So I did some dumpster diving at my local tackle shop last week and found a perfectly good Shimano Zodias. The only problem is it was cleanly cut just above the reel seat.

 

I bought a cheap Shimano FC spinning rod, chopped about a foot of it just above the reel seat, and slid that into the Zodias, and scored where it finally was too snug to go any further. I cut it there and was left with about 6 inches of fibreglass composite rod blank.

 

I took some marine epoxy and a paint brush and painted the fat end and snugged it up in the Zodias's base, then painted the rest of the donor blank in epoxy and slid the Zodias down over it and snugged it up.

 

I made sure to align it, then left it on the deck to cure after cleaning up the epoxy that was pushed out.

 

Fished with it a lot this weekend. I wasn't expecting much, especially in sensitivity given the joint I used was cheap Shimano "Aeroglass". But to be honest, the sensitivity was on point. The balance is off, obviously, and I'm not sure how long it'll last before snapping, but all and all I put about 30 bucks in to the rod, and it fishes great.

 

Just figured I'd share this here, cause no one I know really cares about frugal fishing tackle.

Awesome. Nice resurrection/restoration project. 
 

 

Any pictures?

A few months ago I found a Fenwick rod and a Penn Warfare 15LW in the dumpster at my work.  It looked like someone had drove over it with a truck.  The rod was beyond repair, but the reel just needed a good cleaning and the free spool lever bent back into place.