First of all, do not panic. Unless the rod is somehow holding the door closed on a burning car with a baby trapped inside, which is highly unlikely, time is on your side.

Do:

Get a helper: Four hands are better than two. Both of you clean your hands. Get rid of anything that would make your hands slippery like grease from your fried chicken lunch, Dapper Dan hair treatment, 10W40, etc. Also clean the rod. Use rubbing alcohol for this. Now get one guy on either side of the ferrule and pull. Make sure your hands are away from the guides and you are pulling straight!

Chill Out: Often the reason the rod is stuck is that it was put together when cool and now it’s warm. This tightens the connection. Lay the rod on a table and put a bag of ice on the ferrule for 20 minutes or so. Then follow the instructions above. In the field I’ve submerged rods in the river for a while to cool them off. I’ve never had this fail.

Do not:

Twist the rod. Use pliers, wire cutters, vice grips, bench vices or any other mechanical equipment to hold the rod. Use the guides to get a better grip on the rod. Heat the rod with a lighter, blow torch, candle, match, friendly dragon, or any other heat source (heat is really bad for epoxy.)

– Scott Wood, Fly Fishing Product Manager