You can’t call yourself a real fisherman if you don’t take care of your gear. And if you’re a real, real fisherman, you have a lot of gear to take care of. Keeping your fishing rods and gear clean, organized, and securely stored is essential. Whether you need at-home storage or on-the-go storage solutions, we’ve got some organization ideas to keep your fishing reels shiny, your rods straight, and your lines untangled. Let’s reel ’em in! Here’s what we’ll be going over:
- Benefits of Proper Fishing Rod Storage
- Fishing Rod Storage Ideas
- Fishing Tackle Storage Ideas
- Fishing Gear Storage Tips
Benefits of Proper Fishing Rod Storage
Forget that old fishing pole you had when you were eight. You remember. It’s the one you leaned against the back wall of the garage with your brother’s and dad’s rods, behind the bike you outgrew last year? It’s time to buy a rod that matches who you are now! But these grownup fishing rods can get incredibly pricey, and all the gear you need can eat up your budget. Oh, not to mention it can also mortally tick off your wife—unless she’s into fishing, in which case…you have married well, sir.
Don’t get me wrong, more power to you if you’re buying $20 rods at Walmart—plenty of people do and get along just fine. But if you’re that guy and you stumble on one of those Oyster Bamboo Fly Rods, do yourself a favor and don’t pick it up. You want something right in between; something functional, beautiful, easy to maintain and easy to store. The point is, if you’re serious about fishing, you need to get serious about storage. Be it the $20 rod or the $5,000 rod, taking care of it should be a top priority. Whether you have a fly rod or a saltwater rod, you should be able to store them using any of the ideas in this post.
Speaking of different types of rods, let’s go over some of the most common fishing rods. Once we know what we’re dealing with, it’ll be easier to store them away properly.
Fly Rods – As the name suggests, fly rods are rods primarily used for fly fishing. They’re typically lighter in weight and much thinner than traditional rods. Modern fly rods come in various sizes and shapes and are made of high-quality materials such as fiberglass or graphite.
Conventional Spin Rods – Your standard fishing rod for most all-purpose fishing and target fish species. Lightweight, flexible, and with a spinning reel, it’s a great option for most beginners.
Saltwater Rods – These rods are typically made of corrosion-resistant materials to withstand higher saltwater concentrations. These materials include stainless steel, carbon, or titanium.
Freshwater Rods – You can use these the same way you would saltwater rods; the biggest difference is that they might not last as long because they’re not made with the same corrosion-resistant materials.
Now that we’ve covered some of the basics, here’s a look at why it’s essential to store any rod safely.
You’ll Avoid Breakage
Throwing your fishing rods into the corner of a garage or room leaves them susceptible to bending or breaking. (Only things acceptable to throw into the corner of your garage is that old treadmill and Bowflex.) If you have multiple rods, placing them all together can cause the ones on the bottom to break underneath the others’ weight. Storing them in an upright position with proper spacing can make all the difference when it comes to keeping your rods intact and in perfect working condition.
They’ll Last a Long Time
We already talked about cost. How often do you want to replace a rig that costs hundreds just because you didn’t take care of it? Keeping your fishing rods stored safely will give them a much longer lifespan than just placing them wherever you can fit them.
The Parts Won’t Rust
The guide rings and other components on practically every fishing rod are made of metal and should be thoroughly rinsed and dried before storing away. This will prevent rusting!
They’ll Be Protected From the Elements
They may be outdoor gear, but constant exposure to the sun can be brutal. Imagine that back-of-the-neck sunburn you get every Fourth of July on your rods. Yeah, safe to say it’s best to just keep them tucked away from the sun’s fury. Keeping your fishing rods out of direct sunlight will help them last longer and maintain their sturdiness. Make sure to keep them in a dry, shaded area.
Fishing Rod Storage
Avid fishermen have two storage scenarios to consider: when they’re at home and when they go on fishing trips. Let’s start with a shop or garage storage.
Garage Storage Solutions
You know what they say—there’s plenty of fish in the sea. The same is true for fishing rod storage racks. There’s plenty of ‘em out there. Here are some great commercial and DIY garage options.
- DIY Overhead Rack – Running out of storage for all your different rods? Believe us, we get it. Luckily, this overhead DIY fishing rod holder keeps your rods separate and supported, and it’s pretty simple to put together with just a few things you can find at any hardware store. It’s an inexpensive way to get your rods out of the way and still have plenty of space for shelving and storage. Naturally, you want to make sure an overhead rack doesn’t interfere with the garage door.
- DIY Wall Rack – This genius hack from Familyhandyman uses PVC pipe for fishing pole holders and—wait for it—a pool noodle to make a standing rack. That’s right. This PVC fishing rod holder utilizes a pool noodle.
