What Rod Holders do you reccomend?

[pckeen]

After fishing today with several kids, all under six - I got some great advice....install some rod holders, so you don't have to mess with them while dealing with the kids. Trouble is, I have a '68 Starcraft Holiday, and really don't want to just start cutting holes in it willy nilly. This Berkley rod holder, from Canadian Tire, is available locally, for $18, with a variety of mounts. I want to have the rod held at about a 45 degree angle from the sides of the boat. Because I want to be able to install a cover and bimini top on my boat, pictured below, I am thinking of flush mount.

Any advice on installing a rod holder? Does something like this Berkely Rod Holder make sense, or should I get something made of a different material? What rod holders do you reccomend, and what advice do you have on installation?

 

[ajax5240]

Re: What Rod Holders do you reccomend?

I love the Cannon ones. They are like $18 at sports stores down here. They have a ton of positions for the rod, hold spinning, casting and trolling reels and have a ring that locks the rod in. Worth every penny especially if you troll

 

[Ibl0wstuffup]

Re: What Rod Holders do you reccomend?

I have Bert's custom tackle tracks and holders on my sea nymph. The tracks allow you to put the holders where ever you need them. I bought all the stuff used on ebay and from craigslist so it wasn't too expensive. The prices on this stuff new are outrageous.

 

[gm280]

Re: What Rod Holders do you reccomend?

WOW, such a wide open question. Best Rod Holders question(S) are much like which 2-cycle oil is best... I say look at a lot of different types and pick the one YOU think is the better for your setup... Too many to cover them all...

 

[roscoe]

Re: What Rod Holders do you reccomend?

I have had many different rod holders over the years.
Really like the Attwood Pro Series, $22-29.



no knobs to turn to adjust angle, just flip the lever.
fits spinning and casting rods well, and holds them securely.


I also have an older Starcraft, Mariner.

I did not mount on the top of the gunnel, but on the inside edge, requires 4 holes for the sheet metal screws.

The holder is tall enough to mount in this location, without interfering with the angle or swivel adjustment.
Other holders I've tried will not allow adjustment because the knobs hit the gunnel.

 

[mrchev]

Re: What Rod Holders do you reccomend?

i have the berkly ones you are looking at. they work fine and mine have the lock ring on them.I used the flush mount holders and they don't interfere with the cover, and i use the rail mount in the bow. they work great so the kids don't hook you.:laugh:

 

[airshot]

Re: What Rod Holders do you reccomend?

I have the cheaper units sold at bass pro, two for 20 bucks. I made a 10' wood (mahogany) rail that attatches to the inside of my boat, this rail has an aluminium rail embedded into it that the rod holders attatch to. I can now slide and lock into position any rod holder at any spot along the 10' rail. My boat is 30 yrs old and has many rod holders attatched at different places, so I made the wood rail to cover up all those holes and give me the unlimited positions to locate them where I wanted. If I understood how to attatch pics I could show you.

 

[JimS123]

Re: What Rod Holders do you reccomend?

Don't know what willy nilly is, but IMHO any boat that's worth having is worth customizing. No matter what you buy you will need to drill some holes to bolt them on. Unless you but some cheap clamp on ones, and they look like crap. Your boat is too nice to willy nilly install junk.

So, here comes the answer....Fish-On. I've had them on 3 boats, 2 of which I currently own, one of which is a Starcraft. They go up, down, sideways, whatever. Use them to hold the rod vertically when you're moving from spot to spot, or let the kids put their rod in them horizontally when they get too tired to hold the rod. Or any angle in between. Troll for Muskys while driving the boat - strong enough for that too. Top mount, side mount, rail mount - put them wherever. I have 2 boats now with 4 mounts on each boat so I can move them wherever my whim strikes me.

I've seen more expensive ones, but never better ones.

 

[pckeen]

Re: What Rod Holders do you reccomend?

Thanks - keep the ideas coming - love to see the different methods and types.

Airshot - there are a couple of ways to post pics. The easiest is simply to click 'go advanced' which is right next to 'post quick reply', when you respond to a post. Scroll down, and click on 'manage attachments' - from there it is pretty much self-explanatory. The small photo below entitled 'attached thumbnails' is entered using 'manage attachments.' You don't need any software for this - it will just download on the iboats page.

Another way is to upload your photos to 'photobucket' (which is free), then click on the photo you want, then, on the right hand side of the screen, click on the text bar to the right of 'IMG'. That will automatically copy the photo, and you can then simply post it directly into your text - so it will look like the large photo below.