Tips to buying a Fishing Rod Holder

The most common use of a fishing rod holder is for trolling or drift fishing. It gives you the freedom of being hands free and relief from the stress of holding your fishing pole for long periods of time. Holders also allow you to fish with more than one pole at a time and keep your gear organized and lines and lures from getting tangled.

Rod holders are available in a wide variety of shapes, sizes and styles. Materials used in manufacturing include aluminum, steel, copolymer and polypropylene. If you prefer a metal holder, the aluminum models are the lightest and are equal in strength to the steel. Holders made of resin or “plastic” are more resistant to corrosion and are being made stronger and harder to break. In terms of price you will pay more for metal holders but not necessarily because they are better but that the metal costs more than the resins. When purchasing a resin holder, be sure it is made using fiber reinforced resin. This gives the rod holder extraordinary strength matching those made of metal.

Rod Holder Features:

Most rod holders are simply a tube or cylinder to accommodate the fishing pole handle. But over time many features have been added to the design of rod holders to make them more efficient which include the following:

• Adjustable – able to adjust the rod holder horizontally and vertically allowing you to place your fishing pole in different positions.
• Locking Feature – allows you to lock the pole in place keeping it from accidentally coming out of the holder while fishing. Some anglers also use this feature to set their pole so the tip is pointing down to the water while drift fishing or trolling. Some popular models are the AMO® Drifter Series, Scotty® Power Lock and Cabelas® 360HT.
• Quick Release Feature – this allows for the pole to be removed quick and easy when a fish strikes. There are many varieties of this feature and like the “Wild West” many manufactures are claiming to be the “Fastest” fishing rod holder on the market. If you truly want this feature, try the Rapid Release® Pro Series or Charter Series rod holder. It is the only rod holder available with a true breakaway action for fast pole removal.
  
  More on the Rapid Releas® Rod Holder

In addition, rod holders are made to accommodate spinning or casting reels and some accept both and they vary in length and diameter for different sized handles.

Rod holders have a variety of mounting options. Most require the boat to be drilled and the holder or mounting base to be permanently attached. By using a mounting base, the holder can be removed for easy storage. Clamp-on mounts are also available. This makes the holder portable and more versatile but may not be as strong as a permanent mount.

There are also rod holders designed for shore or ”surf” fishing. These units incorporate a spike for driving into the ground. Many shore mounted holders still offer the same features as the boat mounted holders. Be sure the spike is long and strong enough to place into the ground and allow the holder to function properly.