Rod Floaties

[Pat Smith]

I put Rod Floaties on all my rods.. they are basically black "pool noodle" material that goes around the rod between the reel and the first eyelet.. I am sure you guys have all seen them. They are held on by a small piece of Velcro.

The problem is that the noodle and the Velcro constantly grab my line during casts and reel ins, mostly casts. WHen I cast the line will get snagged in either the Velcro or the seam on the pool noodle. This is the most annoying thing on the planet. How do you guys resolve this issue.. I clearly want some type of floatie on my rods.

I am contemplating either some over sized heat shrink tubing, or some of that mesh you put around power cables to protect them.. maybe even some waterproof Duct Tape.. anything to make it smoothe and not catch my line..

Just curious what other people do.

[On the fly]

I just untangle the line when it catches. Have not found anything else better, yet anyway.

[Mark]

I use commercially made rod floats from Blakemore. Bass Pro and other tackle outlets sell them.

I suspect they are a smaller diameter than pool noodles because mine do not create the problem you mentioned. I cinch down on the velcro straps pretty hard to lower their profile as much as possible. And I use them on all my rods, including bait casters in which the line narrowly clears the float.

I would caution you against permanent installation with duct tape or some other method that makes the floats hard to remove. If water gets under the float it will stay there without benefit of the air to dry it and it may "tarnish" the finish on your rod. I remove my floats after each trip so that I can rinse my rods with fresh water and allow them to air-dry.

Lastly, the Blakemore floats do work. I have tested them but on more than one occasion I have missed the rod tube when re-inserting the rod. Kerplunk! I wear glasses and those of you who do can sympathize with the odd vision angles they can create when you have to look sideways and slightly backward...precisely where my rocket launcher rod holders are.

[lordofthemanor]

I too use the Blakemore floats, but I do have the same problems that Pat Smith mentions above. I saw a tip that said to wrap a rubber band around the rod before putting the float on to stabilize the floats position (assuming that it is placed properly with the Velcro ends at the 12 noon position). That didn't work either as the slight movement of the floats during rod use caused the rubber band to chew up the floats from the inside out. Now I am worse off than before. Don't want to lose rods, but getting frustrated dealing with these issues. May just toss the floats and try to be more careful handling rods on the yak.
Bruce

[Mark]

Lordofthemanor,

I was the source of the rubber band tip. I'm sorry it hasn't worked for you. I have not had that problem.

I would suggest all Blakemore users to really tighten the Velcro straps so that they make a significant indentation in the foam. Squeeze them hard so that they depress the foam a good 1/8 to 1/4 inch. That will help them stay stationary on the rod, especially with a rubber band underneath. If the floats are moving when you cast, they are too loose and then they may indeed obstruct the line and the rubber band will fail its intended purpose.

Good luck.

[Frogsauce]

I made a rod leash out of some nylon cord and bungee that I really like. I don't like the rod floats because they are annoying to me too. The leashes I made are detachable in an instant and just long enough for me to use them without detaching if needed.

[Pat Smith]

thanks for the input Mark.
I will try the super tight-Velcro method... mine are fairly snug but not as tight as you describe. I wonder if success/failure with this product is dependant on weather or not you have a spin-cast or a bait-cast reel. Really seems some of us have a hard time and others are totally not affected.

[Mark]

Pat,

Here's a photo to show what I mean about cinching down the Velcro.

RodFloat.jpg

Note that it's on a bait cast rod. There is plenty of clearance for the line.

The floats work equally as well on fly and spinning rods.

[Derekfish]

What about zip ties? I know that are a little more permanent than velcro, but you should be able to get them tight.

[archeryrob]

Why not get some good quality electrical tape like 3M and wrap the float like a tennis racket. There will be nothing to snag on.

[Derekfish]

This is why the Overboard rods were nice, float was built into the grips. I guess other folks didn't think that, as I believe they went under.

[Frogsauce]

By the way Pat, this is what I was talking about with the leash:

http://www.snaggedline.com/showthrea...7587#post97587

[Salty Dog]

Here is my rendition and it works. clipped a bungie to rod holder, loop the bungie over the reel handle. I use pipe insulation for the rod float. They make the stuff with double sided tape so the foam sticks together. I use zip ties to secure to rod.
TIE DOWN IMG_0826.jpgTIE DOWN IMG_0827.jpgTIE DOWN IMG_0828.jpg

[willf650]

I tried the rod floats and have since bought three of these http://www.amazon.com/GetterBack-Rec...ords=Rod+float

They are expensive but they don't interfere with my line at all. I've yet to test them.


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[reel-em-in]

I tried the rod floats and have since bought three of these http://www.amazon.com/GetterBack-Rec...ords=Rod+float

They are expensive but they don't interfere with my line at all. I've yet to test them.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

I've seen those before. My concern would be if it's a little windy/rough I think it would be hard to see the float. Especially if you get blown any distance from where the rod went in.