I have fished with them both and like them equally. If I was purchasing I would purchase the seniors but you cannot go wrong with either. I believe the Jr's are sold with a spring clip in the base which doesn't allow the holder to be pulled out of the base. The seniors just have a sliding lock that needs to be in the locked position. If I remember right this spring release also needs to be held to pivot the rod horizontally which I didn't like.


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I have both, and all my salmon rods fit nice and snug with the Jr. I prefer the Jr. Until I start sturgeon fishing

 

I really like the Jr's among my spread of mostly Sr's. however, I do find that the butt on a Fenwick FS90 is a bit tight in the Jr. The rest of my salmon rods- and smaller Fenwicks- fit the Jr. perfectly and it's my rod holder of choice. I'd suggest installing a mix.

 

The big ones now come with the spring loaded base. I have about 11 big ones on the sled and juniors on the drift boat. Both do work. Never had a problem with rods of any size in either one.

 

Scotty Orcas.

Sorry - I just can't resist myself on these threads.

 

That's what I use...and I have zero complaints after a couple seasons of running them.

RW

 

Jr's hands down!!!

 

So I just got off the phone with Scotty and all of their rod holders are made in British Columbia, Canada, which is a lot better than China. The guy said to beware, that there is a company that is making Scottys that are visibly exact copies but are Chinese junk functionally. So... don't buy any off ebay.
I really like the button on the base of the Folbe. Fighting a rod holder to just to rotate it can be a pain. To me, that is worth the extra money. All of the Folbes have the button in the base except the triple base.

Thanks for all the info

Teedub

 

The new Scotty bases have the button. Just FYI.

 

Jr's

 

Jr's!

 

The big difference (Folbe vs Scotty) that I am seeing is the fact that the Folbe is uni-directional, i.e. it is the same on both ends. Both holders are made with a stationary side and a releasing side. The stationary side needs to be toward the back of the boat (I think). With the Folbe, you just turn it 180 degrees and you are golden. The Scotty has a distinct front and back. How do you run it on the left side of the boat??

 

The stationary side needs to be toward the back of the boat (I think).

This is correct.

 

For salmon/steelhead, I'd choose the Folbe Jrs.

I tried the original size Folbes years ago and ended up going back to the standard Scottys as my rods/reels seemed to sit better in the Scottys and I read too many stories about accidental openings of the Folbes. I tried a Scotty Orca but saw how they can chew up cork rod handles. I then went with the Folbe Jrs, which I use now and am happy with. I like how the rods/reels sit in the Jrs.

 

Sr.'s:thisbig:

 

I currently have scotty bases....will the folbe mount in a scotty base?

 

My Folbe's fit on the Scotty extensions, not the bases.:twocents: I have the Sr's.

 

With the gear you described, you will be very pleased with the Jr's

The Jr's are big enough for every major lineup of popular salmon trolling rods. If you go with some beefy halibut or tuna meatstick, it may not fit. Also caution folks to test drive the Jr's at the tackle shop if they have reels with an offset gearbox. This style of baitcasting/conventional reel has become quite popular. Most still fit in the Jr's but some have a very exaggerated offset gearbox that could prevent complete closure of the Jr's. The regular ones would be a better choice in those cases.

 

:meme: Coming to a Sportsman's Show Near You! I've been working with the folks at Folbe for several months turning out a video (actually three) showing the attributes and operation of their rod holders. We were using the original sized model and the new Juniors angling for large Rainbows, Coho in salt water and Chinook in both salt and tidewater settings. The trolling scenes show the holders in action with downriggers and flat line trolling. The downrigger rods were 10.5 and 11 feet long and had the usual severe bend putting great pressure on the holder. As most of us know not all fish are big enough to release the clip and trying to get a loaded rod with a long handle out of a standard holder can be a grueling and back breaking experience especially with cold hands. With half a grand's worth of rod and reel hanging over the side it's really nice to avoid accidents. The advantage of both models is that an instant hook set aimed directly against the pull of the fish is the normal process. There is no trying to coax the loaded rod out of the holder while standing or sitting at an unusual angle - just grab and lift!

The videos will be showing at the Folbe booths at shows, will soon be available through Cabelas and will soon be showing up on the Folbe Website.

If you have had reservations about using either model for fear of having the holder spring open - that's not an issue. Like any piece of advanced design equipment it must be used right. The videos will show you how sudden a hook set can be and how easy the holders are to set and release. My own preference is the Juniors as all of my personal rods fit snugly in them. With a huge throbbing salmon plug in fast water, with a leaping steelhead three feet in the air or a skyrocketing Coho the ability to instantly get the rod out of the holder to either retrieve the bait or set the hook without hurting my cold, stiff back makes the Folbes money well spent..... AND they work equally well on either side (or the back) of the boat.

 

I have both sizes and the jr's are a bit tight on the average salmon set ups, so I have both jr's and original sizes in my drifter as my sled goes I don't mess with the jr's. if I had to but one size I would by the "seniors" as these work great for all rods

 

Every time I go to Fisherman's I swing by the rod holder section hoping to replace a Jr that was on the wrong end of an unfortunate miscommunication, but there are never any there. I have both Sr and Jr and use Jr's with extensions for every rod that fits them, but for the odd rod or sturgeon meat stick we just pop out the Jr and pop in the Sr.

