Rod pieces not fitting?

[Rain]

I recently bought a new Okuma SST 13' 10" extra heavy rod (model: SST-C-13102XH) from an online source and the rod pieces do not fit fully together. I've tried pushing them together as far as it will go and there is about a 1 inch gap showing the base of the male ferrule. Is this normal? Is it a defect? Should I sand down the male ferrule? I've never owned a rod like this before so I'm not sure what to do.

 

[eugene1]

I'd just return it and buy from a local source where you can see it assembled. Sounds like a defect or two different rods put together.

Good luck, Rain,

 

[HereFishy]

My buddy, my dad, and myself all have the same rod (we target sturgeon.... like a lot...). The only difference is that we all have the 12' version. Based on your description, I don't think any of us have the issue you're dealing with. Our ferrules seat as you would expect. My only guess is that maybe you got a 13' base and a 12' tip. The ferrules would have to be a different diameter. But I could see how that would be an easy error to make during shipping. The first picture is the rod put together. In the second picture, the sharpie is pointing to how deep the tip seated on the base. Hope this helps.

Tight lines,
Kyle

 

[fish4life]

This is normal for this rod, I have the same rod. I have caught fish up to eight feet long and have not had a problem.

 

[Rain]

I did some more research on rods and I think this rod has a spigot ferrule type connection (something I'd never seen before). Like fish4life said, the gap is normal. From what I've read, the gap is tapered to allow for wearing over time to ensure a tight connection for years to come. Also from what I've read it seems to be a somewhat common connection design for fly rods and long rods such as surf casting rods. Ty everybody for the help. I'm glad I didn't sand it down!

I don't have time right now to take photos of my rod but I found some images on google of spigot ferrule connections and they look fundamentally identical to what my rod connection looks like. Examples: