just got a st croix legend. checked the rod guides was flexing the main guide slighty and heard a crack. i can see a small crack on the epoxy. guide is still intact. now what? do i leave it or try to epoxy over it. personally dont think its a big concern. what experiences do you guys have?

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I had a rod w/ cracked epoxy and used good quality womens clear fingernail polish/hardener. I read this off another forum. It seems to work well, but it hasn't been on long enough for me to know if it will last or not. I certainly know it didn't hurt anything and it looks good.

I also happened to crack the epoxy on a guide about a week back. It was probably a 1 mm long crack, maybe smaller (barely noticeable unless you knew it was there). Put a drop of superglue on it, let it dry and smoothened it out with St Croix crystallized glue.

Idk if it worked or not, simply because the guide was not loose at all in the first place. Soothed my nerves though. I love my set-ups too much.

hmm where do i get these glues

As a custom rod builder I can advise that if the guide wrap finish is cracked then water can and will get under the wraps. This will cause the wrap to become milky looking in time, due to moisture getting under the finish.

Fix: Lightly sanding (1500 - 2000 grit) the finish and re-coating, with perma gloss, flex coat, etc rod finishes.

If the rods main blank finish is cracked, then I would return the rod for a replacement.

Super glues are not a fix as they are not flexible nor are they waterproof....

Just a builders .02¢

Good Luck & Tight Lines!

The "Right" way to fix this, as RM explained, is to sand and recoat. If the crack is very minor and you're not comfortable with the epoxy process, the clear nail polish is the next best. Super Glue will not last in this application.

Have you thought about taking it back and exchanging it ?