Rod Storage while Trailering

[songdog]

Where are you putting your rods while trailering the boat? Im considering adding 16 cheap plastic rod holders (4 sets of four tubes) to manage but before I do I was looking for others input.

[Priority1]

I don't normally trailer that far but I put 8 rods across the back of my boat in downrigger holders and other fixed holders. I also put 4 rods on the gunwales in some BigJon holders. I can carry 8 more in some inexpensive plastic holders along the cab area of my Hardtop Islander. I usually take 18 rods with me for a four person crew. Extra rods come in handy when tangles or other unforeseen things happen. Try and keep the rod tips under 14' up from the ground and watch for trees along the way and at the ramp.

[songdog]

That would be my desire to tow the boat from port huron to port sanilac up right in the boat. So I can simply launch without re-arranging rods. Anyone else leaving the rods in the boat, without fear they may come put on the road? Mayee over thinking this but it satisfies some cabin fever too. Here is southern huron silver.[img /IMG]

Edited February 19, 2015 by songdog

[Chummer]

I lay mine on the floor when trailering. I've had bad luck leaving rods or nets vertical in holders. Those trees Frank spoke of always get me.

[SeaCatMich]

I lay mine in the boat with the butts/reels toward the bow and the tips on my rear jump seats. When I get to the launch I then put them up in the rod holders. Never an issue in 20+ years of doing it this way in 3 different boats.

I am considering some of the rod sheaths to minimize the lines getting tangled but they are not necessary.

[songdog]

Thanx guys, I want to tow fith the poles in "storage holders" ready to fish but I may just keep them laying flat. I have a 45 minute ride to the launch too much risk of littering the road with $150.00 rods.

[Trina Rose]

Lay them in the floor of the boat. Put a buffer between the reels n the floor. If you don't do that with a hard floor it scratches the reels more importantly it scratches the glass over the line counter. I went through the drive thru at McDonald's with my net up in a holder and smashed out all the light bulbs in the drive thru, plus bent my net handle. Rods down, always

[seahawk]

My Partner Sea Eagle has Trophy Pro that we trailer an hour to Lake Michigan. He built simple wooden racks that hold the rods taken down on each side wall of the cabin (8 rods per side). The rod holder just clip onto the walls When we take the rods down we wrap a 4-6" 3/4" wide strip of velcro around both ends of the rod to keep the halves together. We pull the rods out as soon as the boat is in the water and lay them on the gunwales. As soon as we clear the draw bridge one of us puts the rods together and puts them in the rod holders. The rods are all ready to go way before the end of the break wall in South Haven or St Joe. We do the same thing even if we leave the boat in the water with a cover over it Keeps the rods from getting damaged and they are not in the way when you are launching the boat. I use the velcro wraps on all my rods on all my boats and while in winter storage works great-lines never get tangled.

[songdog]

Thankx SeaHawk, I have been sketching similar ideas. I like everything in its place especially on the boat. Laying things on the floor is outside of our SOP plus I enjoy engineering solutions. Cant wait for "opening day" Saw the MODIS Image for Lake Huron yesterday, still plenty of ice coverage. We are still 4-6weeks away on this side.