I recently fished with Rob who is a proud Jackson Kayak Coosa owner. Rob, a military guy, quickly transformed his Coosa into a river assault boat – making it the perfect fishing kayak for slaying river fish.
Rob implemented many great ideas, but one of them really caught my eye because I haven’t seen anything like it on a Coosa before – a custom rod mount.
Traditional Flush Mount Rod Holders Weren’t Working
It only took a few trips before Rob realized the traditional flush mount rod holders weren’t going to work for him. He found himself repeatedly hitting the rods that were stored in the rod holders when he was making a cast. Not good. Especially not good with expensive fishing gear because it doesn’t take much force to damage or break a fishing rod.
He thought about laying his rods on the floor of the Coosa in front of him, like many others do, but he didn’t want to store his rods there permanently because they could sometimes get in the way.
He needed another solution, so he built one.
What does his custom rod mount look like?
Using his military ingenuity, he went to his garage where he had some left over PVC pipe laying and went to work. After a few hours, he was left with this great looking mod.
This mount sets his rods farther back, away from his casts, and it keeps his reels well above the water. No more sand and water grinding and binding his reels! A perfect set up, and cheap too! He has to reach a little farther back to get to his rods, but that is no problem in the Coosa since it’s one of the most stable fishing kayaks out there.
Why didn’t he just attach the PVC pipe ‘rocker launchers’ to his milk crate and be done? That’s the way I did it on my kayak!?!?!?!
Well, he could have done it that way. But, had he done it that way his rods would stick straight up and would be susceptible to hitting tree branches, downed trees, or anything else that hangs over or near any creek, river or lake. NOT a good thing!
OK, so what’s different with his mount?
- Rob’s mount holds three rods, just like you may have on your milk crate, but the ‘rocket launchers’ holding his rods also turn down, or rotate backwards. This is not a static rod mount so his rods don’t have to stick straight up!
- Low profile angle – being able to turn his rods down or backwards enables them to slip under the tightest cover without damage. Rob demonstrated his rod mount in action and at one point he had his rods parallel to the water.
- More Versatility – being able to hold his rods at a low angle, or any angle, makes Rob’s mount much more versatile when compared to simply mounting rods on a milk crate that can only hold rods in one position, straight up. Pick your angle, or pick multiple angles with this mount!
It’s a great idea that worked perfectly for him and his kayak fishing style. It’s also another great example at the innovation kayak anglers come up that continues to push kayak fishing forward!
Should YOU build one to use?
I don’t know. It depends on your fishing style.
I prefer to keep things simple and just toss my rods in front of me and go. When I want some order I use the molded in rod stagers on the front hatch of the Coosa to keep my rods ready to go. It’s easy and works for me, but may not work for you.
The flush mount rod holders didn’t work for Rob and tossing his rods in front didn’t work for him either – so he came up with a solution that did.
Get out there and find out what works best for you!
