Thanks all for the good suggestions. Tried them all and stil no luck. This happened the first day I used it ,to a lesser degree,and then completely stuck the second day. I was extremely careful to treat it carefully but still had a a problem. When I unscrewed the bottom and put it back together it was even worse. Took it back to the shop I got it from and decided to upgrade and exchanged the rod. No problems with the new rod.
Thanks again,
Steve