Most of the time I’m sitting in the wheelhouse, I’ve got a jiggin rod in hand, watching the Vex for the tell-tale blips and stripes.  The most exciting catch of my hard-water season so far was a 27″ eye on the rod.  One problem I’ve had with jiggin is what to do with the rod when I need to take a break, crack open a refreshment, etc.  My Vex Pro Pack has a built-in rod holder but it’s leaves much to be desired.  The rod stays put in there but is pretty much sticking straight up in the air.  In that position, there’s no easy way to suspend a jig off the bottom without tension.  And we all know those elusive walleye do NOT like to feel a damn thing on the other end of the line.

I began my search for a rod holder that would allow me to easily set my rod down, yet still maintain the “dead-stick” feel that I prefer when fishing walleye.  I found the popular wire holders that you can set on the floor or attach to a bucket.  Same problem there though, the rod is held solidly and the only play you’re gonna get is from the tip of your rod.  If a fish does hit, the rod is in an awkward position to properly set the hook.  Between lifting the rod up and out of the holder and setting the hook, you risk losing the fish.  I was about to give up and head to the garage to start rigging up some contraption but then stumbled upon the Lewandoski Rod Holders on fishhousesupply.com.

I started an email thread with Ron at fishhousesupply, offering to throw a banner up on MNFishing as we like to send traffic to local businesses (they’re in Buffalo, MN).  I also mentioned that I was interested in the rod holders on the site, he asked how many I’d like and within 2 days I had 4 of them sitting on my doorstep.

I was immediately surprised by the heavy gauge rod that is used to make these holders.  They are very easy to install, two screws fasten the bracket to the wall of your wheelhouse, a bucket or wherever else you can think of.  The holder itself just slides into the bracket followed by a rubber grommet that holds everything in place.  A “D-ring” is easily attached to your favorite rod at it’s balancing point with a Velcro strap.  Hang the D-ring on the hook and that’s it, you’re ready to fish.

As you can see, the rod is balanced on the holder and is in the perfect position to quickly set the hook or open the bail and let ‘er run.

If you’re in the market for some rod holders, you’ll definitely find the Lewandoski holders to be your new must-have accessory for any type of hard-water fishing.
They’re very reasonably priced, only $8.95 a piece (quantity discount at 4 holders).

To see more details just visit their site here:  http://www.rattlereels.com/rodholder.htm. 

Or to order straight-away, head over to http://www.fishhousesupply.com/houseaccessories.htm (scroll about half-way down the page).