I have a Tracker PT 170TX that i have only bass and sand bass fished out of. This winter i want to set out some jug lines and do some drift fishing for some catfish. I found these clamp on rod holders on Academy's website but was interested in knowing whether they are decent or not. http://www.academy.com/shop/pdp/marine-raider-boat-rod-holder#repChildCatid=246752

I don't really want to drill holes in the rail or the deck. If you have had experience with the rod holders in the website above let me know how they worked or if you used some other rod holder set up that did not require drilling and have pics of it then i would like to see them.

I just really dont want to make permanent changes to make this a catfishing boat because i will be back on the bass this next spring and summer.

Those may not hold up to a big blue . If you are wanting to target trophy fish you may look into some pedestal mount bar from Driftmaster that fit your pedestal seat mount .
I would hate to trust a 200.00 rod and reel to a three dollar rod holder.

Those are gonna fold up like a lawn chair if you hang anything over 25lbs. Most good rod holders like bee-ready, driftmaster, and monster are removable from the base. They make all sorts of bases for driftmasters that look clean when the rod holders are removed. If you decide to go with driftmaster make sure you get the 1/2� steel. The little one will bend if you hang one over 40lbs. If you get lucky enough to hang a monster you will probably be doing a lot less bass fishing in the future unless your looking for bait! lol!

i don't have anything that expensive yet but don't want to lose a $40-$80 combo either lol. I was just trying to keep from losing my pedestal seat spot because my dad will be with me and we use pedestal seats to fish from.

Check out http://www.extremefishingconcepts.com/

I am not familiar with your boat but I have 4 of the extreme base boat bases fully rigged that I might considering parting with. I sold my bass boat. They worked well

These don't look like they would hold up to a big perch

Hahaha well hopefully that happens to me and maybe i will catfish more than bass fish lol. I just looked and see the flush mount bases and the star shaped bases from driftmaster. I guess i would be ok with those, being mounted on my deck. I just don't know how i want my set up and don't want to install bases in a spots and realize that they need to be put in other spots. I was thinking of trying a clamp on style for drifting and that way i could side drift and control boat position with TM. I was going to attach 4-6 of them across non-driver side of boat and drift sideways. Anyone used something like the "universal clamp base" from driftmaster with the hole in the top to screw in a 1/2" rod holder? Looks like it would clamp on the lip of my boat.

Stratos,
I just looked at the website and those only work on cleats in a recessed 45 degree position. Mine are sitting on top of the rail at a 90 degrees to the deck. thanks for the offer man.

http://texasfishingforum.com/forums/ubbthreads.php/topics/12462694/FishBite_Rod_Holders#Post12462694

http://fishbiterodholders.com

You could do one of their rail/bar mount systems - take it off and you just have 3 bases that stay on the gunnel.

Start looking to trade your boat in or customizing it for catfish. Once you wrestle with a good sized cat, you'll give up water golf.

[/quote] Hahaha well hopefully that happens to me and maybe i will catfish more than bass fish lol. I just looked and see the flush mount bases and the star shaped bases from driftmaster. I guess i would be ok with those, being mounted on my deck. I just don't know how i want my set up and don't want to install bases in a spots and realize that they need to be put in other spots. I was thinking of trying a clamp on style for drifting and that way i could side drift and control boat position with TM. I was going to attach 4-6 of them across non-driver side of boat and drift sideways. Anyone used something like the "universal clamp base" from driftmaster with the hole in the top to screw in a 1/2" rod holder? Looks like it would clamp on the lip of my boat.[/quote]

Those clamps will work fine for a part timer but if you get the fever your gonna want clean mounts. Space your rod holders for a good spread and get you a couple of drift socks and your off and running..your ditch pickle net will snap like a twig on a big cat so leave that thing at home!

or Bee Ready T Bar setups.....

Does your boat have the versa track? If so, then something like this will work.
http://www.extrememax.com/product-p/3004.3093.htm
We use this style and have have caught big cats on them. https://www.ebay.com/itm/4-Pack-45-Base-Lund-Sport-Trak-OEM-Marine-Fishing-Boat-Pole-Holder-Mount-System-/222544159106?hash=item33d0aa6182:g:AiQAAOSwpONZP0o0&vxp=mtr
And paired them with these, but you can mount what ever rod holders you like. We just needed the flexibility to change things up depending on what species we fished for that day.
http://www.cabelas.com/product/Cabelas-HT-Rod-Holder/1586568.uts?slotId=1

Thats what a guy at work tells me but i have never heard bass fishing referred to as water golf lol.