New here, Gary Loomis rod question(s)

[neverenough]

Anyone here have the WCBR783 rod??? What do you think of it???

What is the best way to get a 7'10" rod in a 7' rod locker???? I'm looking at the WTR941C to update my current trolling rod. BTW, I'm not a Walleye fisherperson, I fish for what ever is bitting. I am, however, looking to take my Walleye and Crappie fishing to a new level, and spend more of my time fishing for those species.

[Jimmy Jig]

The way to get a 7'-10" rod in a 7' rod locker is cut 10 inches off.

[neverenough]

>The way to get a 7'-10" rod in a 7' rod locker is cut 10
>inches off.

Well, it was kind of a serious question. The boat I'm buying only has 7' rod lockers and I was wondering if anyone had this problem and found a solution. Maybe laying it diagonally on the bottom, or drilling a hole in the right spot allows the pole to fit. Buying a different boat isn't really an option. I really don't want a wider boat, surely don't want a narrower boat, and a longer boat is more boat than I want/need. BTW, I'm buying an Alumacraft Classic 165CS w/60hp 4 stroke.

[REW]

The really great answer to the storage of your 7'10" rods in a 7' rod locker is to NEVER use your rod locker.

The one thing that any rod locker is good for and that is broken rods.

Rather, get a vertical rod holder that fits into one of the pedestal seat sockets, or if needed add an additional seat socket in a convenient location for the holder. With the cabela's holder, you can hold 8 rods. Generally speaking, that should be enough rods for a morning of fishing. If you need more in the afternoon, you can come in and switch out a couple.

Seriously, I have seen so many rods broken as a result of getting them into, out of, closing the door on the tips; etc - with respect to a rod locker.

Rather, pull out any rod holders that might be in the rod locker and use it for other storage. Storage, like coats, vests, lunch etc.

http://www.cabelas.com/cabelas/en/templates/links/link.jsp?id=0002070013819a&type=product&cmCat=search&returnPage=search-results1.jsp&No=80&Ntt=rod+holder&noImage=0&Ntk=Products&QueryText=rod+holder&Ntx=matchall&N=4887&Nty=1

p.s.
If you need more than 8 rods, you could always install 2 of these holders.

Lots and lots of folks use these holders or other vertical rod holders including myself and are well pleased. The other thing about these or similar vertical rod holders is that they are much more convenient to use than a rod locker.

Another thing that some folks do is to install a pedestal seat type base in a stand, or even in the front deck of a lake home. Then, when moving the rods from the lake home to the boat, they simply pick up the rod holder and all of the rods, move it to and from and drop it into the appropriate base.

I have never been an advocate of storing any thing of value in a boat. i.e. I never leave my rods, tackle, or electronics in my boat overnight. Is it a hassle at times? Yes, but I think that it is well worth it.
One of the big advantages of always taking the stuff from the boat, is that you have the opportunity to go through your stuff in the evening and prep your gear for the next day of fishing if you are on an extended trip. You also have a chance to check for any worn line, bad or different lures, and you have a chance to dry out any gear that might have gotten wet due to waves, wind or other causes. Finally, by taking the gear in each day, it allows you to have the chance to think about the day and what has worked and what has not worked. Then, you can refine your rod, reel, and tackle selection for the next days fishing.

Since, you don't have a huge amount of storage space in your boat, it only makes sense to JUST bring the rods, reels, and other gear that are really needed. Not every thing that you own. That is one of the reasons, why I went to a plastic box, cloth bag type tackle system. As a persons fishing needs change, you can tailor the tackle selection to the expected days fishing. i.e. remove unneeded tackle boxes, and insert needed boxes. Then, store the unneeded plastic tackle boxes in other on shore boxes or locations. I essentially use large rubber maid or equivalent containers to store my unneeded tackle for the day in the trunk or rear of my tow vehicle. No sense in having unneeded tackle get bounced around and or wet and rusty if it is simply going to sit and be unused.

I think you have a great rig. Just use your space wisely, don't overload it with unnecessary gear and enjoy.

Take care
REW


p.s.
Remember, depending on the state and local regulations - you may be limited to a single hook, a single rod, and a single reel at a time.

