drift boat rod storage

[ampersat]

i've got an idea and i'm looking to the seasoned drift boat veterans for some insights. i've got storage under the front seat going to waste. i'm collecting enough rods these days (as well as those the front seaters bring along) that rod stowage in the boat is getting to be a pain. i'm thinking of building a sliding rack to hang under the front seat to stow rods in. three trays, three rods a tray. plenty of room for two piece rods (not enough width for one piece rods). plugging, jigging, drifting. gotta cover all the water.

so, is it worth it or is it just a matter of arranging the rods in the boat?

[Flatfish]

When you are on the water, have the rods rigged and ready to fire. If they are under the seat, you are gonna miss water and fish.
I drive with the rods in the boat. They tangle up a bit, but it is the fastest way I have found.
If you do this, remember that it is hard on them( guides fall off faster, accelerated wear,etc.) and upkeep will be necessary. Folks tell me they do it different. But I am fairly lazy, and 4am comes early enough. I run 6-10 rods at any given time, so time is of the essence.
Mark and the dog.

[ZaQ]

I have a couple of the Berkely rod holder deals in the boat, I usually take about 7-9 rods per trip. I have them all rigged and ready but cannot stand to drive with them in the boat. They fit nicely inside the truck without breaking them down. I agree with Mark, have them rigged and ready, makes for a better day.

[Bait O' Eggs]

If the driftboat doesnt look like a porcupine you are not doing it right. :grin: :wink:

[Steelie]

I mounted a berkly rod holder on a piece of plexiglass that slides into the rails that are on the front seat. (zip ties) Then I rest the handles and reels in the rowing tray.
It holds 5 to 7 rods depending on what you are chasing.
On a previous DB I had, I mounted the berkly rod holder on the boat tie down. The kind that wrap's over the back of the boat. (zip tie again) then I would set the handles in the forward seat and the tip facing back.
Give it a try.

[NEUTRON]

When I tow (go ahead, bring it on) rods are in the back of the truck to save wear and tear as the boat bounces around a lot :shocked: . Like the seasoned vet Mark said, if they ain't ready go what good are they. Got to have at least six so your stepping all over em.

[ampersat]

seems the consensus is that if the rods aren't ready at all times, they're just wasting space. apparently, i just need to do a better job with all the other gear in the boat. i've almost had a couple of my rods stepped on and i just don't make enough money for that to be funny.

[cully]

I've lost one rod that was rigged and ready and too can't afford that to happen again. Well, not can't afford but don't want to, so the rods lay at a really low angle in the boat while in transit in hopes that they won't get snagged. Steped on? Well that's another possibilty. 9 rods in the boat? I'd need to give up other hobbies to pull that one off with the Mrs. Maybe once i hit the big 60 I'll add some gear rods but for now, it's all fly (but gear fisherman always have permission to come aboard)

[Captn]

I'm sorry SandyS. But I need a picture, it sounds good, but my imaging ability is just not there. Always looking for a better way to organize the drift boat.

[ampersat]

yes, picture please. i'm a little fastidious (alright, alot) about my gear and like things organized and close at hand. any ideas would be greatly appreciated.

i'm still getting the knack for where to put what in the boat. the fishbox under the rowers seat was a gimme (it wouldn't fit under the front seat). wish they could all be that easy. i suppose i should just go out there one day with all my stuff and spend a few hours arranging and rearranging stuff till i'm happy with it.

[Flatfish]

Amp, if you are a freak about everything being ready, ship shape so to speak, thats a good thing. I mounted one of the berkley rod holders on the oarsman seat to my left ( anchor rope and release on my right so it was kinda narrowed down for me)and six or seven sticks go there. Another 2-4 in the rails or up front, depending on how close to trees we are gonna get. My only real good advice is this- Have the front seaters put the hook back on the keeper or reel every time they stow their rod. Don't ask what could happen, but lets just say I have seen rods jump out of boats all by themselves. Folks also get their waders and raingear/ shoes caught on the loose hooks too. Your front seaters will grimace the first few times you make them do it. But it beats trying to net one of your own rods.Trust me here. :hoboy:

Newt,
I would expect such nonsense from a quacker :wink: ( for what it's worth, I wanted team "Stealth Dogs" to be the "Quacker Attackers" :cheers: .But Hog beat me to it). But since your kid does all the catching, you probably have nothing better to do than rig Juniors rods for him as he whacks and stacks em..... A fishing rod that is not rigged and ready, is like an unloaded gun. You may throw it at them and kill one, but you wont do it very often.

