rod holder for odc 420L

[egredsox04]

I built my first rod holder, still needs a little work, i'm missing a piece that i forgot to pick up today. The rod holders need to be cut down a little and im going to cut a slot for the reel to slide in a little. I also need new bungee cords, the ones i have are a little too tight. Little adjustments need to be made, but i'll get it right sooner or later.

Oh, one more thing, how can i make i slot for a fly rod and reel???
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[TubeDude]

[cool][#0000ff]Looks like you are getting there. Also sounds like you are in touch with what you need to do to finish it off right.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Here is a pic showing a couple of the PVC notching methods I have used for fly rods. Works better on vertical but should be okay for the angled holders.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]The main idea is that you create a longer narrow notch that is large enough to accomodate the reel seat arbor, but narrow enough to hold the rod grip inside. The longer the notch, the more securely the flyrod will ride inside. You might make a bungee or velcro safety strap for it as well.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]On one of the tubes you will note that I have used a "sleeve" insert of smaller PVC that fits down inside the regular rod tube. That requires that you have used large enough tubing to allow that...I think it was 1 1/4" Schedule 40 for the main tube and 3/4" schedule 20 for the rod tube. It has been awhile. But, you get the idea. Also, that might be impractical for the slanted holders.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]One thing you can consider is to make the flyrod grooves either on top or on the outside of the tube. That will allow you to use the tubes for either spinning or fly rods.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]When you are cutting those grooves, be sure to start slightly smaller and fit the reels so they ride as snugly as possible. You can always file away a little bit of PVC, but it is tough to add it back on.[/#0000ff]
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[OlDirtyBasser]

Nice use of quick-release hooks. I tried that with my 420 but didn't get the control I wanted over how it "sat". I also wanted to try the angled tubes, but since I mostly bass fish, sometimes I am very close to tules or even have to bust through them sometimes to launch. Keeping my rods vertical works best in my situation.

I have found that a Dremel-style rotary tool is a lifesaver when cutting notches and such. So quick, and you can get the nicest rounded and smooth edges with minimal work.
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[Big_Mernie]

ODB do you have any pics of your tube fully loaded and ready to launch. I would really like to see what system you use as we have the same tube. Sorry to be a somali pirate lol
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[egredsox04]

Ok, well the only thing i need to do now to finish it is to hook up my fishfinder, im still missing a piece once i get it, i can hook it up. I used a couple of screws to keep my bungee in place, i know i could of cut a slot for it, but if i did that, it would be a little to loose. Here are some pics of the slightly final product:
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[OlDirtyBasser]

I don't have a good pic yet. I will definitely post one soon. I tried to take one recently, but I shot it after getting out and I guess that after fishing a couple of hours, my pontoons leaned inward slightly from my weight.

When I got out, they came back out and my rod rack was sagging outwards, although it was fine when I was sitting in the tube. Hopefully this weekend I can take a pic before launching. Or maybe I'll just take a pic of it at home.
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[flygoddess]

I only use fly rods so the holders I have used are made for the fact there is no butt section.
YES! Tube Dude, I made mine out of PVC. Just a tube about 10" long. Two slit on one side at an angle. I was able to thread a nylon strap through the slits and around the tube. This put the rod holder at an angle back.
I then made an opening from the top to about 2" from the bottom the width of the reel seat. then notched out about 2" on the side of the opening. This way, you don't need any strap to secure the rod reel. they can't go anywhere.
Here is the closest I can find to what I am talking about:



However, this what I use now, but you don't need the security strap, they really can't fall out, but it is nice to have it:


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