Fitting a Rod Rest and Rod Holders to the Hobie Outback

The new Hobie Outback comes with 4 flush mounted rod holders as standard, but these are not in the best position for use whilst fishing. This blog post outlines how i added a rod rest to the Outback for bait fishing and track-mounted trolling rod holders for lure fishing...

Attaching my Ram Pole Rod Rest to the Hobie Outback

I regularly bait fish at anchor or on the drift, with baits presented on the bottom down-tide. For several years now i have used a rod rest on the front of my kayak to allow me to position my rod tips at a shallow angle to the water. This works well for fishing baits down-tide and with the rods freely resting you can quickly grab them when you get a bite. A rod rest also works well to rest your rods whilst baiting up, tackling up or unhooking fish. 

I use a DIY rod rest 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 Mount Wedge Mount with 1.5" Ball for Hobie Mast Tube (RAP-354)
• 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 Nut - 3/8" BSF Thread x 1"
• 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 then screws into the extra long (1") brass nut with 3/8" BSF thread. To the other side of this the Brass Bank Stick 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. This will attach to the Ram Mounts 1.5" Wedge Mount for the Hobie Mast Tube. ​

The Ram Mount 1.5" Wedge Mount simply pushes into the sail mast tube at the front of the footwell. To secure this in place you tighten a screw on the top of the ball, until the mount is solidly fitted in place and will not move. 

The rod rest can now simply attach to this 1.5" ball. The rod rest can then be angled as desired with adjustment possible at the 1.5" ball at the base of the pole, and also the 1" ball at the top of the pole. The more vertically it is positioned, the higher the rod tips will be held, the more it is angled towards the bow, the lower the rod tips will be. There is just enough space between the 1.5" socket clamp and the bow hatch lid to tighten the clamp.

This now makes the perfect place to rest my rods whilst fishing at anchor or on the drift. The rod butts neatly tuck under the seat to hold the rods in place should i get an aggressive bite.

Thats the bait fishing rod holding solution sorted, now for lure fishing....

Trolling Rod Holders for the Hobie Outback 

A Hobie Mirage Drive kayak has to be the ultimate fishing kayak for lure fishing. You can cruise on the kayak, moving over and around fishy looking marks, all whilst holding a rod and trolling a lure! Sometimes though it is nice to have both hands free, or even troll with two rods. I needed a trolling rod holder solution. There is a huge range of rod holders from the big names in the kayak fishing accessory world including Railblaza, Scotty, Yak Attack and Ram Mounts. 

I settled on two specific rod holders from the Ram Mounts range.....the RAM-ROD JR Rod Holder With Dual Track Base (RAP-434-421) and the RAM-ROD HD Rod Holder With 6in Spline Post And Track Base (RAP-433-421).

I opted for these rod holders as they feature a Dual Track Base. This is a track mounted base mount featuring two T-Bolts. This provides a rod solid fitment to slide tracks, which is needed when holding the weight of a fishing rod. I would be installing these rod holders to the H-Track found down the sides of the Outback cockpit storage areas. 

These rod holders are constructed from a lightweight yet very tough composite material, with stainless steel fixings. The rod holders are adjustable 360 degrees around the track base, and can be tilted at many angles off the body of the rod holder.

RAM-ROD Jr Rod Holder with Dual Track Base

The RAM-ROD Jr is the smaller of the two and is suited for light rod applications, be it trolling with light lure gear or fishing with light bait rods. This will be a perfect rod holder for trolling for bass.

This rod holder works fine with fixed spool and multiplier / baitcaster reels. There is a notch in the rod holder to hold the reel vertically down. In this position the rod can quickly be pulled from the holder.

For additional rod/reel security, the Ram-Rod Jr has a flexible rubber strap at the front of the holder. Simply slide the reel down further into the holder and lock the strap back over to prevent the rod and reel being pulled from the holder. This position also holds the reels higher off the water.

I really like these rod holders and will have one mounted either side of the cockpit when i am trolling for bass with my lure rods. With the rod holders mounted close to the seat, the rod butts stick towards the seat and beneath the legs whilst pedalling yet remain within easy reach.... perfect!

Ram-Rod HD Rod Holder 6in Spline Post and Dual Track Base

The Ram-Rod HD rod holder is the larger of the two rod holders and is designed for heavy-duty applications. This will be useful for heavy lure trolling or for bait fishing with heavier gear for larger fish.

This rod holder features a 6in spline extension to hold larger reels further off the deck. This also allows for a steeper angle to be achieved as the rod butt doesn't reach down to foul the deck. Again there is a notch at the front of the rod holder to hold the reel straight. There is also a flip-up/down gimbal bar which can be used to prevent the rod butt from sliding down further than the base of the rod holder, keeping the rod high up. This works well when the rod holder is at a steep angle.

For additional security the reel can be locked into the rod holder by using the rotating locking collar. 

RAM-ROD Go Pro Mount

You may have noticed by now that there is a moulded-in Go Pro base mounting point on these rod holders. This allows you to mount an action camera to the rod holder itself. I thought it would be pretty cool to get some trolling action shots as a fish hits the lure and slams the rod tip around so got myself the Go Pro mount to attach to these rod holders. Of course the camera doesn't have to be pointing down the rod and can be angled for other shots too.

The part required is a Ram Mount 1" Ball Adapter for Go Pro Bases with Short Arm and Action Camera Adapter (Part No: RAP-B-GOP2-A-GOP1U). The action camera adaptor ball will work with Go Pro Hero, Go Pro Session, Garmin Virb and many other action cameras.

A pretty cool little addition to the set up...

My Outback is now suitably equipped with a rod rest for down-tide bait fishing and drift fishing, and with trolling rod holders for trolling lures and more, as well as a heavy-duty adjustable rod holder for heavy bait fishing and trolling applications. Not all will be fitted to the kayak every session but i have plenty of options to choose from so that i can fish effectively on the water.