- Fancy Wood Rack – If you want to dress up your man-cave and have some basic woodworking skills, this wall rack is functional, wall-mounted to maximize space, and even looks good enough to hang proudly inside the house. If you want something decorative and don’t know your way around a workbench, check Etsy for a handmade fishing pole storage solution with a little extra style.
- Commercial Racks – If you’re not into DIY projects or just want quick garage organization solutions, the Rush Creek Creations store on Amazon has a great selection of rod storage options. Their shop includes a wheeled, freestanding cart with fishing rod racks on the sides, fishing tackle storage shelves, vertical or horizontal wall racks, ceiling racks, or round racks.
Fishing Trip Storage
All those options sound nice for when you’re home, but you run into a whole new set of problems when you hit the road. Not only do you need to stay organized, but everything needs to be portable, accessible, and secure. We might be a little biased, but we think the DECKED drawer system is the best solution out there.
DECKED drawers are the perfect storage systems for your fishing trips. Since they fit in the bed of your truck and easily slide all the way out, you can use our organization components to create your own custom storage solutions and compartments. Find ways to store your massive collection of fish paraphernalia: tackle, bait, reels, waders, rigs, jigs—whatever you might need. And if you catch a ton of fish, you’ll still have plenty of room because our drawer system has a 2000lb payload (that’s a lot of tuna fish sandwiches). They’re also fully waterproof, so you can hose out the bed when you get home, and your gear will be safe and dry.
Want another way of transporting your rods? Consider a
vehicle roof rack carrier
specifically made for rods to be kept out of the way. These are a great option unless you already have a kayak up there or if you’re concerned about theft. If that’s the case, you may want to find another solution, like this innovative portable rod storage idea for anglers, the
Rod Caddy by Castek
. It mounts to the wall using brackets, so when you’re ready to roll, you just lift the whole dang thing out and can carry up to four rods. The entire rod organizer assembly is compact enough to fit in one of our drawers, so you don’t have to worry about theft, damage, or stabbing a passenger in the eye with an interior roof rack. A fishing pole rack inside your vehicle just seems like a problem waiting to happen. This sort of caddy would be easy to load several rods onto a bass fishing boat for a day on the water. You can also hold them in place while you’re boating, so they don’t get stepped on.
Fishing Tackle Storage
The DECKED Crossbox is an excellent way to organize your fishing gear. The boxes come equipped with their own compartments and are perfect for keeping your fishing gear. Crossboxes are also waterproof. Your equipment will be protected from saltwater or hose spray. You can confidently hose off the fish scales when you’re done and in just minutes, you’re ready to go.
Crossboxes fit snugly inside the DECKED drawer system, transforming your truck bed into the ultimate storage space for everything you could need regardless of your adventure. The coolest thing about the DECKED system? At the end of your fishing trip, you can take your fishing tackle Crossboxes out and put your tool storage Crossboxes in, changing your fishing truck to a well-organized work truck in seconds. Voilà! Now you’re a fisherman and a magician.
Small specialty containers will also help you keep everything separate inside larger carrying boxes. You’re likely to need:
- Spool boxes
- Lure storage
- Tackle box for hooks, bobbers, and sinkers
- Bag to carry small tackle. Our DECKED D-Bag holds a ton of small containers, it’s practically indestructible, and it’s easy to carry.
Fishing Gear Storage Tips
Here are a few fishing gear storage tips to extend the life of your gear and be ready for the next fishing season.
- To keep the fishing line from pulling on the rod or breaking, loosen the drag before storing your fishing rods.
- If you take your rods apart, use rod sleeves to keep all the parts together.
- Make sure everything is clean and dry before storing or putting away. You don’t want the smell of last season’s catch wafting from your tackle box after it’s aged for a few months. You also don’t want to find all your hooks rusty and unusable.
- Dissemble your reels to clean and oil them before storing for the off-season.
- Repair or replace damaged, corroded, or rusty equipment at the end of the season.
- Fishing knives should be cleaned, sharpened, and coated with oil after every use.
- Keep your fishing rods and gear in one place for easy access and to do some quick rigging before setting out to fish.
- A dedicated fish station workbench to clean fish and equipment is a clever idea if you have a place for it.
- If you’re looking to buy or sell fishing equipment, check out The Hull Truth fishing forum.
- Last but not least: don’t forget to bring a phone charger for those great fly-fishing pics. You know the drill—pics or it didn’t happen.
Whatever storage solution you go with for your fishing rods, make sure you double-down and get some DECKED accessories to cover all your bases. Don’t be some fish out of water without the proper gear out there. Go ahead, take the bait.
