Rod Holders

[Matt15]

Ive just purchased a Tracker V16 proguide SC and I'm not sure which rod holders to put on it. They'll be mostly used for trolling for musky. I would like to know if you guys have any recommendations on which ones to buy. Thanks

[fishdawg]

Salty Downeaster's - they have a few differnt styles to match the way you want to mount them

[Matt15]

Thanks fishdawg

[PAZE]

http://www.trojantackle.ca/

[silveradosheriff]

Hi Matt - congrats on the new boat!

I trust my musky sticks to the Salty's.

I run the tracks on the side and the bar across the back.

Here is a pic...

 

[BFSC Kevin]

i've heard good things of down east ones and scotty ones..

i got 6 scotty powerlock rod holders myself...

[walleyemen]

i have the exact same boat and i use the scotties, with the flush mount base, ya have to drill, so grit your teeth and do not close your eye's LOL

[Roy]

I wouldn't trust anything other than Downeasters for muskie. I use S-10s. Trojan Tackle will do you well for the mounts.

[sonny]

I have scotty's myself,,,,but whatever you do DO NOT,,,,,,and i repeat DO NOT,,cheap out on rod holders,,,you will just regret it and end up buyingg the better ones down the road,,,,understand the type of fishing you will be doing and where they will be mounted on your boat(makes a differance for strain on the boat),,,and pick your best option from there,,,,,a good thing would be to have an experianced fisherman help ya set up and go over what would be your best bet.. i personally had cheap ones on my boat when i bought it and got tired of them really quick,,,i had a guy whith a tackle shop who also runs charters set me up with what i needed for walleye and salmon fishing...always a good move getting some help from the guys that know from experiance!!

[ccmtcanada]

I heard great things about Salty as well, so I picked up a few this winter....cant wait to mount them on the boat!

[Matt15]

Thanks for all of your recommendations Im going to pick up the Saltys

[SlowPoke]

Copy cat.

[Rich]

I have Scotty Powerlocks and would not trust them to a musky.

[Fisherman]

I've got Scotty's on my boat, and had some 30lb salmon wail on them over the last 10 years, and yes, they are still in one piece. If they use them on the West coast for salmon a lot larger than the average musky, it leads me to believe they are good quality

[fishindevil]

Well scottys will handle 30lb salmon,they will sure hold for a muskie !!!!...ive been using them for years,and they are plenty strong enough ...

[linweir]

Wont go wrong with Scotty Striker Rod Holder.

Thye're a bit of more expensive, but they are real deal.

 

[SlowPoke]

Scotty's are good as well.

Where the Salty's excell are when you want the rod tip pointed toward or in the water. Not many rod holders can give you that piece of mind in those situations.

-Brian

[lew]

I've got Scotty's on my boat, and had some 30lb salmon wail on them over the last 10 years, and yes, they are still in one piece. If they use them on the West coast for salmon a lot larger than the average musky, it leads me to believe they are good quality

 

Well scottys will handle 30lb salmon,they will sure hold for a muskie

 

Guys, it's not the fish that does the damage to the plastic rod holders, it's the baits that are being trolled and the pressure they apply.

 

Salmon baits are relatively small and don't have a huge amount of drag to them, plus the fact that they are often attached to a cannon ball, which is fastened by a wire cable to the downrigger. Basically all the holder is doing is holding on to the rod.

 

Musky baits on the other hand are much larger, with some well over a foot long and a diving lip the size of your hand, and when you've got something that big, diving down 20 or 30' at a speed sometimes of 5 or 6 miles per hour, there's some enormous pressure being put on the rod holder.

 

The plastic rod holders just have small tabs that fit into corresponing slots in the base and when the pressure builds, those tabs can strip.

 

I'm not putting the plastic holders down, infact many of the models on the market are excellent and the Scotty Strikers are a perfect example, I just think for tolling VERY big baits with enormous drag, your much safer with an all metal holder.

 

I've seen plastic holders fail while holding the pressure of large, deep diving baits, but I've never seen a metal one fail yet, although I'm certainly not saying it can't happen with them either.

 

That's only my dimes worth though.

 

I also like the extra security of using wire cables to attach my trolling gear to the boat. Nothing worse than seeing all that expensive gear taking an unplanned swim when you least expect it.

 

Edited March 9, 2008 by lew

[Roy]

Well said, Lew.

[Fisherman]

Good point, but I wonder how much drag an oversize dipsy with a lure behind will create in comparison to alligator bait?

[silveradosheriff]

The really bid dipseys do have a fair amount of drag, but nothing compared to a 14" musky bait!

I've had one Salty break, fortunately it was on one of the clamps so the other clamp kept my equipment safe.

[Handlebarz]

I used Scottys my first year of musky fishing I just wish I had taken a pic of my holder after it stripped the teeth down to where the rod alomst went into the drink that fall. After the summer of pounding baits around LSC the big 9" Thumper Woodie almost took my rod off the boat since then I have switched to Downeaster Saltys and that is all that will hole my rods unless I use the stainless ones for board rods but then your looking at solid pipe to hold the rod streight up.

[fishindevil]

I would say its about a 50/50 split,from all the boats i see salmon fishing all summer,between saltys & scotty strikers,they are both very good at what they were designed for but i think the strykers distribute the weight more evenly,check out the members post with the picture it says it all !!!!! big holder for big heavy rods,they work great,thats why i have them cause of all the years my friends have had them and used tyhem with no problems,they are tought big time !!!

[irishfield]

Anybody say Down Easter's yet?

 

 

and Pursuit or Berts tracks to mount them on if you have a wide enough gunnel.

[Raf]

Good point, but I wonder how much drag an oversize dipsy with a lure behind will create in comparison to alligator bait?

 

Dipsey's do pull quite hard but it's a steady pull whereas the big muskie lures 'pound' (you really have to see it). Like everyone has said, downeasters. I won't trust all that gear to plastic.