Ram Pole Rod Rest for Kayak Fishing

Most kayaks come with rear facing flush mount rod holders and these are great for trolling a lure or storing the rods whilst paddling. Some kayaks come with forward facing flush mount rod holders and these are useful for when fishing at anchor or on the drift, however they position the rods at quite a steep angle. I find this annoying when bait fishing in chop or swell where the sharp angle tends to bounce the weight on the bottom instead of gently dragging it across the bottom. I needed a rod holding solution that positioned the rods at a lower angle. The use of a rod rest has recently become popular so i decided to make a fully adjustable rod rest that i could easily transfer between any of my fishing kayaks. This is how i done it.....

Making the Ram Pole Rod Rest

I already had a 18" Ram Pole with 1" and 1.5" open socket ends that i use to mount my Go Pro to the bow of my Tempo. After a bit of thinking and searching online i found a 1" ball with female 1/4"-20 thread hole. I just needed an adaptor to go from this to the 3/8 BSF (British Standard Fine) thread on a rod rest. I found the closest match on Amazon, a brass adaptor with male 1/4"-20 thread to female 3/8-16 thread. However, it turns out 16-thread is not BSF! 

I purchased a Maver MX Ripple Rod Rest. The brass adaptor did not quite match the 3/8 BSF thread on the rod rest but it went in a good few turns before the threads went out of sync and locked up - not to worry, a good dab of superglue has fixed the adaptor on for good! Likewise the 1" Ram Ball was glued to the adaptor.

This is how it looks.... ​

On the Tempo

I have a 1.5" Ram Ball attached to the bow of my Tempo. The rod rest simply attaches to this and can be positioned at any angle i like. 

It is great! It works well for drift fishing, fishing at anchor and also as a place to rest the rod whilst setting up or dealing with a fish. It is also really handy to rest the rod on whilst you paddle around between marks.

It is also great to rest the rods on when carrying the kayak or transporting it on a trolley. It keeps the rod tips low and within the limits of the kayak so no one gets jousted!

On the Abaco

I have a 1.5" Ram Ball fixed to a homemade slide rail mounting board, that is attached to the slide rails on the Abaco. The rod rest attaches to this and is angled so it will sit on the centreline of the Abaco above the front hatch.

Photo above by www.sophiephotos.com

On the Ocean Duo

I have attached a 1.5" Ram Ball at the front of the footwell in the bow seat on the Ocean Duo. The rod rest attaches to this and sits just above the bow, perfect for the front angler.

On other kayaks?

This Ram Pole Rod Rest can be attached to any kayak providing the kayak has a 1.5" Ram Ball fitted towards the bow.

Cost

The 18" Ram Pole with 1" and 1.5" open socket ends costs around £30
The 1" Ram Ball with female 1/4-20 thread costs around £9
The 3/8"-16 thread female to 1/4-20 thread male brass adaptor costs £5 for a 2 pack
The Maver MX Ripple Rod Rest costs around £11

Total for the rod rest is therefore around £55. You then need a 1.5" Ram Ball for each kayak and these cost around £15 each. It is a pricey rod rest but is not too far off in price from buying 2 or 3 separate deck-mounted rod holders such as those produced by Scotty, Railblaza or Ram. It can easily be transferred between kayaks and can also double up as a Go Pro pole.

I have been using mine for the last 6 months and it is great, I rarely launch without it!

Update - Go Pro Mount

I have now incorporated a Go Pro mount onto the rod rest. To do this is have used a Go Pro handle bar mount and a curved helmet extender. It works well although with the Go Pro and two rods on the rest there is a fair bit of downwards pressure on the ball mount so make sure it is done up tight to prevent slipping!