Who likes drilling holes into a brand new boat? Upgraded from my 16’ war eagle to a 25’ tidewater and starting to rig it up for catfish and crappie. Only thing I have left is a ton of rod holders and power poles. Haven’t been on here in a long time so just wanted to say hey to all my fellow fisherman. I’m in Lewisville and fish mainly Lewisville lake and grapevine lake. Come say hey if you see me on the lake in a 25’ blue tidewater center console.
What’s everyone using for rod holders these days? Are monster rod holders still the best out there? Also, I’ve come to realize I need to get all my reels cleaned up and replace all my old rods and they have a lot of miles on them. I’m welcoming all suggestions!

Congrats on the new boat! I also fish Lewisville for catfish in my 14' Aluminum V (which stands out because the gunnels and rub rails are red painted wood). I'll say hi if I ever see ya.

I have a couple of Driftmaster Pro rod holders mounted near the stern on my boat. I really like them. They are sturdy and hold the rod securely though they don't allow me to tilt the rod up or down. This isn't a problem for me though.

Hi Chicken Fry,

Congrats on the new boat!

Rod holders are very personal, but a lot of good gear around these days. I almost exclusively fish for big cat's, and on my old boat fitted the Monster rod holders and loved them. Around 18 months ago I too upgraded to a bigger boat and was persuaded to fit the newer fancy Smack downs.


The Smackdowns are great and very versatile, as you can place more than one rod in each rod rest. Honest truth though, I prefer the Monster ones as they hold my cork handled rods much better. I'm not going to replace the Smackdowns I have now, but would definitely go the Monster route next time. Again it's all personal preference.

https://monsterrodholders.com
https://smackdowncatfishing.com/

The one thing I had on my old my and now have on my new boat are the Multi-Bar rod racks. These are fantastic and rock solid, but they aint cheap.

https://www.multbar.com

This is a picture of my set up below:



Enjoy the new boat and good luck catching those fish.

Can’t Chime In Here Because I Don’t Have A Boat But It Is Good To See You Posting Again. If You Ever Need An Bait Cutter I Am Always Available - 817 -797 - 1097

I do like that the monster rod holders are wider and can manage a fatter rod handle. I am getting the multbar racks just can’t decide on all these different color options. With the new boat it’s difficult to put fasteners because there’s no underneath access.

K.G thanks man, I’m back in full force again with cat fever.

Blast from the past! I wondered where you went off to. Post up some boat pics. For multi rod holders, I went with Raptor Racks. I had to keep myself on a budget as well.

Hey chiknfrie,

You finally got back from up north. How was the fishing up there? I just got a new Tracker 12 footer. Story is on the September Catfish Calendar. I got a new offbrand motor (Yadad 3.5 HP) coming from Amazon, as both my sister's & my cousin's motors are down since May 2023. I gave my AlumaCraft 12 footer to my daughter & son-in law on the 18th, as I p/u the Tracker from Waco on the 17th. I plan to have a detachable pontoon outrigger to safely raise "The Giant" to keep him from rolling me & the boat over. I even wonder if he could do it with the 14 foot MonArk. "The Giant" lives in the No Wake Zone just out of Running Branch, so I don't need a big motor. My son-in-law & his step brother already went half & half, on this same model I just ordered, last year for their motor. I decided to get the same so if one had a problem, we can exchange info or s

They liked my PVC pipe set up in the front, and the console, but the plywood console (the heat of 2023 cooked it) has lived its life so they will make another to put in dipnets & gaff hooks. They also plan to use them to store rods in.

I encountered "The Giant" last on May 5th, 2018 in the AlumaCraft. When I realized I was over it, I looked around & realized I was in his path. I was unprepared to ,match his granny gear run, So I figured to get the upper hand, I was going to have to yank up as hard as I could, hoping the hook would stay in him, and somehow pull him in, in order to drop in the boat, so he would not roll me over. And I yanked. & he dove. Snapped the size 36 like butter. He kept the hook, which I think was a 9/0 Mustad SS short J Triple strength stump hook. I no have size 96 & 75 trotline & leader lines. He did not snap my 6/0 SS Crane swivel. I've never had one snap my size 36 cord. But for some reason, it was not solid braid, but with a core. Not sure where I got that, as I only stick with diamond braid or 3 strand twist. Oh well, I did not get caught in a roll with him.

Hey buddy. Not sure if you remember me from way back. I just got back on here recently also.

Of course man, how you been doing? It’s been some years for sure!

Another vote for multbar rod racks. Absolutely love mine!

Just got delivered the other day, waiting on a day off work to mount them up with some smack down rod holders.

New boat and new equipment. Life is good!!