I have a Perception Sundance 12. Bought it last summer, must have used it three dozen times. I started to fish out of it too. Ultra light for bass. Artifical lures only. No “still fishing” with live bait.
This year I’d like to add rod holders. Their primary purpose would be to keep the rods out of the way. Again, I rarely “still fish.”
My thoughts were to put two of the flush mounted tube things on the rear deck.( Sorry for the overly technical terms.) The ones that mount flush with the deck and the tubes extend under the deck, like a mortar tube. Again this would just be to transport the rods. I don’t think I’d do any trolling. In the front I thought I’d mount a “regular” holder on the front of the cowling, to serve as a place to put the rod down in front of me if I didn’t want to reach back to the “tube things” behind me.
Does this sound suitable? Or should I perhaps mount two “regular” holders in back, with a spare mounting bracket in front?
This will be for open faced spinning reels. Suggestions, brand names and specific models would be appreciated.
On the Texas Gulf Coast
Scotty seems to be the rod holder of choice. I’ve looked at Kayaks with built in flush mounted rod holders and didn’t care much for them. One, you have to drill a big hole in your kayak for after market installation. Two, most of the ones I’ve seen have a bottom cap and I can see them holding water. That may not be a problem, but it bothers me. Three, did I mention you have to cut holes in your Kayak, a potential source of leaks.
Here’s the link for Scotty:
https://www.allkayakfishing.com/rodhold.html
From what I’ve seen, they’re great devices.
What he said…
Academy Sports has the best price I’ve found on Scotty’s @ $14.99.
They make a flush mount for the Scotty but Academy doesn’t carry it so you’d have to order it off the net and the price would go up to $20-25 (I think).
RAM makes what I believe to be a better holder but they’re proud of them. Pricess get closer to $30. Advantage is that the RAM lifts the rod about 4" off the deck.
When the rod is in a fairly vertical position the lower Scotty holder is limited. The RAM’s higher mount is a little more versatile.
That being said, I own 6-7 Scotty’s and zero RAM’s.
I don’t like the flush mount tube holders at all. We bought a used Tarpon 100 for the kiddo that has them. They make a big, wide ‘Y’ on the back of the boat. The spare rods are more likely to get in the way when casting and more likely to get snagged by a tree in skinny waters.
Dat’s my opinion…
worth every penny you paid ;o)
Check out Berkley Rod Holders…
http://www.dickssportinggoods.com/sm-berkley-quick-set-boat-rod-holder--pi-975334.html
These are small and do a good job. They don't rise up as high as the Scottys. You'll need to add a small bungee to secure the rod in rough water, but for easy water and slow moving rivers they're perfect as is. Reasonabley priced too @12.00-13.00 bucks.
I have 2 of them mounted behind me on my Loon within easy reach. Careful where you mount ANY rodholder on a yak though. Make sure it's position won't interfere with your paddling stroke.
Positioning is important
I made the mistake of mounting one of my paddle clips a bit too close to where my elbow swings during my stroke. Haven’t corrected it yet, wondering how best to patch a small diameter hole in by blue plastic kayak without it looking like crap!
I haven’t looked at the Scotty rod holders in a while, but try to get one that will allow you to lay your rod almost vertical when unederway or using another rod, especially a fly rod.
Thanks
Thanks for the feed back. Perhaps regular holders are better than the “tubes.”
Contact the original manufacturer
of your Kayak. Most of them have repair kits for fixing deep gouges and cracks and they’ll do small holes as well.
Or the dealer
They usually sell “sticks” of the plastic in each color made especially for this type of repair. Some paddle shops will do the repair, with really good results I’ve been told.
Check out R-A-M 2000 flush mount
rod holder. The mounts will also accept Scotty's.
American made. www.ram-mount.com Extremely versatile. Gets the rod up off the hull where you need it. This mount will handle spin, conventional bait caster, or fly rod. Rotates 360 degrees and has up/down adjustment about 160 degrees. You get what you pay for, IMHO.
Try my new clamp-on rod holder.
I just began producing a clamp-on rod holder specifically for kayaks. The reports are that they are working fine. Check my new website & if you want some, I will be pleased to give a Paddling.net discount of 25% through the end of may if you mention it with the order. – info@mrclampit.com – Bud
Holder Holes
Orchard hardware carrys a series of black flat head plugs that will cover any minor holes with marine cement.
I use two Scotty fly rod holders and adjust them so that my rod is opposite the bank I am fishing against and the tip is just 4 inches above the water line. I most troll with streamers (grey ghost, thunder creek series and carey specials).
Have the same boat
My wife has your boat, and likes to occasionally fish. We took a hole saw and drilled a hole behind the seat and mounted a flush rod holder. Because the bottom of the rod holder extends into the boat, I had to cut away some of the excess bulkhead in order to accomodate the rod holder. It looks professional, works great, and is out of the way when she paddles. The bulkheads don’t seal properly anyway, so it gave me a chance to re-seal it with 3M’s 5200 marine sealer, and no more leaks like the cheap silicone perception uses. Let us know what you do, I’d be curious to see it. If you would like pics of my job, email me at mbhw at optonline dot net.
scotty is the answer
As for the rod holders - go with the scotty and you will not be disappointed. As for small holes in the yak you can fill the gap with regular clear silicone and smooth it over with your finger - most people will never notice it.