I have been using a rod rest on my fishing kayaks for the last few years. It is a really useful piece of kit, and perfect for keeping rod tips at a low level when bottom fishing on the drift or at anchor. It makes for a handy place to rest a rod whilst tackling, baiting up and unhooking fish too. I would now struggle without one on any of my fishing kayaks so here is how i fitted my DIY rod rest to the Hobie Revolution 16.... |
Rod Storage on the Revolution 16
The DIY rod rest is made using Ram Mount components (more detail further in this post). This allows for almost infinite adjustability in the positioning of the rod rest. The rod rest is best mounted somewhere just past the footwell on the bow where it can be positioned at a lower angle. I find that this is perfect for drifting bottom baits and for bottom fishing at anchor, especially in choppy conditions where a more angled rod holder would cause the bait to be bounced more on and off the bottom. The rod holder is constructed in such a way that it can be fitted to any kayak providing there is a 1.5" RAM Ball on the kayak for it too attach too. This made fitting it to the Hobie Revolution 16 very easy. Here is how i done it....
Fishing Kayak Rod Rest Components
- 1 x Maver MX Ripple Rest
- 1 x RAM 1" Ball with 1/4"-20TPI Threaded Hole (RAM-B-337)
- 1 x Brass 3/8" Female Thread to 1/4"-20tpi Male Thread Adaptor
- 1 RAM 18" Long Extension Pole with 1" and 1.5" Open Socket Ends (RAM-CB-20-18)
- 1 x RAM 1.5" Wedge Mount for Hobie Kayaks (RAP-354)
Fitting a Rod Rest to the Revo 16
The 1/4"-20 male thread then screws into the RAM 1" ball with 1/4"-20 female threaded hole - again a dab of superglue makes for a solid fix. The rod rest can then be fitted into the 1" open socket end of the Ram Pole and positioned at the desired angle. The rod rest is complete!