Car Rod Rack

[summersoff]

So we all have about the same four or so 7’ rods were bring with us. I have used plenty of fancy racks for pick-ups, but those in the SUV’s,wagons, vans or cars, how are you transporting them? Any fancy DIY racks you made for inside the car, or a manufactured one you found good?
I’m eyeballing a INNO rod rack, but the price tag is killing me.

[Mark]

I use this inexpensive product from Bass Pro in my Sienna van:

https://www.basspro.com/shop/en/rod-...e&gclsrc=3p.ds

It works very well for my conventional 6.5 to 7 ft. rods.

[dsaavedra]

I use this inexpensive product from Bass Pro in my Sienna van:

https://www.basspro.com/shop/en/rod-...e&gclsrc=3p.ds

It works very well for my conventional 6.5 to 7 ft. rods.

I've seen a similar DIY set up done with a couple bungee cords, as in this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qsEJFoomqpE

Seems to work well and is dirt cheap!

[CHOC]

So we all have about the same four or so 7’ rods were bring with us. I have used plenty of fancy racks for pick-ups, but those in the SUV’s,wagons, vans or cars, how are you transporting them? Any fancy DIY racks you made for inside the car, or a manufactured one you found good?
I’m eyeballing a INNO rod rack, but the price tag is killing me.

Yeah I think running bungies between the handles that sit over each door would work.

[Redfish12]

This worked really well for me in my Xterra. I've seen some good ones out there with PVC and or horizontal racks. I thought we had a thread on here but couldn't find it...

http://www.snaggedline.com/showthrea...od+rack+xterra

[summersoff]

This worked really well for me in my Xterra. I've seen some good ones out there with PVC and or horizontal racks. I thought we had a thread on here but couldn't find it...

http://www.snaggedline.com/showthrea...od+rack+xterra

Yeah, that’s the INNO rod rack. Unfortunately, the $100 you paid is a steal, they are going for close to $250 now with tax and shipping. And, like you said, they are tricky to install, so when ordering, you’re never really sure they are going to fit.
I do a lot of traveling for fishing, which was fine for surf rods that you stick on the roof rack. It’s the pile of 7’ kayak rods in the car that is ending up with bent guides. I’ll take a look at the one Mark mentioned, but I’m really looking for a heavier rack. A lot of the DIY ones guys post, look good in their videos, but will turn into a pile on the first pothole.

[Redfish12]

What kind of car do you have?

[Mark]

Yeah I think running bungies between the handles that sit over each door would work.

That's how I installed the simple rack from Bass Pro. I attached the straps to the handles that Grant mentioned. I've had as many as 6 rods on it during a trip to NY. It has never failed. The Velcro grips on the back strap secure the rods in place to prevent them from shifting, slipping and falling. Again, I've used them only for conventional rods up to 7 feet in length. I have not carried fly rods in them.

[bassguy84]

I bought a THKFISH vehicle rod holder. It's great for longer trips but not practical for shorter trips. If I'm going to my normal spot I just lay them in. But on road trips they are tucked out of the way. $16 on Amazon.

Sent from my Pixel 3 using Tapatalk

[baynovice]

I wanted an option to carry rods on the roof. After looking into multiple DIY options, I found this rod tube for around $50 on Amazon. I use a tie down strap and loop it around the handle multiple times and around both roof rack cross bars. All of the DIY options I found cost as much or more than this and I'm sure would not have turned out nearly as nice.

https://www.amazon.com/Flambeau-Outd...g-goods&sr=1-2

[Mark]

This has been a good thread of shared ideas.

My dilemma since I obtained a Tacoma pickup truck is how to carry my rods. I can lay my one-piece 6.5 to 7 foot conventional rods in the truck bed next to the boat. Or sometimes I put them vertically into the holders attached to my milkcrate. I put the milkcrate in the very back of the truck bed near the cab. Either method works well for short trips.

Due to COVID, I have not gone a lengthy road trip in the truck where I have to be concerned about securely stowing my gear -- like at a hotel, rest area or restaurant parking lot.

That's where my Sienna van is ideal. I can lock the boat to the roof and keep my rods strung and ready inside the van. That includes my 9 foot fly rods which I can lay on the floor of the van. I can actually do that in my truck bed too. But again, they would be exposed to weather and worse on a long trip.

I had seen the the holder that Bassguy84 referenced and thought that would work for me if I broke my 4 piece fly rods into two pieces. Unfortunately, even broken in half, a 9 foot fly rod is still too long to fit horizontally in the Tacoma's small cab interior.

