Ram Mount 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 system that i could easily transfer between any of my fishing kayaks. This is how i done it.....

Making the Ram Mount Kayak Rod Rest

After much head scratching and searching for the right components, i have perfected a Ram Mount Rod Rest. My DIY Ram Mount Rod Rest is constructed from:
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• 1 x Ram Mount 18" Long Extension Pole with 1.5" and 1" Open Socket Ends (RAP-CB-201-18)
• 1 x Ram Mounts 1" Ball Base with 1/4"-20 Threaded Insert (RAM-B-337)
• 1 x Brass Bank Stick Camera Adaptor - 1/4"-20 Male Thread to 3/8" BSF Male Thread
• 1 x Brass Extra Long (1") Nut - 3/8" BSF Thread
• 1 x Maver Ripple Rod Rest - uses 3/8" BSF Male Thread

The Maver Ripple Rod Rest features a standard bank stick thread which is 3/8" BSF thread. This screws into the extra long brass nut with 3/8" BSF thread. To the other side of this the Brass Bank Stick Camera Adaptor screws in - one side has a male 3/8" BSF thread, the other side has a male 1/4"-20tpi thread (standard camera mount thread). This can then be screwed into a Ram Mounts 1" ball mount with 1/4"-20tpi threaded hole. Use a dab of Loctite Thread Locker or Superglue on these threaded joins to stop them from loosening / spinning during use. 

​This rod rest assembly then attaches to the 1" open socket end of the Ram Mounts 18" extension pole. The other end of the pole has a 1.5" open end socket which can be fitted to any 1.5" Ram Ball Mount. This could be a deck mounted ball, such as the 1.5" ball with round base (RAM-202), a track mounted ball such as the 1.5" Quick-Release Track Base (RAM-383), or for Hobie Kayaks a mast-tube mounted ball such as the 1.5" Mast Tube Wedge Mount (RAP-354). 

On the RTM Tempo

I have a 1.5" Ram Ball bolted 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 RTM 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 RTM 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.

Rod Rest on the Hobie Revolution 16 

I have used a Ram Mounts 1.5 inch wedge mount fitted in the sail mast tube on my Revolution 16 to attach my rod rest too. 

Rod Rest on the Hobie Outback

As with the Revolution 16, i have used a ram Mounts 1.5 inch mast tube wedge mount to fit my rod rest to the Outback.

On other kayaks?

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

Cost

The Ram Mount 18 Inch Extension Pole with 1" and 1.5" Open Socket Ends costs around £30
The Ram Mount 1 inch Ball with 1/4"-20 threaded hole costs around £9
The Brass 3/8 BSF to 1/4"-20tpi adaptor (bankstck to camera adaptor) costs around £2.50 (Ebay)
The Brass Extra Long 1 inch nut with 3/8 BSF thread costs around £2.50 (Ebay)
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. Ram Mounts also produce track mounted 1.5 inch ball mounts and 1.5 inch ball mast tube wedge mounts for Hobie Kayaks which can be used to attach the rod rest. 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!

Go Pro Mount

I can also incorporate a Go Pro / Camera mount onto the rod rest. To do this i 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 the clamp is done up tight to prevent slipping! 

Update 2019

The initial design has been tweaked and improved slightly and the post above updated accordingly. The rod rest works really well and many UK kayak anglers are now using this design on their fishing kayaks. It is very rare that i launch without mine. A tried and tested design! I have now used this rod rest on 6 kayaks and i'm sure it will be used on a few more too.