Hey guys I am new here and am sorry if this has been posted before but i could not find it anywhere. I am wondering what kind of rod holders people use when trolling. I have always been lucky that the group i went with were welders and made their own that work wonderfully, but this year i will be going with a new group. So far my favorite is the scotty clamp on design.. any one used them before? Thanks in advance for any advice!

Glad you asked. I just bought a couple of these:   (You need to Login or Register and plan to replace the bottom clamp with homemade one similar to mount made for depth finder. A flat piece of material bolted to thwart with u-bolts. Big Butt: i'm not sure if it will work and am curious to hear what folks with actual experience have to say.

Tim - I did your modified mounting method on my former canoe.  I mounted it with a screw through the ash thwart.  I didn't like it.  Even with moderate stress it would still rotate and I never could get it tight enough without damaging the holder or the wood.  In hindsight it was a dumb idea but maybe your set-up will be more stable? 

I don't use a rod holder anymore.  I just tuck the butt under my leg and pinch it behind my knee w/ the rod extending across the canoe in front of my other knee and resting on the opposite gunnel.

Berkley Quick-Set works nice if you're mounting on aluminum thwarts.

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PhantomJug wrote on Mar 21^st, 2012 at 4:41pm:

Maybe your set-up will be more stable?

The twisting/stability is a concern and wasn't sure but thought i'd give it a try. You even used a screw...hmm. 
JimJ: i like the looks of that berkley product, and that clamp...
what we don't want is something that will work for all fish under X#s and after that, screwed. Legs work pretty good and already tested.

I like a rod holder.
After reading previous posts on the subject, I ended up buying a Clamp-On QuickDraw from Cabelas.

Well made and sturdy, but for my style it had it's drawback(s).

I like to troll the drop-off line when traveling if possible. I also like my rod holder to be on the drop-off side.
Depending on conditions I might cross back and forth on a given body of water. Clamping/re- clamping wasn't hard, it just wasn't as quick and convenient as I would like.

On portages unless they were wide open, leaving the holder on would result in brush entangling in the unit.
If you had more than a few portages in your day, it became a pain.

I decided to go with a little different approach and make my own rod holder up.
I wanted cheap/rust free/durable and easy to deploy/change sides and put away.

Here's what I ended up with. I bought a heavy duty plastic clamp at the Home Depot. The kind carpenters would use to clamp items with. I can open it with one hand, but barely. I put shrink tubing over teeth so it wouldn't scratch the gunnel's of a canoe.
I bought some 1- 1/2" PVC pipe, a 1/4" stainless threaded bolt about 3/4-1" long. A 1/4" thin fender washer and some smaller 1/4" washers. I 1/4" stainless nut with the nylon lock threads.

I drilled a hole about halfway down the handle of the clamp. I cut a piece of the PVC pipe about 7" long and drilled a hole halfway down on one side only.
You fish the 1/4" bolt with fender washer attached thru inside of pipe and thru the hole in clamp handle.
I used a small metal mending plate to re-enforce the handle but that probably was overkill.
Put a small washer over bolt and the locknut. Tighten till there no slop but the PVC still rotates fairly easy.
When you clamp this to gunnel, the PVC pipe will jam under the width of the clamp jaws, and give you a nice angle for your trolling rod.
I cut a notch in both ends of the PVC in-line with each other and parallel to the clamp handle the PVC is bolted too. I clamped the holder to a board to simulate the gunnel of the canoe and just visually marked where I wanted my reel leg notches. ( You may not want them at all).

Now I won't claim that this set-up will hold the monster LT or NP, but if you set drag properly and pay attention as you should, the clamp grips tight enough that shouldn't be a problem.
But, I like to plan for the worst, so I take a piece of cord with a loop on one end and a big gated carabiner on the other. Put the carabiner thru the loop around your seat frame and run the biner end up thru a little loop end you put on one side of the clamp. Then hook carabiner around leg of spinning reel.

Worse case scenario you won't lose holder or rod. Make sure you leave biner cord long enough that you can set hook and unhook the clip before reeling in.

I think it's a pretty cheap and fool proof rig and easy to deploy/ switch sides/pack away.

