How many rod holders & where

[Big D]

Very new to Walleye fishing and have 3 questions on rod holders.
1.) I have a 21' Crestliner Phantom. How many would you mount on each side and in what location?(I'm looking at flush in the back and rail in the front)
2.) I have a few friends that recommended the new Cabela's Quick Draws. How safe is it to not have a locking ring on the holder?
3.) What is the most versatile holder out there?

Thanks in advance for the input.

[Fin Addict]

1. Minimum would be the maximum # of people you plan to fish in your boat times the legal limit of lines per person on the body of water that allows the most lines that you are likely to fish. In my case 5 fisherman x 3 lines per person on Lake Michigan in WI = 15 holders. I actually have 20. 12 on downriggers and 4 on each side for dipseys and planers.

2. I have only one holder that has a lock ring and have never lost a rod. Unless you plan on running the holders at very low angles I personally feel they hinder getting at the rod quickly and will cost you fish. Never used the quick draw but the look similar to a Tite Lock for ease of rod removal and I love my Tite Locks.

3. Several nice holders out there. As I mentioned before, the tite locks are nice. I have a couple Driftmasters that are very nice (if you are worried about losing rods, these are the ticket, I defy you to lose a rod from one of these). Have an In-A-Snap that fits into the line cleats that is nice if you don't want to drill extra holes. The planer board systems from Big Jon also look nice. Look at charter boats in the harbor for placement and talk to these guys as to where to mount. They do it every day and should have nearly perfect setups. Erie Tournament Troller should have some good suggestions here.

[Big C]

It really depends where you are going to spend your time fishing. I fish in MN and can only use one rod at a time except when fishing border waters. I preferr to have 6 rod holders. 3 per side. 2 up in the bow, 2 in the middle and 2 near the stern.

20 rod holders would be over kill here and I dont think they would even fit on my boat. However, they may be needed if fishing a large charter on the great lakes.

Some of the past In-Fisherman Walleye Guides have articles on boat rigging.

[cisco]

I realize my situation is a bit different since I often target salmon and trout, but I run two holders on the downriggers -- four more on the board to which the downriggers are fixed, and two more starboard, two more port, on the stainless 4 ft handrail I had installed. Mine is only an 18 ft outboard, but I can efficiently run six lines (three for me and my partner in Wis water) while trolling. (On my 21 cuddy I/O I had 16 rod holders and often ran 12 lines). My favorite holders are Setzer, but LokTite has a nice array of holders as well. I've rigged 4 boats for trolling Lake Michigan and loved the challenge -- learned a few things too. Your really best bet is to see what other guys who do your type of fishing have done with their rigs. Good luck.

P.S. I don't think there's any such thing as too many rod holders (plus one net holder).

[Bill]

I am in the same situation looking for info on rod holders. Anybody have any experiences with RamRod 2000 or the Down East Rod Holders? Regards...Bill

[Jim/UT]

I have 9 on my 17 ft boat, it is just barely enough. Two straight back, two on each side in the back of the boat, two on each side in the front of the boat, and one right up on the point. I like the quick draws if you keep the rod tip high, I usually run them straight back when trolling or on all positions if drifting sideways. If you have the rod tip lower, I go with the locking. Stay with one brand so you can go from locking to quick draw interchangeably. Yes, I did Cabelas all the way around, I like them.

[FJH1]

I have 8 on my 18' Lund. Two R-A-M tubes mounted in the splashwell, and six Tempress Fish-On on the gunnels (2 up front and 4 in the back).

Best Regards,

FJH