Fishing rod holders

Rod holders with a Softopper.

I ordered a Rod Saver system from Amazon and installed it today.

$34 Rod Saver Vehicle Rod Carrier

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B000KOU0TW/

One thing you might notice from the pics is that they are installed backwards. What I mean by that is the velcro loop side is toward the tailgate instead of to the front. The reason for that is that I carry a lot of one and two piece rods that even when disassembled are too long for the bed. They just have to stick out the back. Plus when driving between drifts I want to be able to leave the rods assembled. So my solution was to hang the front holder lower than the back one to let gravity do its job and use the velcro loops near a rod guide instead of on the rod handles. There will be some minor bumping of long steelhead and salmon rod handles on the rear topper window as they swing but I'm not really too concerned about that.


The other thing I had to figure out was how to mount the holder to the frame. I didnt want to drill a hole and weaken the aluminum tube. And I didnt want to use a clamp that might abrade the canvas when it was folded down. And any kind of tape or adhesive sounded like a crappy idea since tape will eventually dry up and neither option is relocatable. Everything in my bed is secured with some type of knob or easy release to allow for quick removal and relocation. Carrying a special SAE wrench in a truck with nothing but metric fasteners is a waste of time. What I finally settled on is ranger bands. Basically that is just a tacticool name for rubber bands made out of a bicycle tire inner tube. I cut them 3/4" wide and made plenty of spares to carry in both a bed cubby and the glove box. Once you get a tear started in the edge in one from hooking or unhooking it wont last long. But once in place and left alone they should last a very long time. Nearly free, completely adjustable, relocatable, and they wont slide down the frame tubes.


As an added small bonus I was able to use the d-ring mounts supplied with the holders in the bed for securing small light objects like maybe a lunch cooler or fire extinguisher.


Will have to see how it works out over time. It definitely isn't perfect but think it will be good enough.

@lashingbar @Dgibson529

Edit - Having the front rod holder lower than the rear works for the type of rods I carry but seeing it hanging that low while driving down the road kind of sucked. Not a lot of suck, but still some suck.


So I grabbed a length of mild steel tie wire out of the tool box and a length of clear PVC tubing that was once a temporary security badge lanyard. Slid the wire inside the clear tubing and ended up with two of sections that looked like this.


I hooked the wires around two front frame snaps and then used them to hold the front rod holder up and out of the way. The wire is stiff enough that the front rod holder should stay in place but soft enough that they will let loose when pulled on by the butt of a fishing rod.



Better....

 

thanks for doing the hard work. Looks like a good solution. I have a 9' rod that I put in diagonal. Looks like this rod holder will accommodate.

also, how did you make the quick fist mounts. Need mine below the softopper hardware as well.

 

Subbing for future posts.

I need to come up with some idea to store pvc, 2.5" tubes.

I've switched to all 4 piece pack rods. I'm tired of breaking the tips off my fly rods by accident. The pack rods are easier for me to keep unbroken.

I keep the broke down rods inside their socks, then inside the pvc tubes. It keeps the rods very safe, unfortunately, they roll around the bed something fierce.

 

I have full size fly rods in both long and travel tubes. I usually have enough crap that they don't roll around too bad but to secure them, Quick Fists would work. http://www.quickfistclamps.com

 

Yes, I saw your suggestion for those in the soft topper thread. I plan on grabbing a bunch. These look like another item I should have bought stock in years ago...among zip ties, duct tape and Velcro...

 

Hi-lift mount https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/diy-hi-lift-jack-mount-with-a-softopper.443016/

The Quick Fist mount is similar. Soon as I get the steaks on the grill I will go take a couple of pictures.

Edit - Finally have a chance to upload. I'm not certain the shovel mount is going to quite work out. I think the shovel handle may be too high and the knob may stick out too far and the Softopper frame will hit them when folded down. Just been too lazy to test and fix if necessary. It was hot outside when I fabbed it and its still too damn hot out there. All they are is 1-1/2" aluminum flat bar painted black. In the rail there is a 3/8-16 thread tee slot nut and the mount is secured to the rail using a knob with an integral 3/8-16 x 2 stud. There is a rubber stopper used as a standoff spacer that is around an inch thick between the mount and the rail. The stopper keeps the mount from rattling and negates any need for a lock washer because there is quite a bit of friction on the stud. I bent the bottom of the mount 90 degrees and screwed another rubber stopper to the bottom. The stopper sits on the wheel well and sticks out a bit from the edge of the mount to keep metal off the side of the bed. The screw is ground off flush and the stopper is cut down to 1/2" thick. There probably isn't a need for any rubber on the bottom but I prefer to not have things rattling and vibrating on the bed when it is quick and easy to prevent. Once I get off my ass and actually determine if the shovel handle and/or knob need to be relocated I think I can do that by trimming the top rubber stopper so it is thinner, shortening the stud, and lowering the Quick Fist.

 

Looks great. Interested to see how it works out after some use.

 

I struggled with mounting one-piece rods in the bed after breaking an expensive 6 foot rod tip with the power window when the rod was stored in the cab. Since buying the truck, I've begun to purchase two-piece rods. That's a slow process. I still needed a bed mount solution. My solution is bed rail quick fist mounts from Relentless Fabrication and a combination of rod mounts. I use simple Quick Fist mini's up by the cab and magnetic Fishing Rod & Gun Holders from Sport Bumper. Two Sport bumpers work too but they're not secure when the tonneau is open when carrying the kayak. Here are some photos of my set-up. The nice thing is it works with the tailgate open or closed.

 

Here are my solutions for rod holders






Hope this helps!

 

How is it attached to the bed rail?

 

How long are those rods?

 

Yakima powderhounds in the roof and aluminum holders attached to an N fab light bar.

 

Yes the Yakimas are great

 

Check out the rod vaults from Denver Outfitters. More for fly fishing but an idea for sure.


https://denveroutfitters.com/product/the-classic-rod-vault-fly-round-6-pre-order/

 

Those aluminum t slot nuts for our trucks and a black bolt. I cut grooves in the plastic so it pinches the rail and keeps it fixed securely

 

None of my pics show up in post 83 (huge middle finger salute to Dropbox).

 

A year and a half later with literally dozens of trips all over Washington it's still just right. It's carried everything from fly rods to salmon and steelhead rods to walleye rods. Couldn't be happier.

 

Thanks for the inspiration here. I have something very similiar in the works but I'm going with two poles on each side of the bed. I'll post pics in the coming days/weeks when I get the itch to finish it up. I haven't caught the fishing bug this year quite yet, it's still deer shed season for me and I've got a lot of places left to hit.