Thread: new boat help

you might go to bing.com and go to images and search boat set ups or other titles and find pictures. I have seen some great stuff posted on the main board here from time to time. I did see once where someone mounted holders to like a 2x4 that they could remove from the boat at any time. Seen so much here I cant remember it all, but I am sure others will help you. Did you post this on the main board as well?

huls...... sounds like you and i go after the same fish. except for bass ha! as for rod holders for cats.. i have monster rod holders, i think i may have gotten driftmasters if i had to do it over again. there's just more choices. i have about 6 across the port side of the boat because there's always 3 of us when we hunt for big cats. we will put out two anchors and fish out of the side of the boat, but that's in a very gentle river current around decatur. would never do that around the dams of course. i just ordered some more bases for the other side of the boat and for a removable bar i'll build across the back of the boat to fish out of the back in a heavier current. i'll use the rear most bases as the attatchment points for the bar...that make sense? as for crappie. i got HI-TEK rod holders from callshy......soooooo nice!!! they are awesome! super guy to deal with as well! he sells a super sweet set up for a whole removable holder group, but i'm cheap so i took a 3/4" galv pipe flange screwed in to the corners of the bow of my boat. and fixed up a "T" with 3/4" black pipe. welded the pipe onto a threaded nipple and i can screw em and unscrew em as i need em when i'm long lining or floating in the tailrace below the dams. i like the little flanges cause i can step on them of i get that close and not hang my foot on them or feel like i'm stepping on something i shouldnt be. now........ remember them rear most bases? i took some 1/2" all thread, welded it to about 2ft of that same pipe and and threw the hi-teks on it and screw it into the rear bases so that who ever is sittin in the back can fish out of the back longlining. i'll throw some more pics here in a bit. here's my boat set up. it's a seaark with the side seating in the back so i can have the the whole boat open for haulin in big cats!!!!!!!!!!! hahah this pic was before i put the rod holders in the bow. hope this helps!!

There are several "boat / rod holder set up" threads here and on catfish1.com as well. Do a search on both forums; you will get a lot of good ideas.
I would also highly recommend Hi-tech rod holders. they are very versatile in how they can be set up and are very solid. We push and pull crappie rods and both drift and anchor fish cats & live bait stripers with them and have never had an issue. With the totally adjustable angles & spread and different height risers we can set low post minus 10 degree ( slow push Crappie in high winds ) to high post plus sixty degree slack water light bite rod angles. The bases are unobtrusive yet very solid. I have ten bases set on my boat. I know taking a drill to a new boat is traumatic; but afer the first couple go on, your eyes open to the opportunities.

heres my set up. cant say enough about the hi-techs! the first one is one of my bow set ups. the second is the rear set up. when someone's sitting between the pods they can run six rods out the back.

Front fishing rod holders.




Transport Rod Holders.

now that's a gooooooooood lookin set up!!

Thanks, Just got setup to pull some cranks this summer. I can pull 4 off each side of the front and 2 off the back, don't know that I can handle 10 at one time :p, but we'll see

Thanks everyone, got some really good ideas so it is time to get to work, just want to get it right the first time