Yesterday my pole bucket fell on the back of my snowmobile on my way in to the reservoir. I ended up driving back 1/2 a mile to pick up my ‘yard sale’ of poles. One of my Berkley reels busted off the base [:(]
I have wanted to get rid of my bucket as a pole holder for a while now so I am looking for suggestions on what others use to transport their poles back and forth from their truck to the ice.
I do have a snowmobile and a snowmobile cover for my Jetsled so PVC pole holders on the back of my sled might not be the best option.
That is a nice case Cabelas is selling. Have you checked DI (or similar places) for a suitcase or possibly even a oversized gym bag of sorts? We have found them to be quite affordable. You can even roll all the rods in a piece of tarp to prevent them tangling up very badly before inserting the roll into the bag. It has worked pretty nicely. While a bag is less protected it does pack nicely where a suitcase won’t.
Having the cover that you have over your sled does mean you’d need to carry them horizontally. We have the rod holders on back of our sleds and we use small bungee cords over and under pattern to better secure them better since we do occasionally have one bounce out when crossing the ice since the rods cannot seat as deeply with the inline reels we are now using. It works. So if your cover is a soft cover maybe the back end would work as your ‘bungee’ if you just went overtop of the rods?
Trial and error and experience. Everyone’s situation/set up/gear is different.
If you are blasting across rough ice and snow with a machine, the rod case is a good idea. But if you are towing it while pulling your sled by hand, you might like to fab something like this. Been using it for years. A good idea to lay the rods down while going through brush or down a hill to the lake.
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I own the Cabela’s case and I love it. It allows me to transport and store my rods and other ice fishing gear. I keep extra line as well as my rod holders in the storage on the outside of the rod storage.
An inexpensive option I have used for years now is a T-ball baseball bat bag that my kids no longer need. Easily holds six poles, two 22 inch measuring boards, ice scoop, rags and on the return trip off the ice the empty Gatorade bottles. Opens wide, protects poles, easy carry handles and lays horizontal. Lots of color choices for bat bags too!
Consider buying rod sleeves for each rod to prevent tangling and then simply house them in a GI canvas duffel bag. The carry strap can be slipped through something before being snapped, thus tying the bag to your sled. That and a bungee should be secure enough for almost any trip in.
Plus, room in the duffel for some extra dry clothes - just in case.
An inexpensive option I have used for years now is a T-ball baseball bat bag that my kids no longer need. Easily holds six poles, two 22 inch measuring boards, ice scoop, rags and on the return trip off the ice the empty Gatorade bottles. Opens wide, protects poles, easy carry handles and lays horizontal. Lots of color choices for bat bags too!
This is a great idea! I’ll cruise to the DI and look for one. I am guessing my son will want to keep his while he is still playing baseball!!
I have the eagle claw. I really like it. I use it with with the rod sleeves and do not get tangled. It is a little bulky, but it doubles as my tackle box. I bought mine at sportsmans.
I really appreciate all the advice you experts give! As I look at other states general forum I see little or no activity so I am extremely grateful for your sage wisdom and advice you guys give out!
I bought the Eagle Claw hard case holds 6 rods with reels. I love it but it does take up a little more space in my sled ,but it keeps my rods from being broken .