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i use the scotty speed tubes (basically just a piece of pipe that the handle sticks into)...on the front seat i cut a hole through the triangle of alumium and used a flush mount. for the rear seat i removed the aluminum crossbar and put in a wooden one so i had a nice flat surface for my multitude of tools/electronics/mounts. i used the pyramid mount and bolted it to a small board. i used industrial velcro to make straps for the board. i used some contact cement to mount non slip mesh to the bottom of the board for no slippage.  i can move this rod mount around on the bar and  the rod holder itself has many adjustable parts to get the proper angle/height.

Ski Bum
Do yourself a favor and get the Ram Rod 2000 side mount. Yes you have to drill a few holes into your gunnel (use stainless with self locking nuts).

Superior in so many ways. Light, indestructible, quiet, many positions to use, safety clip (don't lose your rod).......

Plus it has the added and distinct advantage of popping your rod a good 8 inches off your gunnel which really helps keep it out of the way when your paddling.

I have a side mount on both sides of my boat, so it is easy to swap sides.

The only drawback is I am reluctant to have it dangling while portaging so I remove it and use a delee bob to secure it to a thwart. The positives so outweigh this negative however that I gladly go through the additional logistics. 

Thanks guys! all options look great. I like the idea of the side mount a lot. I dont like to mess with clamps since eventually they are bound to fail.. at least in most cases. I never thought to replace a bar with wood, could be a nice feature to have. with the ram rod, can i simply use pop rivits in my alluminum canoe and leave it permanently?

Mark

Pop rivets can fail pretty easily too if they are subjected to a lot of torque as in a rod holder.

I've used these for years with no complaints whatsoever and they will probably outlast me and my tripping career:

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Available from quite a few retailers online and perhaps locally as well, depending on where you live.

What I like about them is that the top part of the rod holder comes off quickly and easily at portages and can be reversed to face downwards and thus out of the way for portaging.  Takes about 15 seconds to do it.  The main clamp stays on the canoe from the moment the canoe comes off the car until the moment it goes back on the car. 

The rod holder itself is very adjustable so you can set your rod high or low, swept forwards or back as far as you want.  I have mine set so that I can paddle easily on both sides with no interference and grabbing the rod out of the holder is quick and easy.  The setup of the holder is such that the stress on the rod is on the cork both forward and aft of the reel, not on the graphite/whatever rod blank which can get stressed and weakened by rod holders that rely on gripping the rod blank.

I have the same rod holders as Snow Dog. I've been very satisfied with them. No drawbacks for me. Far superior for travel & trolling purposes. Try it, you'll like it.

zski, The Berkley Quick-Set can hold any fresh water fish out there. It's not like you're going to fight the fish with the rod holder. The drag will slip and you'll pick up the rod and go to it. It comes with several different attachments for mounting it, one clamps around an aluminum thwart nicely. It's around $20 and you can move it to other boats if you want. No holes to drill, nothing to fabricate yourself.

I did hear one story of the big one that got away while using a rod holder.  The fish tipped the canoe faster than the paddler could react.

SD/OS

I have the aluminum rod holder you use and found it cumbersome to change the angle of my rod easily. Isn't an Allen wrench required to loosen the plate?

I used the one you speak of for quite a while (I still have it.....want it?) and compared to what I am using now I don't think they compare to be honest.

Now I'm throwing off on SD's rod holder.........they will kick me out of here before it is all over.........

i took some pics of my setup. the double sided velcro straps are my favorite part of the whole contraption....

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i have velcro on everything and it all is very secure. dont have to worry about tipping/spilling/things falling/noise.

xcskibum1 wrote on Mar 21^st, 2012 at 3:52pm:

Hey guys I am wondering what kind of rod holders people use when trolling.

My favorite rod holder are my legs.  I pinch the rod under one hamstring and over the other quad, and I can paddle for hours.  No worries about another gadget to portage, or about how quick your response time is (instantaneous), and no cost involved.  It's old fashioned, but it works wonderfully.

prouboy

I also do not use any other rod holder but my legs. I like the fact that I can gawk around and not pay too much attention to watching the rod. You can easily feel when a fish hits - or misses.

