Making Dipsey rod holders?

  • mark-bruzek
    Two Harbors, MN
    Posts: 3867
    #1237826

    Guys, I am looking to put 4 rod holders on my boat for dipseys and a stacker down rigger. I am kinda shell shocked by $70 ea for Big Jon or Berts. Does anyone have a good design for making my own. Pics? Or some for sale?
    This would have been much easier when I had my Ind. Arts job. -Mark

    RandyR
    Posts: 30
    #852067

    Make sure any rod holder for Dipsey’s allow the rod to be horizontal to the water so they dive better. I used Titeloks for awhile but I had to tighten them up a lot.

    Joel Ballweg
    Sauk City, Wisconsin
    Posts: 3295
    #852078

    It shouldn’t be to hard to rig something up using pvc tubing.
    Definitely a lot cheaper!

    Pat Howard
    Sparta Wi
    Posts: 1523
    #852089

    I dont know of any “homemade” But I will say if your trolling salmon they better be strong I doubt pvc will hold up to the bite.

    super_do
    St Michael, MN
    Posts: 1089
    #852098

    Back when we used to fish Lake Michigan, we made our own rod holders out of steel pipe. Because we used the boat for other fishing, we mounted all of the down riggers and rod holders to a 2″ x 8″ board, wide enough to go across the back of the boat. That way we only had to drill 2 holes in the boat to mount everything.

    whittsend
    Posts: 2389
    #852099

    Tite-loks are cheaper than other options but have held up very well for me. I would recommend them.
    — look for sales if possible

    Whatever you do, it needs to be VERY strong to pull a dipsy. There is a lot of torque on a dipsy rod (especially when a 20 lb kings smacks the crap out of a braid or wire dipsy rig) and a few extra bucks now on a solid holder/mount will help prevent losing hundreds later when your rod/reel/line/leader/lure/dipsy/etc breaks off and sink.

    good luck, but be smart about it…. those holder take a lot of abuse and need to be S T R O N G…!!!!

    Mike

    Randy Wieland
    Lebanon. WI
    Posts: 13478
    #852131

    Here is a 1982 pic of my second rig for lake MI. Other than the 2 big jon riggers, all mere made from plates and tail pipe adapters from an auto store. This was the first “removeable” rig I made. I made 1″ thick alluminum pates to be permanate in the boat. I used 1/2″ all thread to make the long bolts needed. I used this rig until 91, when I moved out of Racine. Still hanging up in my barn just incase I everwant to rig another boat for Lake MI.

    Prior to this rig, I had an old Sylvan 14′ with a 25hp. I cut the rear bench seat out and replaced it with (2) 2 x 12’s. I also bolted another (2) 2×12’s to the top of the gunnel directly above. That was before I had down riggers and all I used was Deep-6 and when the dipseys started to show up. Anyways, I bolted 2″ plastic pipe to the bottom and top boards on various angles to get things set up for dipseys, long-lines, and yellow birds

    the_hat
    SE Metro
    Posts: 246
    #852213

    Not sure how you want to mount them, but I have four RAM holders mounted on the rails for Dipsey rods, and they work just fine.

    otherwise, check out down-east brand. but they are more permanent, and ugly!

    whittsend
    Posts: 2389
    #852237

    Just a few photos for kicks..

    I’ll never put my dipsy’s into any other rod holder than my tite-locks…

    Most of my rod holders are totally removable and movable on my Lund Sportrac rail system…. The Tite locks used to be mounted on the (plastic) sportrac bases, but due to the incredible amount os strain, I just mounted those bases permanently onto the gunwhale. Still very much removable, but the bases are permanent… Much stronger connection, though.

    You can see I tend to sometimes use a hodgepodge of various rod holders… but the tite locks get the dipsy rods every time.

    If you are salmon fishing, also check out glangler.com. lots of good info there as well.

    If you are using the smaller sized “walleye” dipsys, you might be able to get away with lesser rod holders… Homemade systems (especially if you can weld pipes to plates) can work really well, too, at potentially lower costs… I’d stay away from pvc for dipsys….

    Mike








    Joel Ballweg
    Sauk City, Wisconsin
    Posts: 3295
    #852298

    Quote:


    I’ll never put my dipsy’s into any other rod holder than my tite-locks…

    I’d stay away from pvc for dipsys….

    Mike


    Mike,

    PVC is far stronger than you give it credit for. Especially if you don’t drill a bunch of holes through a solid pvc pipe, which would compromise its integrity.

    I use Scotty rod holders with six inch extensions for salmon fishing. If they can hold a dipsy rod, I see no reason why a solid pvc pipe would not do the same.
    And other people use all kinds of different brands of rod holders. Not to knock tite locks, but they certainly aren’t the only brand that will work for salmon fishing.
    We’re not talking about hitting them with a hammer after all.

    Having said that, if you can get some aluminum tubing, that would be much sturdier and preferable. Like Mike, I would certainly use the strongest material you can afford.

    whittsend
    Posts: 2389
    #852515

    PVC is probably strong enough in itself, I agree…

    BUT… It all boils down to how you mount it. If you rig some sort of weird base with two or three flimsy screws or some unstable odd-ball base not intended for dipsy-esque torture, I’d watch out.. I just know how much stress we put on our dipsys – #1 size (I believe) usually with the rings on. And when a 20# king smacks a wire rod, there is a lot of shock there.

    Otherwise if you can make some sort of rod holder / downrigger combo base for the stern made from 2″ thick hardwood and sink some short lenths of PVC through the wood, you might have something.

    Yes, Tite-lok is not the only rod holder made, but it is quality enough and is one of the less expensive ones – at least it was when I bought mine…. I see prices have gone up quite a bit in the last few years.

    My 2 cents is that whatever you do, make it STRONG!

    Mike

Viewing 11 posts - 1 through 11 (of 11 total)

You must be logged in to reply to this topic.