sturdy adjustable rod holder recommendation

euphoric1

Well-known member
I'm thinking about rigging my Smokercraft boat up for Lake Michigan fishing, going to run 4 rods off each side, one down rigger on each corner, a dipsy and 2 boards to run lead core and copper. I have all the gear from my big boat but.... looking for any recommendations on a good fully adjustable rod holders, sturdy enough to hold wire dipsy rods and boards with 6-8 and 10 color lead core and 150 and 200 foot copper and super copper. Looking to have side to side and up and down adjustability. Looking at "smartmarine 316 stainless" rod holders, any recommendations?
 

mezz

Well-known member
Just curious, how many rods are you legally allowed to have lines in the water with? Here in MI it is 3 per person, at least it was the last time I checked.
 

euphoric1

Well-known member
Just curious, how many rods are you legally allowed to have lines in the water with? Here in MI it is 3 per person, at least it was the last time I checked.
its three per but sometimes down riggers are working, sometimes its dipsys or boards. so the ability to run things other than the down riggers, or running different lengths of lead core or copper also helps, and having fully adjustable holders really help when running multiple rods in line with each other. and deed something sturdy for the big strikes. Plus its nice to keep the back of the boat wide open for landing fish. but you are correct 3 per person, the most I have ever pulled on my big boat was 12 lines at one time, and one word of advice.... if you dont have someone that can drive the boat and someone to run the rail....dont even attempt it. Racoons got into the cabin on my big boat and I have had not had the time to start the task of re doing it and I miss the big pond, my old crew keeps asking when we are going to get back out.
 

euphoric1

Well-known member
my favorite tournament to fish was the 2 man in a boat contest, it would be me and my first mate, we would run all 6 lines, and at times we could have 2-3 or 4 on at one time and anywhere from 2 lbs to 20 plus lbs and only 2 people to steer, catch and land the fish and not always in the calmest of waters, if you were near by us you would swear my first mate and I were worst enemies LOL. But once the 10th fish hit the cooler it was high fives and back to the dock. My first mate was out and reminded me of all the good times spent fishing, and my brother in law keeps bugging me too, so faster to rig the smoker craft than reupholster the big boat
 

skiroule

Well-known member
Wow! That's some intense fishing! A lot of times I have trouble with one line so I can't offer you any advice:). We used to run some lead core on the Big Traverse of Lake of the Woods where you have long runs at fairly consistent depth but we rarely fish that part of the lake anymore so I sold all of our rigs to a friend.
 

whitedust

Well-known member
Wow! That's some intense fishing! A lot of times I have trouble with one line so I can't offer you any advice:). We used to run some lead core on the Big Traverse of Lake of the Woods where you have long runs at fairly consistent depth but we rarely fish that part of the lake anymore so I sold all of our rigs to a friend.

Muti line fishing is all about a good crew and everyone knowing their job. I just started teaching basic boat driving to newbies and it’s been fun to share my knowledge. I was completely surprised how many wives thought they were there to to look pretty in bikinis like a hood ornament. Taught them you have to at least know enough to get hubby back to shore if he gets injured and watch shift in wind or tstorms coming up. Have to throw anchors and pull in anchors while hubby prepares to get underway. They all went from sunbathers to active crew members understanding their responsibilities. It was very cool to see their progress and responsibility acceptance plus they liked it not one fought it. 👍
 

skiroule

Well-known member
Muti line fishing is all about a good crew and everyone knowing their job. I just started teaching basic boat driving to newbies and it’s been fun to share my knowledge. I was completely surprised how many wives thought they were there to to look pretty in bikinis like a hood ornament. Taught them you have to at least know enough to get hubby back to shore if he gets injured and watch shift in wind or tstorms coming up. Have to throw anchors and pull in anchors while hubby prepares to get underway. They all went from sunbathers to active crew members understanding their responsibilities. It was very cool to see their progress and responsibility acceptance plus they liked it not one fought it. 👍
The Walleye charters on the Big Traverse will run up to six downriggers on their Sportcraft’s in late summer but because it’s only a one man operation, that’s a judgment call on the part of the captain. Think they figure out pretty fast if the clients can be helpful or if it will be a real crap show and they need to dial it back to three or four.

Good for you for providing hands-on boating education for people that are new to the sport or that typically aren’t the primary operator. Even if it’s just a couple of people, things go so much better if it’s a team effort. Also, there’s a good chance that the knowledge you provide might save someone’s life someday.

Next to weather, a big issue here is navigation. With thousands of islands, a couple of miles from home everything looks the same. Over time, my wife has gained quite a bit of knowledge of the lake, landmarks to look for, and how to use the chart. She has proven to me that she could find her way home, plus she is familiar with marine radio operation which is usually monitored by people in varous parts of the lake.
 
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