Rod Holders

[Baron]

So far I've asked for opinions on Packs, rod and reel types and care, how to carry gear around, line cleaning and more. So it seems that as a new gleamingly perfect FF I shouldn't need to ask any more Gear questions.

Well Guess again.

How do you store and or carry your rods in your boats? I have a 12' drift boat. Its wide but only 12'. I sit just aft of the middle and row with my two fly rods learning outward over the gunwales and reel at my feet. Things get worse when other fishermen are added to the boat.

How do you store your fly rods in the boat when they aren't being fished?

 

[Bamboozle]

I use Scotty Rod Holders. There is nothing better and more durable on the market.

I don’t own a boat so all of my rod holders & other set-ups are clamp mount so I can use them on rental boats, but you may be able to permanently attach a rod holder mount(s) to your boat. I also use the same Scotty rod holders on my float tube attached with a strap mount.

FWIW, the Scotty clamps suck. There are better clamps out there, you just have to fabricate a mounting plate to attach the Scotty base to. Coincidentally, just last night I finished making a new clamp mount for my Scotty Anchor Lock which is a FANTASTIC product!!

As far as what I use when fishing; I have a two-rod holder (that I fabricated myself with Scotty Parts) on the port side of the boat that will hold two fly rods, two spinning rods or bait casters or any combination of the three. The rods are pointed aft and slightly upward out of the way, BUT, you can adjust them any way you want, easily.

The Anchor Lock is clamped to the bow however, deploying the anchor from the back of the boat is a breeze. I also just bought a Scotty Rod Rest to clamp on the starboard side so I have a place to rest the rod I am using when I need change flies, lures, bait, etc. rather than laying it on the gunwales.

Before I bore you with all the details on my clamp rigs and how I fabricated them, FIRST peruse the Scotty stuff online. If you see something that will work and you don’t need a clamp, just order what you need.

FWIW - Scotty doesn’t sell a two rod holder so if their THREE rod holder is too much and you want a TWO, ask and I’ll tell you how to make a two rod holder and what parts you’ll need. Or you can just mount a single rod holder on each side of the boat.

If you need clamp mounts, ask and I’ll tell whose clamp to buy, what Scotty parts you’ll need and how to fabricate a mounting plate.

It’s all easy and the Scotty stuff lasts forever!

 

[Baron]

Are you talking these:

 

[Bamboozle]

The bottom picture you posted is the fly rod holder I use which is a Scotty #260 inserted into a Scotty #241 base. If you have a place to permanently mount that #241 base to your boat, you are set.

I use the Scotty #279 rod holder for spinning & baitcasting rods in the same #241 base and it may even work on a fly rod, with the reel pointing upward, I just never tried it.

I don't recognize the rod holders in your top picture but I would never carry rods pointing straight upward, they would get in the way of everything like casting and low tree branches.

I set my rods to be held pointing aft, at maybe 20 degrees above perfectly parallel to the water. Like that, they are out of the way.

IF I need to move them out of the way like if I was backing the boat to a bank to retrieve a snagged fly, you just pull up slightly on the rod holder and rotate it to another position.

You can also adjust the horizontal angle if need be by loosening a thumb turn screw on the rod holder.

Piece of cake!

 

[Baron]

Brilliant. I have places to mount these in the boat. As you well know, before up-grading to better equipment, I need to make sure I can keep it whole. I now have 2-1494, 2-1495 and a nice 1492. Next I'm working on getting the proper lines and rods to work with. Before doing so there has to be a strategy for gear safety.
I can't see investing in great rods if I can't protect them in the boat.
How do I know this..........

 

[Bamboozle]

What's nice is the Scotty #241 base can accept a rod holder either on top, or on the side which means you can mount it on the inside of the hull or on top.

There is also a locking version called the #241L which gives you a little bit of flexibility on how you orient the rod holder.

You need to look at this page and determine which mount is most suitable to your boat. After that, you can figure out which rod holder to use with it.

Most post mount accessories are sold with and without a base. Buying that way saves you a few $$$ versus separately.

However, if you think a #241 or #241L might work on your boat, you may just want to order a single base, play around with it and see how & where you can mount it before buying all of the other stuff to go with it.

 

[Baron]

Bamboozle wrote:

play around with it and see how & where you can mount it before buying all of the other stuff to go with it.

That is key.
The units are affordable......


The tips will still be unprotected. On most drift boats the rod holders are horizontal and are either trays or long tubes. My particular drift boat is a 15' boat with both ends cut off creating two transoms. so I don't think tubes or trays will work. These should work okay.

 

[RLeep2]

I'd second the Scotty equipment for the purpose you describe. I have several different ones I sometimes use with my inflatable yak which came with 5 Scotty mounts already glued and ready to use.

I don't always use them, but I'm more likely to do so if I have a lot of other stuff in the boat, like when I float and camp, etc. Otherwise, they are right out there at the edge of my tolerance for fussing/fadiddling. So, if I'm just out for the morning and not carrying a lot of extra stuff, I usually just lay my rod on the floor in front of me. They can be very helpful though if you have more patience than me...

 

[Baron]

RL, I agree that these look easy and safe. I had always been careless. I'd buy cheap combo sets and toss them back into the boat where they'd get whomped on. Then in a couple years I'd acquire or buy another combo.
No more of that.
I just paid more per used Medalist Reel than I'd ever spent on a combo. The line I'm about to line them with costs more than any combo I had ever bought. I won't need to mention rods.....
Thanks for seconding the decision to use Scotty.

 

[Bamboozle]

Baron wrote:
The tips will still be unprotected...

That's why I have my rods set up to point aft since I have a habit of traveling in a boat forward.

The tips while exposed, are out of harms way unless I need to back-up. That's when I just revolve them 180 degrees forwards.

Knowing how I baby my gear, I wouldn't advocate a set-up like this if there was a danger of my tackle getting damaged.

 

[Baron]

Yes and with them tilted back they’d give me the Sporty Look.
I’ll start with one. Thanks.

 

[moon1284]

I just lay them on either side of the drift boat so they go under the oars. I would not want the scotty mounts, to me its one more thing to get tangled on. Its not unusual for me to have 9 rigged rods on a boat if im with 2 other people. The reels get dinged up but i bought them to fish so it doesn't bother me.

 

[Baron]

Moon, that is what I'm doing now but it was actually the stumbling Dog that broke my last rod. I am using used and dinged medalists for reels and they are durable. The dog is always with me and loves it. When I fish with friends in the boat I usually switch to cheap spinning gear......you know, 30 dollar combos that are always on sale. But I won't buy the nice stuff until I can be assured that I won't ruin them. Frankly, as a 265lb 6'2 personI, I take up allot of space and although I agree with you, that I bought this gear to fish with, it is also true that I'm tired of stumbling over it. I've ruined too much over the years from carelessness. I want to protect me from me.
So you must have them sticking forward and aft if you sometimes have 9 rigs in the boat.
How long is your boat?

 

[moon1284]

My boat is 16 I have them all sticking out of the stern. 9 is definitely too many 6 is more reasonable. But I often end up with 9.

 

[Baron]

You can never have enough, lol.

 

[bigjohn58]

Baron wrote:
Are you talking these:

What is the name of the holder in the top photo? I might be interested in something like that!