Thread: 2 piece / 3 piece Rods For Spider Rigging

Originally Posted by chippo

Most folks seem to be using 14 or 16 but it is not their first rodeo


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You're right ... and just like I mentioned in my previous post, I started with 10'ers and quickly realized that they were too short to fish straight ahead. That's why I went to 14' rods. They're not all that awkward to use, and you get used to them pretty quickly. Using baitcast reels with thumb bars is a plus when it comes to landing fish ... as is a long handled net. And a rubber coated net is a plus when netting a fish caught on a crankbait. But, if you're going to be doing much trolling with cranks & jigs, you might want to consider getting line counter reels for your rods. They'll work fine for Spider Rigging, too.

And don't worry about the 14' rods being able to handle big fish :

Now you got me thinking
Got to do Somme measurements too. My boat is 16'8"


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Originally Posted by chippo

Now you got me thinking
Got to do Somme measurements too. My boat is 16'8"

Yeah, measuring before buying any particular length rod would be prudent, and just as necessary as measuring before mounting the bases for your rod holders.

Here's my 16' ProCraft :



And here's how I ended up mounting my two front rod holders :



And while the red taped spinning outfit on the left is only a 10' rod, and the cork handled rod on the right is only a 6'6" rod ... the picture was taken when I was pushing cranks & jigs (1.5oz weights @ 1.25mph). The other two rods in the picture are the 14' rods, and the shorter rods were placed for maximum separation between lines. If I were "spider rigging" ... the weight would be less, the speed would be less, and the long rods would be pointing forward.

I put the seat on the pedestal & sat in it while I figured out where I would place the bases on the floor of the boat. Being able to raise/lower the trolling motor, without having to totally remove the left holder, was taken into consideration. How far I had to bend forward to grab the rod handles, while still remaining seated, also came into play. The depth finder's position also had to be considered, so as to not obstruct the field of view while the holders were in place. I also had to consider the fact that I normally use a offset seat post, not only for my comfort, but also to be able to swing to the opposite side of the boat in order to level the boat ... due to the weight of the rear angler and the placement of the rod holders in that area. (as seen in this picture)



(Note: the straight pedestal in the previous picture was being used so as to allow a more stable umbrella mount. I am in the process of getting a different mounting system to use with the offset pole)

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Probably mount mine in metal trey beyond front deck the tray is above bow storage area. Also I will have to remove port side rod holder from base to aces trolling motor up and down from bracket. But the seat is close to both set of rod holders. Gonna make it work. So 14 will give me the reach I need


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Originally Posted by chippo

Probably mount mine in metal trey beyond front deck the tray is above bow storage area. Also I will have to remove port side rod holder from base to aces trolling motor up and down from bracket. But the seat is close to both set of rod holders. Gonna make it work. So 14 will give me the reach I need

That may be your best bet. Consider measuring the distance from the back of the holder on the T-bar to the front edge of the trolling motor head, and then deduct that distance from a 12' rod length. That will give you the length of rod out in front of your trolling motor. You might be surprised at how short that 12' rod really is

A couple of things I may have failed to mention : I only have 3 rods that are 14' long - I only have two sets of rod holders (w/4 bases) - I only use both rod holders up front when fishing solo & pushing jigs/cranks ... I don't have more than 4 rods out at any one time (that's plenty for me to deal with )