An Awsome Ice Rod Holder

[Old_Coot]

[font "Comic Sans MS"][#800000][size 4]I seldom ice fish any more but with ice fishing in full swing now, I wanted to share with you all one of my favorite, most prized, items in my ice fishing arsenal.

This PVC rod holder is fashioned after one that TubeDude made and shared with me years ago. So I have to give him credit for getting my own creative ideas going.

It is relatively small and takes up very little precious real estate inside a tent.

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I love it because, when I need to grab the rod and do an immediate hook set, I don't have to first pull the handle out of something … just grab and lift … absolutely nothing to inhibit a free open fast hookset.

Not only does it do a perfect job as an ice rod holder, it also provides some much needed storage. No more do I need to look around for my pliers or ProCure. They are ALWAYS right where I can easily find them and easily put them back.

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Because I love to use ProCure smelly jelly on my lures, I always keep some with me. Before I had this rod holder and its added storage features, my ProCure would be laying horizontal somewhere in the tent on the ice and was very difficult to get it to flow to squeeze any out. Now with this handy bottle holder, I can keep it upside down off the ice ready to grab and squeeze some out. And again, that bottle of smelly jelly is always easy to find now.

Once you do hook a fish, have brought it up out of the hole and onto the ice, this rod holder makes a great place to temporarily store your rod out of the way while working with the fish.

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If you like your rod at a slightly raised angle, just adjust the front legs to give it a bit of a lift.

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Or, if one side is on a piece of ice, simply adjust the other leg to level it out.

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The parts are small and extremely durable.

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Assembling it is just a matter of connecting the letters … A to A, B to B, and so on.

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I went to the DI and picked up this bag for it.

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I've made about eight of these for other guys now and we all just love them. We think they are the best rod holders out there (except for my friend Randy who prefers his rod to simply rest on his little lunch cooler … and I must say, that too is an awful good idea).

If any of you would ever like to build one of these, stop by my place, get a few measurements, and go build one. Or, if you like, I can build one for you without you having to learn all the tips and tricks to building a nice one the first time.

Once again, thanks to TubeDude for showing me the first R&D model. He is truly the king of PVC (and has been harassed many times for it ... LOL).

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[PerchPile]

Great Idea! Light weight and functional. You could probably make em and sell em! But that would probably take the fun out of it.

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[TubeDude]

[#0000FF]Excellent. I can claim originating some of the ideas but you took it much further. Worthy.

You might be interested in knowing that by adding the "quick draw" end, you can use this on a boat for vertical fishing a second rod.

I use a 1/2" to 3/4" T...making 2 cuts and then finishing with a dremel tool. The inside of the 3/4" section holds the butt end of a 1" rod just right. And the harder a fish pulls down the more firmly it holds. Just be sure to have the holder anchored and the drag set on your reel.
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[klam]

Tube Dude why do you screw the pieces together instead of gluing them?

Old Coot awesome idea to add storage options. Maybe a cup holder option next? []

Thanks
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[TubeDude]

[#0000FF]I always keep messin' with my designs...and/or sometimes a piece breaks or needs to be either longer or shorter. So gluing means I have to sacrifice the whole thing if I want to make changes. The parts I screw together hold just as well (or better) and can be quickly changed out or adjusted if needed.

I do not screw (or glue) any parts that I might want to adjust while on the water. And the parts that are not permanently attached can be broken down for easier packing for transport.
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[FatBiker]

TD, what do you use to make the angled cuts? CVFISHER used the jigging rod you made him yesterday with excellent results. I picked up a couple of the blanks you used. Guess I should get them made?


Larry
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[TubeDude]

[#0000FF]On page 5 of the attached PDF file...PVC CONSTRUCTION...there are pics of some of the tools I use for cutting and shaping PVC pieces. I usually use the little vibrating saw for PVC cuts. Not nearly as hazardous as rotating saw blades with a drill. You can get them for about $30 at Harbor Freight. But you can use a vice and hacksaw too.

Glad the rod is working for Tom. Let me know if you need some help with yours. The link I sent was for the "walleye" action. Many of the "ice rod" blanks available are too short and/or too wimpy.
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[Kent]

[quote klam]

Tube Dude why do you screw the pieces together instead of gluing them?

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Pat already answered your question but I will also add my $.02. I used to always glue the pieces together but after having parts break a few times (for various reasons) and having to replace large sections, because all joints were glued together, I learned that for most purposes it was better to just screw the pieces together. An added bonus is that if I decide to modify the design, after using my invention, it is easy to do and the joints and cut pieces of PVC can be used multiple times in different designs. The joints are plenty strong with just one screw per joint.

Now, I only glue joints that I want to be totally air tight and float if necessary. For example, I glued my PVC sturgeon landing tool and my PVC sturgeon measuring stick. I have dropped both over the side of the boat and they were easily picked up because they floated.
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[FatBiker]

Pat, just had eight stitches in my left hand. Tried to do that with a reciprocating saw. Good thing chick's dig scars.



Larry
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[TubeDude]

[#0000FF]Surprised you didn't try a chain saw.

Chicks? Hope you don't try cutting up a chicken with your power tools. I just throw mine in a high powered fan. Get some interestingly shaped pieces. You should see my "Buffalo wings".
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[smittyts]

TD, you never cease to amaze me with your wealth of knowledge and treasure trove of written info from recipes to PVC construction. You are by far one of the best sources of help for anglers of any skill level. Many thanks.
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[TubeDude]

[#0000FF]Welcome you are. I appreciate your appreciation.

Just don't look for any good recipes for PVC. No way to cook it enough to tenderize it. And it just tastes plain nasty. Don't ask how I know.
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[TheFishSlayer]

This is a pretty great idea. I'd like to try and make one of these. Thanks to you and TD for making this.
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[ratnest]

In place of screws, have you tried using nails with predrilled holes. I am thinking that the nail could act as a pin, and would not require screwdriver to put in our out.
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[Kent]

No I haven't, but I would think that a nail may fall out.
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[Kent]

Well Ralph, using yours as a guide I whipped out a couple rod holders this afternoon. The only modifications I made were I used screws to assemble the parts and I made the base twice as long as yours. Thanks for the model and the check for the royalty fee is in the mail.[]

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[Old_Coot]

Those look pretty good Kent. That extra length probably takes the worry out of wondering if a rod could be pulled down a hole. And that extra length would defiantly work much better with full length rods too.
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[Kent]

I bought me a couple 36" ultralight rods and with the extra length I can leave the rod in the holder and push down in the center of the rod to jig. Your holder handled a 5 1/2' sturgeon rod just fine.
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