Transporting a rod in a loaded canoe

How do you transport your fishing rod without damage in a tandem canoe loaded for camping? I don’t need access till I’m actually in camp (don’t fish from the boat on the river.)

I’ve broken off a guide on a tied-together two-piece rod while it was shoved between some packs and tie-downs. Another time the tip broke off a one-piece rod because of increasing line tension from the spinning reel.

Rod socks? Stuff would probably still get jammed. 7’ PVC tube? It seems bulky. Just pay more attention? Easier said than done. 4 piece travel rod in similar tube? Aren’t one-piece rods better? Does it matter how many pieces? What do you do?

In theory one piece rods are smoother and stronger than multipiece sticks. They should also be cheaper as the ferrules add expense as well as weight. That being said, I doubt if one in a hundred fishermen can tell the difference. Living with one piece rods is a royal pain often requiring special rigging in your car as well as boat to deal with them. I would invest in a good quality four piece rod if I was serious about carrying it in a canoe regularly. They come in a solid short tube that is very rugged and stows easily. If you were going to only use it a few times then a telescoping rod might be fine. Most of them are of pretty low quality but they might get the job done for you. I am a fly fisher and bring 4 piece 9’ rods with me all the time and they are no issues and I have never damaged one in its case and have no trouble finding a spot in the canoe for them.
David

Agree 100% ! Takedown rods always get there in one piece, AND the fish don’t know the difference. I’ve used them on both canoe trips and back country hiking trips. In a light case they’ll survive normal abuse. Good fishing !
Ted

I agree with the advice about multi-piece rods and a carrying case. However, if you are like me and tend to avoid spending money on new rods for special situations where what you already have might be good enough, you can try what I do with one-piece rods. I tie them flush against the bottom sides of the thwarts, out at the edges of the boat. This keeps them off the floor, eliminates anything sticking up above the gunwales, and it leaves you with virtually the same unencumbered space for tossing in gear packs as you’d have if you brought no rods at all, unless you plan on bringing quite a few rods with you (though if you are careful in how you arrange them, you could probably fit as many as four on each side within a few inches of each gunwale. Remember, the rods can conform to the curvature of the hull if they are long enough for that to be necessary). There might be certain situations where you find a way to damage rods stored in this way if you aren’t careful, but I expect that would be pretty unusual. I’ve never had such a problem myself so far.

Something taught to me over 30 years ago, use plastic rain downspout pipe square material, light and big enough for spinning guides. Lets you slide your rod in or out real slick.

The metal tube case does the job. It sounds like you don’t have one Yet…do yourself(and your rod) a favor and get one. A solidly taped-on grip helps when you want to tie it down to something.

You can try something similar to this.

I would try attaching a pvc tube or rod tube to some D-rings. Whatever works best for you.