one-piece rods

[WAeyes]

I have a full size GMC Sierra truck with a short bed and canopy. I'm looking for the perfect way to carry a few 6 1/2ft. to 7 ft. one-piece rods with reels attached without worrying about breaking anything. With the length of the rods they have to lay sideways to fit. I presently lay them on top of something soft like an unrolled sleeping bag. I need something idiot proof maybe mounted on the inside roof at an angle. I have seen a couple items in Bass Pro Catalog but I wanted to hear from someone who's actually found something that works in real life and not just in a picture. Thanks in advance.

[REW]

Nearly any of the rod holders that are designed to be mounted on the "ceiling" of something will work fine.

Some of these are angled material - with holes for the butt and tip, some are an arragnement of straps.

However, I think that you will find the best luck with the angled material - with holes in them.

For the ceiling of my RV, I made my own.
I used 1/16" aluminum and bent an angle that was about 2 inches on a side.

I punched holes on one endge of the angle of about 1 1/2 inches in diameter. I then lined the holes with a rubber grommet. For the tip section - I cut a gap of about 3/8" in the upper section of the ring -- so that I could insert the butt of the rod in one holder, and simply rotate the tip of the rod - through the open slot for the tip section, and then simply let if fall gently to the bottom of the rubber lined ring. To keep the rods from bouncing -- I simply use a section of foam that is about 2 x 2" and pulled between the ceiling of the camper and the rod. This effectively keeps all the rods in place and minimized rod bounce and the ensuing wear on the blank.

I just made up a similar set for a neighbor, who had exactly the same problem. Because he didn't want to drill holes in his topper -- we used a longer piece of aluminum so that the aluminum would span the entire width of the topoper. We then simply clamped the aluminum in place on the sides, with the rod holder holes integreated into the middle section of the aluminum angle.

Take care

REW

[REW]

Another thing to consider that is very inexpensive and works very will for bullet proof rod storage is a section of 4 inch pvc sewer pipe. You can obtain a 10 foot length of this pipe at your home supply store for about $3.50. Purchase a cap for each end, and you have a bullet proof method of keeping your fine rods, in an unbroken state. The downside, is that you have to derig your rods and reels before storing. For a longer trip - it is worth the hassle in order to get better packing density, and the guarentee of an unbroken rod. You can pack between 12-20 rods in a 4 inch pvc pipe. Just take about 1/2 of the rods, and lay them in one way, and the other 1/2 of rods and lay them in the other way. That way the larger handles and first spinning rod guides will mesh with the tips and smaller tip guides of the opposite layed rods.

I take a few wraps of package sealing tape around the tip of the pipe to make a force fit for one of the caps - that you want to remove. I use PVS cement to securely glue on the other cap. A 2nd method, is to glue on a clean out plug and screw in cap. You will often find these large pipes mounted on roof racks for certain types of plumbers, electricains and other trades people that need to carry long skinny objects securely.
Simply unscrew the cap - insert rods - screw the cap back on.

Take care
REW