Fish Fighter Products rod holder extensions
When fishing from a boat, space is ALWAYS at a premium. Organization is critical, and every square inch that can be opened up makes your boat more fishable which in turn makes for a more productive and enjoyable day on the water. A product I recently invested in outfitting my jet boat with are Fish Fighter Products rod holder extensions from Fishfighter Products out of Mountain Home, Idaho.
Fishfighter rod holder extensions in use while striper fishing on the Sacramento River.
What are the benefits of using the Fishfighter Products rod holder extensions?
The reasoning for utilizing a rod holder extension was three fold for me. One, I wanted to open up deck space for salmon and striper fishing by getting those long handled rods further away from the interior of the boat. This means more working room without everyone careening off of rod butts sticking out of the holders.
Second, I wanted to be able to make a wider ‘spread’ with my trolling pattern; rods in the bow get set much wider than rods set at the stern.
Third, with rods on a riser it is easier for everyone to stand up and remove the rod from the holder using Folbe rod holders. The rods closer towards the stern have enough height that they can still be angled at different degrees towards the stern without intruding much, if at all, into the tub of the boat. Find Folbe rod holders here.
Netting a large Sacramento River salmon with the Fishfighter Products rod holder extension in the foreground.
Additional benefits
As a bonus, I have a wider range of vertical rod positioning options (for flat-lining plugs I like rod tips quite low to the water). On my tiller steer outboard jet boat, I also added a 24” straight vertical rod holder extension to clear the height of the outboard. I can now run a center rod right over the big motor which helps fish an even trolling spread without jeopardizing that center rod which would otherwise be prone to damage by trying to run it too close to the outboard.
In the background you can see the 24″ Fishfighter Products rod holder extension.
The rod holder extensions are of superior quality; machined aluminum with a powder coat and machined accents to reduce weight and add to the aesthetics. As though thats not enough, they also come with a very user friendly quick release base. This whole system is pretty brilliant…pull a locking pin out and the entire riser is quickly removable. It slides back in and locks just as quickly. This is a great feature to keep your set up modular. It can also be beneficial when fighting a large fish such as salmon where you will be using an oversize net bag that tends to get hung up on literally everything; just remove the entire extension and rod holder setup for a clear rail to fight your fish. The rod holder extensions and quick release base even come with all of the required mounting hardware. I had everything I needed for the installation at my fingertips and did 5 mounts, extensions, and new Folbe rod holders in about 30 minutes.
The rod holder extensions come in 15 different combinations consisting of different height (vertical) and extension (lateral) lengths. On my jet boat I installed 2 of the 8”X14” for the bow and 2 of the 7”X8” for closer to the stern, and as I mentioned earlier, a 24” vertical extension for the actual stern rod. I’m planning on adding a few more different combinations to make my system even more modular and technique-specific.
Netting a striper on the Sacramento River in between the Fishfighter Products rod holders.
Conclusion
Although I personally fish rivers most of the time, and have my boats rigged for such, I could certainly see the potential for using these rod holder extensions on boats geared for lake fishing, saltwater fishing, or on drift boats as well. Anyone that has to walk around an inboard dogbox for example, would probably benefit from and appreciate getting the rods further out of the tub and leaving you with more room.
Reeling in a huge Sacramento River salmon with the Fishfighter rod holder extension on the rail slider.
Fish Fighter Products also offer a myriad of other high quality fishing and boating accessories to help anglers get organized and maximize efficiency on the water from anchor systems, to fillet tables, and everything in between. You can check them out and order online at fishfighterproducts.com where their customer service and response times have been pretty exceptional. If you have any questions about our personal experience with these products, please contact us here.