01-18-2018, 02:55 PM
[#0000FF]I seldom have great expectations on first trips after iceout. Usually the fish are just waking up and getting energized with more oxygen...after months under the ice. But sometimes it goes wide open and I have to stop at the emergency room on the way home to get the silly grin surgically removed from my face.
I have experimented with several different designs for horizontal rod racks. I think I like this one better than any of the others. It makes seeing and handling extra rods easier than fumbling with trying to stick them down into tubes behind you. A real consideration for old dudes with limited flexibility.
The one potential downside is that if you are backing into shore or a dock you have to be careful you don't break rod tips. I am thinking about a modification that will angle the back end of the rods up at a slight angle.
All in all, it is a compact and lightweight design. Easy on and off...but not too easy. Little chance of failure if you install it right.
And one of the biggies is that it reduces the chances of snagging one of your stored extra rods with your casting rod...or tangling in them when you set the hook a bit too vigorously. Lower vertical profile. A lot of klutzy anglers need that.
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I have experimented with several different designs for horizontal rod racks. I think I like this one better than any of the others. It makes seeing and handling extra rods easier than fumbling with trying to stick them down into tubes behind you. A real consideration for old dudes with limited flexibility.
The one potential downside is that if you are backing into shore or a dock you have to be careful you don't break rod tips. I am thinking about a modification that will angle the back end of the rods up at a slight angle.
All in all, it is a compact and lightweight design. Easy on and off...but not too easy. Little chance of failure if you install it right.
And one of the biggies is that it reduces the chances of snagging one of your stored extra rods with your casting rod...or tangling in them when you set the hook a bit too vigorously. Lower vertical profile. A lot of klutzy anglers need that.
[/#0000FF]
[signature]