Anyone have a source to pick up Jr's that has them in stock?

 

:excited:Just about anything that is available through All Sports can be special ordered through Fisherman's. The Tigard store just filled up the rack for Folbe products. I've had four special orders in three months for specific lures, downrigger clips, special hooks and special hook spreaders. They are back in several days. Go back to tackle and tell them what you need.

Try it, you'll like it

 

I don't believe I have ever lost a fish due to not getting the rod out quick enough from any holder I have used but I did hear about several rods lost this year to the folbe holder. So if I had to choose I guess loosing a fish would be better than...

 

It would be really nice for us to know why this happened.
Myself and plenty others would benefit greatly knowing
the do's & don'ts

 

For power boats, they should always open toward the front of the boat, away from the pull of the rod.

"Don't let people play with the locks." This is a good one. I install the rod holders before folks get on the boat. I've been known to tell the crew when we start fishing to make sure their rod holders are locked, knowing in advance they are. After we've been on the water a while, I'll go around and check to see if they're locked. Amazing how many I find that are unlocked.

 

For power boats, they should always open toward the front of the boat, away from the pull of the rod.

"Don't let people play with the locks." This is a good one. I install the rod holders before folks get on the boat. I've been known to tell the crew when we start fishing to make sure their rod holders are locked, knowing in advance they are. After we've been on the water a while, I'll go around and check to see if they're locked. Amazing how many I find that are unlocked.

So as I assumed about the guy saying several rods were lost was from
human error.. You guys are saying bad things happen when you don't
have the rod holder locked. FYI Last summer was my first year using the folbe and I do lock the rod in I never need the extra second it takes pulling the button out, Thanks !!!

 

The lock that causes the problem is on the base, I have never found a use for the button that locks the clam shell

 

I've replaced all bases in my boat with the push button spring-loaded bases to prevent ANY option of failure due to my Folbe Jr.'s.
Before I had the spring-loaded locking bases, I lost two Folbe Originals in the river. Luckily no rods were lost before I made the switch.
IMHO, they should not sell the lock/un-lock style bases anymore.

I've also had no issues fitting any salmon/steelhead rod in them, they fit perfectly into the holders (newbies on my boat need to be shown the proper way to fit them into the holders), but in my experience they make a huge difference in quickness of getting the fight on the fish started.

 

I've replaced all bases in my boat with the push button spring-loaded bases to prevent ANY option of failure due to my Folbe Jr.'s.
Before I had the spring-loaded locking bases, I lost two Folbe Originals in the river. Luckily no rods were lost before I made the switch.
IMHO, they should not sell the lock/un-lock style bases anymore.

I've also had no issues fitting any salmon/steelhead rod in them, they fit perfectly into the holders (newbies on my boat need to be shown the proper way to fit them into the holders), but in my experience they make a huge difference in quickness of getting the fight on the fish started.

The old style basses are not made anymore. There are a few around for special order. They come in handy for mounting things like cutting boards, cleaning trays or other items that have two or more post on them. Other people like to remove the rod holders with one hand while they are fighting a fish.

 

The lock I was speaking of is the base lock, not the clamshell. I do use the clamshell lock when fishing out the back of the boat because the the pull on the rod might not automatically lock the clamshell as securely as when fishing out the side. I don't take chances.

Yes, operator error is why rods are lost. A person does need to be careful as to how the rod is placed in the holder especially when the rod has a trigger. If the clamshell doesn't close quickly and easily just by placing the rod in it, something isn't right. A person shouldn't have to fiddle with the holder to get it to shut. If you do, lift the rod out and start over. Should never have to touch the holder at any time during the closing process.

 

The lock I was speaking of is the base lock, not the clamshell. I do use the clamshell lock when fishing out the back of the boat because the the pull on the rod might not automatically lock the clamshell as securely as when fishing out the side. I don't take chances.

Yes, operator error is why rods are lost. A person does need to be careful as to how the rod is placed in the holder especially when the rod has a trigger. If the clamshell doesn't close quickly and easily just by placing the rod in it, something isn't right. A person shouldn't have to fiddle with the holder to get it to shut. If you do, lift the rod out and start over. Should never have to touch the holder at any time during the closing process.

Thanks DZ
I knew about the older style mounts getting fiddled with.
Mine work this super I just wondered this post #24.

Plus another long winded Folbe thread was due I guess.

 

I believe this is the first time, I've ever noticed the ORCA only opens in ONE direction. That's a deal-breaker for my rod setup. It would only work as a siderigger holder on the starboard side of the boat.... a total NO GO on the port side.

Or does Scotty make two mirror-image models that open either left or right?

 

You just turn them the other direction so the white is inboard. They don't look as symmetrical, but they work fine.

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It does look odd.

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I have lost two rod holders also. I switched to the newer base with the spring loaded catch. Works great so far. The folbe rod holders work great for me !

 

JR's trolling XRaps at the 125-line.

I love the JR's, they've held up to Albacore, Halibut and plenty of other abuse. While I've heard that the hinged side should open towards the bow of the boat, I've fished them both ways with nothing even close to a failure….even Albacore fishing.