This works for me:
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I'm not in the bow very often though. I will always remember one bow paddler who would instantly let go of his paddle at the slightest tap.

No matter where you put it you gotta understand how your drag works and make very everything is able to move freely. Except your rod and reel of course.

mastertangler wrote on Mar 22^nd, 2012 at 9:03pm:

SD/OS I have the aluminum rod holder you use and found it cumbersome to change the angle of my rod easily. Isn't an Allen wrench required to loosen the plate? I used the one you speak of for quite a while (I still have it.....want it?) and compared to what I am using now I don't think they compare to be honest. Now I'm throwing off on SD's rod holder.........they will kick me out of here before it is all over.........

No Allen wrench required.  you must be thinking of a different rodholder, or else a previous incarnation I'm not aware of.  Simple thumbscrew design.  I wouldn't try to change the sweep of the rod while moving, or even over deep water as you could lose a vital part...as my frequent bowpaddler Tim once did, but we were able to effect a field repair with a spoon from the cookkit, electrical tape, and a fertile imagination.  I have since bought spares of the only part that could go overboard easily (very small and lightweight) and carry a couple of spares with us.  But Tim learned his lesson well and no longer attempts to change the sweep while on the move.  Really, once you get it set right, there is no need.

I used to use the under-the-leg method but as I have aged I have found that I need to be able to shift my legs to different positions from time to time to relieve joint stiffness.

SD........I'm sure I have the same one. Want it? Its yours for the asking. Perhaps I lost (or broke) that center thumb screw that clamps the plate and replaced it with an allen headed screw.......I can't remember. Anyway I always felt a little vulnerable to losing my rod with that holder unless I kept my rod at a right angle to my boat.

As for you leg holders all I can do is roll my eyes. What a royal pain in the rear (literally after about 2 hours). What are you thinking? Life has enough hassles.

(speaking of pains in the rear  ;D ) I will give another advantage of the rod holder i advocate and I have tried a great many.......

Not only does the additional height off the gunnel allow for you to have your rod higher for easier paddling it also allows for you to have your rod a little closer to you as well. Less reaching. But here is one the aspects I like best. If I so desire......I can have my rod tip pointed rearward and down. And I can do this with complete confidence of not having my rod "shoot" out of the holder should everything line up due to the safety clip. Some would argue you can do the same with any rod holder but that is not the case. In a regular rod holder having the attitude of the rod rearward invariably puts the rod close to the boat and starts to interfere with paddling.........besides I like the angle achieved with the 2000 because it sits higher.

Now a good question to ask is "why does any of this matter". Fair enough. First off, as I have already intimated, it is out of the way. Your tired, dehydrated, etc and the last thing that is desired is hassle with a fishing rod (fishing has enough hassles involved without adding more  ;D ). Secondly, why the rearward angle? Why not straight out the side? I want my set up to be like a coil spring trap. There is no major bend of the rod required before everything gets tight and thus pressure to hook is immediate. In other words the rod is not absorbing a lot of energy......it is transferred to the hooks almost immediately. Db's point about understanding your reels drag is very important with my style. To loose and no hookset, to tight and Bye-bye lure. Smaller sharper hooks require less energy to set than thicker wire hooks.......physics.

That is not to say you point the rod right at the lure. In fact my third point concerning the effectiveness (and less hassle) of rod holders is in being able to "read" your rod tip. When everything is tight a certain pattern develops concerning the vibration with your lure which is revealed through the rod tip. I can tell a great deal about how my lure is doing by observing. "Hmmmm........ looks like I picked up a leaf, or a tiny bit of weed.....something is different".

Different strokes for different folks, I guess.  My setup works great for me and I rarely lose a fish on the hookset.  No matter which way the rod points you can still tell if you pick up any debris on your lure if you know your lure's action.

I use the same holder as Snow Dog. Pics are in my thread on finder and rod holder set up but maybe I'll post here again
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As you can see, I replaced the C mount with the platemount, which I screwed down to the thwart. This is rock solid, doesn't move, is light, strong and small. Not sure why it didn't work for you MT but for me and my buddies its all we'll use.

