Rod holders

[EastSiideRyda]

How do you milk crate guys deal with low hanging trees tangling your rods? Is there a way to lay them flat when needed?


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[Donsail68]

Excellent question. I have the same issues when I do float trips. Think it comes down to the layout of your kayak. Hopefully someone will chime in with a cool solution.

[J.A. Veil]

I am not fond of having rods or other objects sticking up vertically behind me. It is too easy to hit one while casting. Plus I am not flexible enough to reach behind my seat multiple times during a trip. I do not use a flag or a camera pole either -- nothing sticks up higher than my head. I carry 4 rods in Scotty rod holders that can adjust the angle vertically and laterally. Two are in front of me and two are behind me. While underway (and not trolling), I keep the 4 rods inline with the hull and at a flat angle. When I want to troll. I tilt the rod holder angle up a bit and pivot the rods to the side (45 deg toward the front for the front holders, and 45 deg to the rear for the rear holders). I can easily get under overhanging branches and low bridges and docks with this arrangement.

I personally do not see the strong fascination in having a large milk crate filled with 20 or more pound of tackle plus a bunch of rods sticking up vertically. But each of us can choose the gear storage configuration that meets our needs.

[Mark]

I reach back, grab them from their tubes and hold them in my lap until I clear the obstacle. It's annoying. Low bridges (in the Severn's tribs) are my primary problem. Occasionally branches are an issue but it's helpful to remember that the rods are back there when plotting your course. A little forethought can save you lots of anguish.

I have also installed Scotty holders on my milk crate and Black Pak. I use them mainly for fly rods. I keep them almost horizontal and pointed toward the back of the boat,. But then I have to remember that they are sticking 6 or 7 feet behind me. It's a pretty sickening sound to hear your rod rubbing against a dock or branch. So far I haven't broken any -- cross my fingers.

[Turtle135]

If I am going to encounter overhead obstructions I limit myself to 2-3 rods and can lay them down in front of me. Oddly, if I keep rods vertically right behind me in my crate rod holders I never ever hit them on the back-cast (that air space is a no fly zone for my lures apparently). Years ago when I first laid them out horizontally straight out behind me I would snag and try to launch them into orbit all the time.

I personally do not see the strong fascination in having a large milk crate filled with 20 or more pound of tackle plus a bunch of rods sticking up vertically.

John, I need those 15 pounds of lures back there! I never use them but I am required to bring them with me every trip.

[lovett88]

I just got a new kayak and make the mistake of putting rods in my flush mounts for storage and my lure snagged one on a back cast and broke the rod tip. uploadfromtaptalk1428351325107.jpg

Hell of a mess to deal with, now I store my rods in Scotty's laying down when standing to make casts. Works out well. Just need mounts for trolling. I use to use a triple rod holder zip tied to my milk crate but never found myself using it. I don't like to carry a lot of gear myself. Id get some scottys or rams that you can adjust makes life easer then your standard 3 rod holder on a crate.

[bruce19365]

One of the main reasons I upgraded to a Hobie PA-14 from an Outback after my first season of being a kayak fisherman. I really do not like my rods sticking up behind me.

[dsiekman]

How do you milk crate guys deal with low hanging trees tangling your rods? Is there a way to lay them flat when needed?


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Get yourself a PA. They hold four rods inside the boat. Option B, Hobie sells a "horizontal rod mount". I saw it in the Hobie parts and accessories catalog that came today. Essentially, the tip goes into a small pocket mounted on the bow (add says it works on any kayak), and the the butt end fits into a clip system. $24. I'd plan to use a leash if I were going to hang my rod over the side of the boat.

I had a tree snag a rod from me and drop it in the water during my Florida trip a couple weeks back. I got lucky and found it. I have also gotten spooled by the marina gate - drove off without taking the rod out of the crate when it was in the back of my pickup. Whoops. I got lucky and just lost the line.

[EastSiideRyda]

I have a WS ride 135. I'm going to set up the ride with 2 flush mount holders that articulate flat, 1 on the rail up front.


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[Memory Maker]

........ Good thing about the Pa is you have 6 horizontal rod holders

[Mark]

EastSiideRyda,

I’m right-handed and cast most of time (always seated, never standing) to the left of my bow. As long as I do that or even if I flip to the right of the bow occasionally, never casting directly straight ahead I cannot and do not hit the rods stored vertically behind me. That works for each of the rods I use from bait casters to fly rods. It’s the no-fly-zone that Turtle135 mentioned.

Horizontal storage is probably the best bet if you have room to do that. Especially horizontal storage that keeps the rods completely inside the hull. But few of us have space. We are talking about kayaks here and space is a premium in most of them. Horizontal storage also may pose a potential problem of accidental breakage as you enter or leave the kayak. Or you could hit a piling or other obstruction and snap a rod stored on the outside of the hull. Improbable but it could occur.

You can bring less rods and change lures more often – dig into that 15 to 20 pounds of stuff we love to carry. Few of us do that also. I never go out with less than two and often I carry four rods.

It all gets back to cost and functional tradeoffs. What can you afford in terms of a boat and storage system and how often do you fish in areas where upright rods pose a problem? There is no perfect solution. But you’ll find what works best for you. The main thing is to be mindful at all times of where all your rods are and to fish accordingly.

[EastSiideRyda]

I understand what's been proposed. I figured it might be some years before I ever accumulate that much gear. I'm usually a minimalist at heart, especially since I've never owned a boat before. I do know that yakattack blackpak does have access to install tubes on screwballs for lowering rods horizontal. I just was trying to avoid spending the money. Maybe later I'll have 2 setups. Milk crate for ocean/open water, and blackpak for backwoods


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[Yak Fish]

The horizontal rod holders of the PA's are a big draw. This is an issue I've been thinking about for some time. Having rods poke outside of the yak make them suceptible to damage unfortunately. I bet we can think of some kind of self contained "pvc type thing" that encases the rods at the ends and can lay flat. Most of the time I'm trolling on more open waters, but not all the time. They do get in the way of casting.

As far as the 15 lbs, I carry way more than that :-) Most times I don't need it so I leave some boxes out of the crate, but if you're in search of the pattern you need lures to dive shallow through deep and big lures through small lures for each...especially right now. Throw in top water for the morning bite and a collection of jigs for mid day. Add some paddle tails and rattle traps for casting and you've got a few full boxes. I hate being without that thing I need. I dont vary colors much so that saves room. If the areas you fish have a variety of different features to cover, you need some tackle to handle each situation. If you stick to shallow shorelines, you can get away with much less.

[Mark]

EastSiideRyda,

You're on the right track. It's hard to find all-around functionality in one product. I have a milk crate for light trips (like for pickerel or fresh water) and a BlackPak for more extensive trips in open water.

Here's the milk crate: B.jpg

It was the least expensive of my set-ups by far. But very useful.

I also have rocket launchers for my kayaks' flush mounts but I very rarely use them.

[Turk_on_a_Tarpon]

Rods sticking up behind me, out of the milk crate do cause problems. I snagged one of my rods and lost a $20 lure, that I was trying out last spring. This mainly happens when bass-fishing in my case. That's when I do most amount of casts, I guess.