Ding Ding. We have a winner!
I think it was the rod I bought to replace one that got caught it a overhanging tree limb222 while canoeing on the James.
Ah, of course, I should have thought of that possibility as well. Not that I've broken a rod in such circumstances, but I've had to disentangle from many a mess. With current flowing, or a fish on a line. Surprising that I haven't had one broken or, more likely, pulled out of the boat while the boat heads downstream.
So let's adjust the list. And to be clear, we're not including broken guides, as they are eminently replaceable. I have also thought of two more that have happened to me, the last one while I was on my 2013 Wyoming backcountry trip. While I had a spinning rod for my son that I could have used, I really wanted to fly fish as much as possible and this was initially distressing. However, I cut off the fragment of fiberglass above the next guide wrap, allowing me to fish with a rod a little over 8 feet (versus the 9' I started with) and I really didn't have much problem with the line wrapping around the protruding guide foot & tip. I did lose some casting distance.
I also broke one while poking a snagged lure free but I've also saved a heck of a lot of lures that way so think I've come out ahead so far.
-Stick it in a whirling ceiling fan
-Car door
-Step on it
-Using braided line that is stronger than the rod's ability to withstand it.
-Getting caught in overhanging brush
-Breaking the tip section trying to poke a lure free from a submerged snag
-Stumbling and bumbling along and poking the tip into a submerged boulder. (I was rock hopping along the edge of Trail Lake WY because the shoreline was too densely vegetated, lost my balance and snapped off the tip without realizing it until I made it back to camp)