Equipment – Vehicle Rod Rack (External)

I finally broke down and bought a rod rack.

Over the last three or four years, I have probably broken two tips rattling around in the back of my pickup truck. In addition, when fishing from place to place, it’s a real hassle to reassemble the rod, attach the reel, and thread the line at each stop. It subtracts from the overall quality of the experience and the amount of fishing time available. After doing a little bit of research, it looked like this product was the best at the cheapest price.

But, would it hold? I took a risk and spent the money. When it arrived I discovered it worked primarily by magnetic attachment.  No biggie… until I was stunned to discover that my 2001 Ranger did not have a metal hood. Who would’ve thought that a 10-year-old truck would be made mostly out of some other material than metal? Geez… it’s a truck! After some desperate trial and error, I discovered that the roof was metal and that the rack gripped tightly to it. Now the scary part… Would the rod fly off in use?

Last week, I took the day off to do additional research on my upcoming book about trout fishing in Maryland. I wanted to fish several different spots on the Savage River. With a deep breath, I assembled my old TFO rod (I did not want to risk my Fly Fishing Benefactors rod) and popped on a reel.

I am happy to report that there were no issues with this model running at 55 mph in a downpour. The rod was in the rack for approximately 3 hours as I drove from place to place and I did not remove it until I was in Keyser and ready for the long haul home.

I did a few things to stack the deck in my favor. I used the hook keeper and tightened the line down to put pressure on the rod tip to make sure the sections would not wiggle free as the wind pushed to the rear. Then, to hold everything in place, I cranked down on the drag to keep the reel from moving and unspooling line.

Nary a problem. I will trust this to my good gear in the future!  

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View along the roof

 

Close up of reel holder

 

View along the roof

 

Close up of rod tip holder

Unless stated otherwise, this article was authored by Steve Moore

Sadly, this particular rack is not longer available on Amazon – the button shows what is available.

Articles on this site are out of date since some go back to 2006. Regulations and property ownership may have changed since publication. It is your responsibility to know and obey all regulations and not trespass on private property.

Disclaimer and Warning:  The contents of this site reflect the opinion of the author and you, the reader, must exercise care in the use and interpretation of this information.  Fishing is a dangerous sport.  You can slip and fall on rocks and sustain severe injury.  You can drown.  You can get hooks caught in your skin, face, eyes or other sensitive places.  All sorts of bad things can happen to you when to go into the woods to visit the places documented here.  Forests, streams and lakes are wild areas and any number of bad things can happen.  You must make your own judgment in terms of acceptable behavior and risk and not rely on anything posted here.  I disclaim all liability and responsibility for any actions you take as a result of reading the articles on this site.  If you do not agree with this, you should not read anything posted on this site.

Disclaimer and Warning:  The contents of this site reflect the opinion of the author and you, the reader, must exercise care in the use and interpretation of this information.  Fishing is a dangerous sport.  You can slip and fall on rocks and sustain severe injury.  You can drown.  You can get hooks caught in your skin, face, eyes or other sensitive places.  All sorts of bad things can happen to you when to go into the woods to visit the places documented here.  Forests, streams and lakes are wild areas and any number of bad things can happen.  You must make your own judgment in terms of acceptable behavior and risk and not rely on anything posted here.  I disclaim all liability and responsibility for any actions you take as a result of reading the articles on this site.  If you do not agree with this, you should not read anything posted on this site.

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