Just like defects in composite bow limbs in the archery industry, the best time to find a defect in a rod blank is before additional value is added in the manufacturing process or worse yet, by the consumer when they have a trophy fish on the line! Similar to bow limbs (see Archery), Stress Outdoor® has developed non-destructive test methods to identify and locate non-visible defects within the material volume of a rod blank using acoustic emission technology. This testing approach can be integrated into statistical inspection programs and completed quickly and efficiently. Once implemented, the probability of assembling a rod with a life limiting critical flaw is significantly reduced.