Rod holders

[jimcr]

My last post brought up a subject that I never really thought about,what are you rod holders made of and what would happen if it broke.

Who uses Plastic rod holders and who uses Metal?

Have you ever had a rod holder break , did you loose you equipment?

[diesel]

i dont own any myself as of yet but i am gonna be using the big jon's aluim. rod holders because the ones i have used on mike's (glf) are the same we use right now on mark's boat are the same and strong as an ox from what i seen and in 2 years we havent had a single issue with them yet

[Nailer]

I noticed the same thing Mike did. Plastic will break. I have had two different plastic holders break when fish hit. Luckily both times I was next to the rod. The big Jon holders are IMO the best bang for the buck. You will not be disapointed.

[Just in time]

I have lost a rod and reel years ago with a plastic holder on a dipsey. I think the great lakes rod holders are the best for adjustability, strength and user friendly. I have Big Jon trees but for the dipseys I like to be able to pull the rod straight up before taking out of the holder. Only problem with the great lakes is finding someone that sells them.

[capt-bruce]

I think Kathy at North Shore Marine in Manistee sells the GreatLakes Rod Holders.Also,I think I have seen them at InstaLaunch Camp Ground.That Is in Manistee also.

[Knot Tellin]

I currently run tite lok's. I have never had them broke by a fish or lost a rod. I did have one guy break a pin by trying to get a rod out of the holder when a big king was stripping line. He was not strong enough to pull the rod out so he jerked up on the rod and sheared off the locator pin.

I did make up some tethers for the diver rods after that. I used 1/16" aircraft cable and some ferrules. I put a small lope around the rod just in front of the reel. Then I took a piece of cable about 10' long and put a dog snap on one end so you can take of the tether after the rod is safe in the boat. On the other end I put a threaded D connector, but a loop big enough to go over a cleat would work fine. I would recommend doing this until you get good rod holders.

I want to upgrade to Cisco's, Stingers or Big Jon's eventually.

[SUPERTRAMP]

I have big jons on the boat and the riggers have the standard Walker rod holders. You get what u pay for in rod holders. Like most other equipment cheap will get u by until one breaks then u are out a rod reel line and whatever hardware u are fishing if it is a dipsy and say a flasher fly that adds up to 35 or more depending on what u use. Rod and reel who knows at least 75 to 80 bucks. Check out some of the pricing on rod holders on line u will find some great buys on E-bay and at some of the sponsoring companies here.

[1mainiac]

Bell helmet ad from back in the 70's says it all if you got a 10 dollar head buy a 10 dollar helmet same goes for fishing equipment I guess I like my Bert's and My Big Jon holders.

[Paulywood]

I run Bert's ratcheting holders for dipseys, aluminum trees for board rods, and have Big Jon holders on my riggers. You can get by with plastic rod holders for board rods for a while. But for dipsey's you are asking for trouble. If you are using plastic some kind of tether is a good idea. I'm pretty sure if you check the Lord of the Rigger's site (sponsor) they have some good deals on Big Jon holders.

[MY2SONS]

I ran tite-locks on my last boat, and had issues with the aluminum disc wearing causing the holders to become sloppy. That and having to turn the thumbwheel every time you wanted to make an adjustment is a PITA. Rigged my new boat with all Bert's tracking, and ratcheting rod holders and they perform great. I'm a Plastics Engineer by trade, but I wouldn't trust my gear to plastic rod holders. I like the ease of handling on the Berts too.

[scgibby11]

I have several Craig's rod holders, and they are very, very well built. They are quite adjustable in many directions too.

Scott

[LongLine]

I have two old style aluminum and 3 PVC/Aluminum that I made myself. Each rigg'r has a plastic one on it but they're just for decoration. Have never lost a rod. I caught a rod once, so someone lost theirs.

[jimbobber]

I have run pursiut plastic holders for boards and tried for dipseys but found out they will break(almost lost a rod) now i run berts ratcheting,and greatlakes holders for the dipseys and 3 on a tree for the boards.I will never go back to the plastics they just arent strong enough.Just my 2 cents. jimmy

[jvjbadger]

Last year was my first year at it and money was an issue when buying equipment so I opted for Scotty plastic holders knowing that I would regret it.

I've had no problems so far but I did mount them pretty well on the back and make sure the drag is set light on my reels.

With all that being said I know it's still just a matter of time before the post start snapping.

I would definitely stay away from the ones that mount on the rail.

I do have a couple homemade pvc hold holders mounted towards the bow for running boards that I know are solid.

Once money is better I really need to put a couple down riggers on the back at that time I'll upgrade my rod holders.

J.J.

[pikeman8]

Big Jon holders here, they work great and are very fast to get the rod out of. I ran plastics on my walleye boat and they flexed so much I could not

imagine running them for Salmon. I would

definately advise to get some decent metal ones. JMHO or you are begging for trouble. It would suck to lose a 30 lb king when it ripped the holder right off the boat.

