Charlie,
I know I am a little late with a solution to the stuck rod but here is one
that works. It requires two people. The first person holds the rod with one
hand on the lower section and the other hand on the upper section. The
second person does the same thing with each persons hand touching the
others. Push and pull together and they will separate. To prevent the
sections from sticking, I have always rubbed a candle over the male section
every so often.
Congrats on the steelhead pull,
Leland.