Moonman.

Hey nice set up Moonman. I have a feeling on a portage close to a mile though your boat might grind me into the duff  ;D.

Its not that the rod holder you use didn't work for me.......it is just that I find the 2000 superior is all. I have used both. And of course  someone may try both and decide for what you are using and then I would understand the comment different strokes for different folks a bit better.

Not to belabor the point but I will expound on another aspect of the rod holder you use and why I decided against it. I have already pointed out the aspect of improved paddleability (uh, that's not a word  ;) ) that comes from popping the rod off my gunnel. But there is another facet about that holder I found displeasing.

I do a lot of trolling. I tend to follow contour lines as do probably many of you. Often that requires sharp changes in direction. I tend to like to have my rod even with the water surface, pointed rearward and/or pointed down slightly. I have many times felt vulnerable to losing my rod with that holder especially when everything "lines" up. Unlikely I know, it would have to be almost a perfect alignment. But physics being what they are I could sense the potential for it happening.

The 2000 has a "C" clip which is fairly easy to employ and I use it more often than not. There typically is no rush to grab a rod after a fish is on in a trolling scenario. I often watch the rod to ascertain just what I am dealing with before removing the rod unless of course deadfall is near.

Add in that I always have a big outfit with me. A muskie rod with large baitcaster, heavy line and big lures which demand a beefy rod holder with a safety mechanism. The 2000 can cradle a baitcaster in its upright position which certainly helps a bit.

Anyway......merely making conversation. I hope you find it interesting/informative and not argumentative. That is not my intention.

I like the big fly BTW......looks killer......

MT

MT, how does the 2000 differ from the Scotty 280?  I realize that the 2000 sits higher and that could be a plus but I like being able to use a clamp-on rather than a fixed plate which the Scotty has.  They both have a safety strap.

Kerry wrote on Mar 26^th, 2012 at 9:16pm:

MT, how does the 2000 differ from the Scotty 280?  I realize that the 2000 sits higher and that could be a plus but I like being able to use a clamp-on rather than a fixed plate which the Scotty has.  They both have a safety strap.

Kerry,
I cannot give an informed opinion on the Scotty having never tried it.

Hi MT,

Of course I don't think your post and thoughts offensive or argumentative in any way. I think we all try a lot of things and we are all different, not everything is going to work for everyone in the same way, especially when we have different judging criteria.

By the way, thanks for the comment about that fly. It is indeed a killer. Its six inches long. I've caught a lot of lakers with 6-8 inch ciscoes in their stomachs. You should see it move in the water.  Made of sheep hair with angel hair for flash. Molded 3D eyes. As you know, lakers like to follow and sometimes nip the end of the lure/fly. On these flies, I tie on a small stinger using 30lb fireline. Just like on intruder style flies.  The fireline is stiff enough to hold the small #4 hook inline with the rest of the fly, not drooping down like with  mono. Also a lot more abrasion resistant.

Moonman.

How cool is that!........ I would like to see you in action.......sounds like Moonman should do a few fishing "tips of the month".

All I meant by different strokes for different folks is that I'm blissfully happy with my current setup and won't be going out and buying anything else as it seems a waste of my resources to fix something that (in my mind) ain't broke.  I concede that there may be something better out there, but what I use does a wonderful job for me and thus I have ended my search.

I don't know if my strokes are different or your strokes are different, MT.  I just know they are different from each other. No offense implied or intended.  :)

Well that is check and mate.......I have no response to such a humble statement  ;).

I suppose my partiality to my holder is shining through a bit much. I mean........I REALLY like mine. I actually enjoy using the dang thing to the point I would consider it a major blow to a trip should something happen to it. True love!

I'm sounding a bit wistful. I didn't get my fill last year.......hope to get out on a lengthy trip this year........still up in the air which is very unusual for me.

Maybe one day we can swap rides for a little while and you can give it a whirl and see what you think.

Hey jaximus,

Is that a monocular I see? Or what is that across from the tape?
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its a small LED flashlight that i never let leave the canoe. i also have one of the hat brim set of lights, but you can never have too much light