cloth, including the inside of the female ferrule using a Q-Tip.
• 
• Do not add oils or sealants to the cork handle as they can cause unevaporated water to be trapped inside the cork handle.
• Clean the reel seat the same as the rod rinsing under warm water and thoroughly drying the rings and reel seat cover.
• Inspect the rod guides for wear or damage. Slight cracks in the ceramic stripping guides or worn snake guides with burrs or ruff spots can cause fly line damage. Slide a Q-Tip through the guides to tell if they are damaged or worn.
• Fly hooks should be removed after each use and not hooked into the cork handle; this causes the cork to be chipped away with each hook inserted.
• 
• When you finish for the day return the dry rod to its case and store it out of the sun as extreme heat can cause damage to the case and rod.

These are just a few suggestions that will help to keep your Fly Rod looking great and performing at its best.

TFO Canada