Fly Fishing BS thread

FWIW, I did roughly the opposite of what you proposed on my 2011 DCSB and it worked out really well.

• Tacoma OEM rack on cab. Hard quad-fold tonneau over the bed.
• Rod Vault + Yakima ski/snowboard rack mounted to cab rack
- Rod vault was mounted quite a bit rearwards (vs more centered) to make sure it was easy to load from the tailgate area. Aesthetically looked a bit off, but worked better so I never cared.
- The "overflow" ski/snowboard quiver would get loaded with rod-tips rearwards. They had plenty of room for rod tips to flex without hitting anything, and loaded easily standing on the rear door sil.

I put 270k miles on that truck before trading it in, nearly all of them with multiple rods up top. Never a problem. I definitely have many rods with 100k+ highway miles on them...

I'll have to see about tracking down a photo, but worked like a charm and guessing cab rack is cheaper than bed rack.

Best of luck in any case!

B

P.S. - If you use a snowboard rack (vs dedicated tubed rod carrier), the key is to stick/bind the rod tips together with a Rod Butler or similar. If they bounce around and smack into one another while driving, eventually you're going to have blank failures. I was fortunate enough to learn this on my friends car/rods...

 

I 3d printed this for my bed rack. I only use it for getting from spot to spot. I break down the rods for anything longer. Has held fine speeding down dirt roads going +40 mph.

Final version:


Prototype testing:





I mount one on each side of the bed now and can carry 4 rods when I have my buddies with me.

 

Regarding your second point, I have a trxstle rod carrier on my shell that extends over my cab with no issues. It is not attached to the cab, however I do have a long bed.

 

This is really cool - love the 3D printed rack! Dumb question: can you open your tonneau cover with the rack over top of it?

 

That looks slick! I don't think I'm gonna go the shell route (various reasons, none of which are aesthetic), but it's good to know the tubes can chill over the cab without being mounted. Thanks!

 

Yeah, it's a rolling retractable tonneau so it rolls into a cylinder shape at the front of the bed area.


Also, would like to share this model I found in case anyone else has access to a 3d printer and wants a rod holder. This is not my model.
https://www.printables.com/model/818309-vehicle-fly-rod-holder

 

While not fly rods, this is how I carry my rods, and this includes 8f 6i 1 piece musky rods

 

As a retirement gift to myself, I bought the Yakima Fly Rod holder, holds four 10’ rods . Took advantage of the 20% off holiday sale. It’s kinda a waste of money, I got along fine without for years. I would carry fully rigged rods in the Tacoma with a topper. Bungee cords front and back, then through the pass through window. I love all the solutions you guys have come up with I’ll look like a pro at all the access sites, but I really don’t fish all that well, but really enjoy the sport. Tight lines folks

 

This is my old fishing car , this is the new one. I really miss the taco but it was a necessary sale, age will change the game plan

 

Right on. I agree - these are some great solutions!

I've been doing the pass-through route with my taco for more local runs, but my fishing buddies are often under 12 years old (my son and my buddy's kids) and having that pass-through window open without a topper on a >30 degree day shortens our already-short days with the kids.

One cool thing I saw for those of you using the interior of your 4runner/taco with full-length rods:
Run a bungee cord between the headrests. Slice a pool noodle length-wise and put the noodle around the bungee cord. Then cut small slits in the noodle from side to side (in the direction of the rods from front to back of the truck) for the rods to sit in. It keeps the rods from moving around/smacking everyone in the face. I've seen other options as well, but this DIY tactic is much less expensive.

 

https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/fly-rod-carrier.823190/

 

Dig that - thanks! That is WAY nicer than my in-bed wood/steel holder!
I'm so intrigued by 3D - something I should probably dive into. (side note: I'd need to find a beginner-level entry into this for sure. My tech expertise in terms of design stops at InDesign and Photoshop.)

I'm looking for a solution that fits these qualifications:

• full length rod storage for up to 11' or 11'6"
• allows me to keep the tonneau cover (I have a bakflip mx4)
• does not require a cab roof rack

There is this bed rack that seemingly works with a tonneau cover (courtesy of a user on a similar post I made on reddit). https://www.max-modular.com/toyota-tacoma-years-2005-to-present-11/utility-rack-for-tonneau-covers
Any other options like this out there? Since I don't need the full bed rack, I wonder if I could just use the one side of it and put rod holders on that?

 

I think KB Voodoo sells the angled bed mounts separately to be used with a bed cover - pretty sure that is where I bought mine 6+ years ago. Then, you don't need to spend $1000+ for a few pieces of extruded aluminum or whatever. Put it together piece-meal yourself. I spent about $300 for the bed mounts and steel tubing and then I welded up a rack for my bed - I am not a welder, but it has worked flawlessly for 6+ years.

 

Oh nice. That's a great thought to just get the mounts and then fabricate what I need.

 

Hope this works....pic of my homemade bedrack.

 

I thought you said you're not a welder?! That thing is pro!

 

I do something a little different, but FWIW, a buddy of mine who drives a F-150 with a tonneau has a very functional and super cheap/easy set-up that works pretty well for shorter commutes, particularly in decent weather.

• Reels go (centered) on the top of the dash. A non-slip silicone pad keeps them from moving around when cornering, etc.
• Rod tips go out the rear slider window. He's put some soft segregated foam that he's attached to the bottom of the window frame, which keeps the rod blanks padded and not moving/bouncing around. The rod tips stick up somewhat above his tonneau cover.

I'd hate the set-up for my super long distance trips, but it really does work great for 5-30 mile summer commutes and you can probably piece it together for $15 or less.

Your mileage and preferences may vary...

Best,

B

 

Nice way to safely transport rods. If you want to keep broken down longer rods in the bed, you could rotate your setup 90 degrees and Mount diagonally. I carry longer rods (in half) in a 2 piece rod carrier that way.

 

I use the Yakima Double Haul. I have it mounted to the shell but have seen plenty of guys without the shell mount it to a roof rack. It's bulletproof and I never have to worry about the rods that are in it. Great when you're spot hopping to have them fully rigged and ready to go.

 

I have printed 4 boxes and did some comparisons on the different colors. The results were quite surprising.