Mark and the quacker getter.

[fishing is life]

hey Ampaersat, i got this idea from Jennie. use a bungee cord and string across each gunnel behind the rower and lay the rods on it. very accessible and out fo the way.

[rob allen]

I dunno if this is applicable to your boat but i'll throw it out there maybe somoene can use it..

I have a 16ft Clacka and what I did for rod storage was to first run a small diameter rope suspended under the rowers seat from one side of the boat to the other, In this rops I have small loops every so often. On top of the rear storage i put on a foam rod rack, The kind where the rod is simply pushed down in the slit on the foam. The butt of the rod goes in the loops in the rope and the tip goes into the foam slits. This keeps the reels off the bottom of the boat, minimizes rod tangles even when assembled and rigged. and it keeps them securely in the boat. The number of rods you can carry is limited only by the width of your boat..

[Flatfish]

Oh sure Rob, I bet you have all the right answers all the time. Is your last name Flanders?
Just wondering.
Homer and the dog.

[rob allen]

flatfish. i thought i came across as an opinionated SOB not a know it all :grin:

[SandySteel]

I was supposed to go clean up the Sandy with my chapter today but a flu bug has layed me low. grrrrrrr
I mounted a piece of wood to an old rod holder base that had lost the part that held on to the rod. On to that wood I mounted a set of rod mounts. These are the kind that have a metal base and the rubber rod holder parts slide in that base. This way I could hold 8 rods on it. (both ends of the rod mounts are on the wood.)
I mounted the base unit to the rear of the boat on the gunwale behind the rower's seat. Into that I drop the upper portion of the former rod holder now rod mount. The wood sits perpendicular to the boat or parallel with the seats. It sticks out from the side of the boat a bit since the gunwale curves back toward the center. The handles and reels sit in the right rower's seat tray and the tips extend to the rear of the boat. I have found that having the tips pointed in this direction means fewer problems with branches and people bumping into them. My passengers usually exit from the middle or the front of the boat. I almost always exit from the left side of the boat. The main thing is that all of the rods are in the same spot at the same time and I only have to worry about one area of the boat.
The rods do point out of the boat and you need to be aware when you are backing the boat in close to the shore that they don't get too close to trees or rocks but I seldom have a problem with this.
The other neat thing about this rod mount is that I can remove it when travelling (my rods always go in the truck when travelling for wear and tear) because it was built from the rod holder.
I do usually catch a hard time from my fishing buddies about how it looks. "Got enough rods there? Hee hee hee" But when you put three guys in the boat and they each have a bobber rod, drift rod, and a plug rod it starts to look like quite the collection. By putting them all in the same spot this becomes compounded. I would rather have this than having them sticking out all over the place, looking like the proverbial porcupine drift boat.
http://www.sandysteelheaders.org/pictures/rodmount/rodmount3.jpg
http://www.sandysteelheaders.org/pictures/rodmount/rodmount1.jpg
http://www.sandysteelheaders.org/pictures/rodmount/rodmount2.jpg

[ 12-15-2002, 01:44 PM: Message edited by: SandySteel ]

[ampersat]

hey homer, um i mean mark, dude you're killing me!! LMAO!

[SandySteel]

Posting again to bring attention to the pictures I edited into my previous post.

[ampersat]

thanks for the images of the sweet setup you've got. i'm gonna have to build one of those for my boat. simple, effective and organized. if the fish-on rod holder boys see that, you'll see 'em shrink wrapped and on the racks at FMS and Joes.

[NEUTRON]

Personally, I don't ever want anything sticking over the sides. Stuff can happen fast, especially on smaller streams. Marky, I'm sicking the dog on you. With Hog on your team, I know the steelhead will have a great chance of survival. What are you doing tomorrow :tongue: .

[Mad Mikey]

That's a pretty good idea Rob. I'd try it but I don't have a way to rig the rope. An eye-bolt through the hull doesn't appeal to me. :whazzup:

[Grant Scheele]

I'm with BOE!

[rob allen]

Mad ... My boat has molded "trays" on either side of the rowers seat and in each one there is a drain hole. I have the rope threaded through those holes with a simple overhand knot on each end.. The knot being too big to fish down through the hole is what suspends the rope. It was quick easy to rig and very inexpensive

[Flatfish]

I gotta work Newt.
Must pay for more duck bullets.
Mark and the dog.