Whatever you and your customers call them — tip-tops, top guide, top eye, or rod tips — you certainly have anglers walking into your store who have a problem at the end of their fishing rod. Sure, you can sell tip-top repair kits — and you should — but customers will appreciate having your staff do the repair while they wait (and shop!).

Fuji, Eagle Claw and several other companies offer tip-top kits for repairing fishing rods, and any tackle shop should stock them. The kits are great for anglers who want to repair a rod themselves, and it’s a smart idea for any angler to carry one in their boat, tacklebox or fishing vest.

In the seven years I worked fishing retail, I can’t count the number of tip-tops I replaced on fishing rods. Maybe not a thousand, but certainly several hundred.

The repair takes only a minute or two, and you can charge for the retail price of the new tip-top, plus add a bit for the labor. It’s not my business to tell you what to charge, and the price will vary depending on the type of replacement tip-top, but it’s certainly reasonable to charge at least $5 for your labor. 

(FYI: While working as a fly fishing guide in Alaska, the biggest single-day tip I ever earned came from a gentlemen who broke 2 inches off the end of his G. Loomis fly rod. Like a Boy Scout who is always prepared, I had a selection of fly rod tip-tops in my vest, along with a glue stick and lighter. I had my client casting again in less than five minutes. At the end of the day, he gave me an extra $100 for the rod repair!)

Like anything these days, you and your staff can learn how to perform this simple repair on YouTube. I like to watch online fishing content from Flukemaster, so I’ll include his tutorial on the topic below. He does a good job explaining how to remove an existing broken tip-top without damaging the rod.