[Mister Ed]

When I set my boat up, I had the debate between a track system or a triple on each side. I went with the triples, as I did not feel that the added placement oportunities with the track really justified teh expense (smaller boat, so they would have only been 24-30" tracks). That being said, I went with Vectors and they are bullet proof. Not even sure if you can still get them since Aqua View (or was it Naturevision) bought them out.

Wow, after posting this I Googled Vector learned they have recently been sold to Traxtech.

[Adam Bomb]

I used to have the aluminum tite loks. They worked fine for walleye, but i found out quickly that they didnt hold up as well as id hoped for salmon. Ended up busting a couple of the pins. Never lost any rods as the pins cracked and i caught it in time. I will say there were the quick adjust spring loaded pins to save the threading and unthreading. Anyhow, they just couldnt cut it.

From there i went to custom rod holders. A buddy of mine was a tool and die maker and built the rod holders i use today. Theyre made from stainless steel and are infinitely adjustable. By far the finest rod holder ive ever seen/used. Theyre attached to the boat via the tite lok track system i already had installed. I had him make me a template and i just drilled and tapped all the tite lok bases and then bolted the holders to them. Im going to add some trees, just been hyme hawing around getting to it. Probably be another custom job.

[twin lake dreamer]

I have had the scottys break running diver rod, I lost it all.... now I run tight locks for reguler rods and I have home made ones for diver rods. 10ft wire rod running magnum diver at 2mph puts a lot of force on the rod holder.

[anonymous]

I used the Ram Rod 2000 plastics for three years on my previous boat with no problems. I now have Capt. Berts ratcheting aluminum holders for divers and Great Lakes Planers 3 tube trees for boards and I highly recommend both. I have experienced Scotty plastics on two different boats I have been on and would not take a set if given to me. Whether used on divers or board lines, they would work their way up and swivel towards the back on their own. The remedy was to run screws thru the base into the stem of the holder to hold them in place.

[1HI4X]

I have lost a rod and reel years ago with a plastic holder on a dipsey. I think the great lakes rod holders are the best for adjustability, strength and user friendly. I have Big Jon trees but for the dipseys I like to be able to pull the rod straight up before taking out of the holder. Only problem with the great lakes is finding someone that sells them.

Capt. Chuck's in Ludington sells the Great Lakes Holders as does Insta Launch in Manistee. You can find them online through Big Papa Sportfishing or you can buy the Stinger labeled variety (though you pay a premium for a different sticker) through Walleye Tackle Store.

I just mounted my GLH this weekend and they are very solid. If I were to buy another set of rod holders that were not GLHs, I'd pick up a set of Big Jon's as they are rock solid as well.

Either way, you are shelling out a decent chunk of money for rod holders. Keep in mind you are going to hang several hundred dollars worth of gear off the side of your boat. If your holders are not up to the task, kiss it all good bye.

[shu9265]

I run "Tite Loc" triples but, I added a 6" bungee cord to ALL of mine.

To do this, I drilled a 1/4" hole at the bottom of the tube and secured the cord to the tube, then I can hook it to the reel.

Main reason, I had several folks let go of the planer line, and had the rods were lifted out of the holder and end up in the lake.

I also have an assortment of flush mounted 45 degree angle rod holders.

[Line Dancin]

for divers i run big jons. http://www.lordoftheriggers.com/item/?product=34

these are a heavy duty rod holder specifically for running mag dipsies. Make sure when you order big jons you tell them you want the new ones. the new ones when a fish hits you just grab the holder and pull it to an upright position ahd lift the rod out. no more reaching over the side of the boat. also i hate the handles on the GLH as i cant get as many holders on the side of the boat. i can space big jons 4 inches apart if i want. they also make a slim line base http://www.lordoftheriggers.com/item/?product=35 for narrow gunwales. For my board holders i am using tite locks with pro pins they are a pull pin but NOT for dipsies.

[PofC]

I also had plastic rod holders I had purchased from cabelas,Salesman told they would not break! When installed and used there was a lot of twisting action going on and it looked like a break was sure to happen,Switched these out for Berts track and ratcheting holders, they work great!!

[jimcr]

Thanks guy for all your input on the rod holders . I bought 8 Tite loc rod holders, these are sweet, Installed with a bigjon manual down rigger, much better than the Cannon manual riggers I have . Much smoother and the tip up feature is awesome, makes hook ups a lot easier , no leaning over the rail .Only thing I didn't like were the band buster releases that came with the bigjons, I am changing them out for Blacks.

[Yankee Troller]

We put Cisco's on the boat a few years back, and I couldn't be more happier with them. I used a lot of holders on peoples boats for a few years before I made the decision. With Cisco's you get the most adjust-ability.

I put singles in a track to be even more versatile. They aren't cheap, but i would rather pay the extra money up front than loose some gear due to a poorly made holder.