So, if you get right down to it - you really don't need any rod storage, because the rod will be in your hand. You really don't need any tackle boxes, because you will have put a hook on the end of the line on shore and you should be able to use it all day.
Now, lets see how many of us can live by this simple adage.

p.p.s.
It is interesting in the fact that there are a group of us who have been fishing the same lake for many years at the same time each year and we targe the same type fish each year. As a result, we have all pretty much refined our presentations to 2-5 really effective presentations. We have also found about 2-5 colors which work very very well. As a result of that experience, most of us have reduced our on board rod selection to two rods and have reduced our tackle to a small double sided plano box. Generally speaking, we find that in reality, we probably could reduce our tackle requirements to a bandaid box which would fit in the pocket of our shirt.

i.e. the spring trip is a jig bite, and the type of bottom is such that we seldom lose jigs. Thus, we find that we fish a long time with good success with a very small selection of jigs, and a couple of lindy rig weights and 2 or 3 hooks.

That is one of the wonderful things about this hobby. We all have a myriad of options to use to persue the hobby.

When you load things in your boat, ask yourself the question.
Have I ever used this item that I am loading in my boat before?
Do I have an 80% chance that I will have a need for this item in my boat before the end of the day?
Is this item needed for an emergency or personal safety issue?

If you answer no to the afore mentioned questions, you probably shouldn't put the item in the boat. This may be a hook, a rod, a reel, a spool of line, a extra gizmo or whatever. Remember, any extra items or weight will slow the performance of the boat, will fill up valuable storage space, will get underfoot if not needed and in general does nothing to help you enjoy the day.

Think light, travel light, fish light, and catch lots of fish.

Take care
REW

[neverenough]

>The really great answer to the storage of your 7'10" rods in
>a 7' rod locker is to NEVER use your rod locker.

Wow, my head hurts from reading all that :) Thanks for the info.

I am buying the boat in order to upgrade to a boat I don't have to deal with loading and unloading all the time. It's gotten to be a real PITA to load all the gear at the landing everytime I go out. I realize there is rod damage risk when using the rod locker, but I was intending to only use it for transporting (security at the stops along the way). The rod holder for the seat base is an interesting concept. Having everything stowed away in the boat minus the rods and tackle box, yes one, might be manageable. Right now I have a basic boat. No livewell, no bait container in a livewell, no storage, ect... so I have to load rods, tackle box, basket for pan fish, floatation jackets, coats if needed, cooler, bait containers, ect... all at the landing.

The other half has 2 rods, one for pan fish, and one for walleye. She doesn't fish very many species. I have 4 rods at all times. One pan fish, 2 for jigging, spinners, crankbaits, ect... with 2 spools of different line for each, and a trolling rod. I alway's take all four becouse the conditions and traffic might require a change in plans. I fish for what ever might be biting, where ever it might be biting. It's a full day, or night, when I go fishing. My time on the water is limited, so I make the most of the time I do have. I work full time and farm, so the warmer months are busy for me.

[Burr]

With a 7 foot rod locker, shorter rods, telescoping rods, and two piece rods can fit in the rod locker. Longer one piece, for me go on the deck, during fishing and transport. However, they do come in at night, and if I stop to get a bite to eat on the trip, I sit where I can see the parking lot.

As for the verticle rod holders - I use em, just don't forget before going under bridges :banghead: :banghead: :banghead:

If you know what I mean....

[REW]

Burr,
You have it right on the longer rod and deck storage.
As a matter of fact - due to the different tow vehicle that I now use, I went to a flat deck top storage for my rods during over the road transport. I used to carry my rods in my tow vehicle all of the time, and with one vehicle, that is no longer possible.

This is the one that I use for over the road transport:

http://www.basspro.com/servlet/catalog.TextId?hvarTextId=16002&hvarTarget=search&cmCat=SearchResults

The nice thing about the retractable belt, is that it is a nice clean installation and is out of sight when not being used. The belt simply fits into a hole in the gunnel, and then pulls out to come to the side of the deck and is hooked to the attachment point. It works well to keep the rods from banging around.

Take care
REW

[Questor2]

You'll always have some limitations around locker size. If it's not 7'10" for that rod, then maybe it'll be 9' for a fly rod. The option I use is to set aside a space in the boat to store it outside the locker, then take it in the house with you after fishing.

Another possibility is to see if the locker can be extended without damaging the boat. For example, you may be able to use a keyhole saw to cut a hole in the end of the locker so that you can epoxy a piece of capped PVC pipe to extend the locker. The boat manufacturer would be able to tell you whether you'd be destroying something. A more elaborate boat carpentry job may be possible too if it's important enough to you. Chances are that there's some space available for a slight extension.

A third option is to use 2 piece rods. Or to just forget that particular rod and go with a 7 footer.

[doubleheader]

I have a 7' rod locker plus vertical rod storage. You don't want to be looking for the back-up prerigged rod/reel combo in the rod locker on a hot bite. Other than my fly rods, most everything else beyond 7' either 2 pc. or telescopic. I've never had a problem with damage storing rods and reels in my rod locker.