John Rentch shared a method with me that I have been using. In these photos, you can see that I have two fly rods stored inside my cab:

rods (2).jpg rods (3).jpg

The orange ties you see on the rods were a gift from John that I use to keep the broken-down fly rods pieces together. They're essentially big "twist ties". I have the rods secured vertically by inserting them into a sling made from a lanyard which I hooked to the clothes hanger hook behind the seat. The rods stay safe in the sling.

They're still fully strung and even have flies attached to the leaders. They're almost as ready to grab and go as they are when I store them in my van. That is my preference, of course -- no assembly and no stringing when I get to the launch.

I could certainly carry my fly rods in their rod tubes and reels in their cases disassembled. That would be the safest and easiest method. However, piecing together and stringing a fly rod takes time at the launch. Anything I can do to shorten that process is welcome.

I had looked into numerous commercial options for carrying fully assembled fly rods on vehicles. There are many choices of long weather-proof, lockable tubes that attach to your vehicle. They allow you to store assembled reels and rods up to 10 feet long so that all you have to do is to pull them out and hit the water. They are pricey, some as high as $400.

I'll stick with the twisty method for now.

I still have my van. But I have really enjoyed the ease of loading my kayaks into the Tacoma's truck bet in lieu of lifting them to the roof of my Sienna. Like every aspect of kayak fishing, there are tradeoffs to consider for each option of the hobby we choose.

[Redfish12]

Mark, that looks like a good way to do it. I miss my rod holders in my Xterra and I ended up getting a set of ladder racks and put ski racks on them for my Tacoma. It’s fine for trips but not safe for leaving unattended. I also miss my trident 13 kayak bc I could stick the rods in the rod pod and no one was the wiser.

I’ve tried all sorts of things over the years. The worst was probably when I was more into fly fishing for trout. I used a magnetic rod holder on my Cherokee that put the fly rods from the hood over the roof. I think you could go about 12.5mph before the holder would start to move and you had to drive super careful on the gravel mountain fire roads. I don’t remember ever breaking a rod but I soon figured out how to carry fully rigged from the passenger floor back. It makes me miss the mountains just thinking about it!

[Mark]

Mark, that looks like a good way to do it. I miss my rod holders in my Xterra and I ended up getting a set of ladder racks and put ski racks on them for my Tacoma. It’s fine for trips but not safe for leaving unattended. I also miss my trident 13 kayak bc I could stick the rods in the rod pod and no one was the wiser.

I’ve tried all sorts of things over the years. The worst was probably when I was more into fly fishing for trout. I used a magnetic rod holder on my Cherokee that put the fly rods from the hood over the roof. I think you could go about 12.5mph before the holder would start to move and you had to drive super careful on the gravel mountain fire roads. I don’t remember ever breaking a rod but I soon figured out how to carry fully rigged from the passenger floor back. It makes me miss the mountains just thinking about it!

Yep...I've seen those magnetic holders online. You experience is precisely what I figured would happen.

Securely transporting flyrods poses special problems because of their length and their fragile tips. There are commercial options. They can run into hundreds of dollars. Presently, I think the convenience they offer is not worth their price. For now I'll continue to take the extra time needed on outings to breakdown and reassemble my fly rods.

[J.A. Veil]

Most of my rods are one-piece 6'6" spinning rods. For nearly all my trips, I take four rods. I lay them on the floor in the back of my Toyota minivan with nothing on top of them. When I did an extended driving trip to Florida in 2019, I brought 5 rods with me. Since I had a fully loaded van, I had two concerns for the rods. I did not want them to get banged around, and I did not want them clattering for hours on end as they rubbed against one another.

I took several heavy cardboard rod shipping tubes (3" inner diameter) and cut them into roughly 40" lengths. I laid five of those tubes on the floor (3 on the bottom row and 2 on top) and slid my rod tips inside. I placed a towel on top of the lower level of reels, then laid the top two reels on the towel to minimize clattering. The tubes were long enough to cover most of the guides, and I could lay other cargo on top of them without damaging the rods. I thought about using 4" PVC pipe or black corrugated drain pipe, but rejected that idea because the rods would make a lot of clattering inside those tubes.

[summersoff]

That's how I installed the simple rack from Bass Pro. I attached the straps to the handles that Grant mentioned. I've had as many as 6 rods on it during a trip to NY. It has never failed. The Velcro grips on the back strap secure the rods in place to prevent them from shifting, slipping and falling. Again, I've used them only for conventional rods up to 7 feet in length. I have not carried fly rods in them.

That's good to know, and will look into that. I ended up buying a Dubro sliding ring track thingy, hoping to make something sturdy. I want something that will hold it tight to the roof, no sagging, many a day on the surf or road, i have taken a quick nap in the back.
Ill post how it goes. I'm hoping to buy a sheet of sticky back felt to line the rings. I need 7 rods for buddy and I. And I ordered rings to replace the clips ~ $40ish so far
Rod Rod.jpg