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Does anyone have any experience with Down East Rod Holders? I was on a boat over the weekend who had one on each side and he loved them. But he's a walleye guy. Still they looked like they might be a good diver rod holder. I looked them up at Cabelas and their write up says light to medium and up to 30 pound line. the one's on my friend's boat weren't attached with that C-Clamp. the clamp was gone and actually, Trax Tech makes a mount specifically to replace the clamp. I'm sure some other, more secure attachment wouldn't be hard to come by.

For those trying to imagine how it works, the top and bottom parts come together with a cone shaped fitting. When you lift the holder splits in two to release the rod. When you lower it, the holder/tube comes together. On his boat and with his rods, the holder actually clamps around the reel seat to prevent the rod from sliding in or out.

You know how diver rods are sometimes really hard to remove when a fish is on them? This looks like it would solve that problem perfectly. Any one tried them, love them, tossed them in the junk pile?

I’ve never used one but these are popular with the Musky trollers. Musky guys troll huge baits fast so I would think it would be comparable to our divers at 3 mph. YouTube search Lake St. Clair Musky trolling and you’ll find a video of some in action.

I used them many years ago on my first boat - a 14 ft Sea Nymph with a paper graph and 2 downriggers. They work very well, but the butt end of the rod protrudes into the boat. They are very secure but it is still difficult to remove the rod when under pressure from a fish. It also changes the stress point on the rod to the front of the reel seat where it is clamped.

I used the bolt on models on my old boat - 1983 alumacraft lunker 16. I bolted them through the side gunnels and used a 2x4 for support on the inside- this also gave me separation from the gunnel. They are very secure when locked down. Trolled mostly for salmon, and they did work well with dipsey sets. Very durable holders. I'm sure the track system mounts would be a good way to go with them.