DIY: Easy DIY Rod Leashes

[YamaHog]

So this weekend I put together some DIY Rod Leashes using a few cheap supplies from Home Depot. I know there are some rod leashes out there you can buy, but most are targeted at larger saltwater fishing setups and connect to large trolling reels. Looking at a few different types that are available for sale, and wanting to use something more robust than a bungee to secure my rods, I came up with the following design that meets the following criteria for use on my 2020 195S.

1. Must be easy to quickly put on and remove
2. Must be easy to quickly disconnect when you have a fish on the hook
3. Quick release clip must not bounce around hitting the wake tower when underway
4. Must be secure, but not damage my rods/reels/grips
5. Must serve it's purpose of keeping rods/reels from bouncing out of the 30 degree rod holders attached to my wake tower while trolling and running down the lake at full speed

Here is what I ended up with and the supplies needed to make these yourself on the cheap. Assuming you have a lighter these will cost less than $15 to make.

1 x package (48 ft) Everbuilt 1/8 in. White Polypropylene Diamond Braid Rope - $5.50
2 x Nite Ize #3 Stainless S-Biners (25 lb rated) - $2.97 ea
1 x Lighter (I used a Butane lighter)

Step 1 - Making the Loops to attach to the fishing rod

- Start by cutting 2 sections of rope about 14" in length
- Now make an 8" circle out of each piece of rope, tying the two ends together with a double overhand knot
- Tighten the knot down good, and hit the frayed rope ends and the surface of the knot with a lighter

Step 2 - Making the Loops to attach to the boat tower

- Start by cutting 2 sections of rope about 24" in length
- Now make a 16" circle out of each piece of rope, tying the two ends together with a double overhand knot
- Tighten the knot down good, and hit the frayed rope ends and the surface of the knot with a lighter
- Now make a loop at one end of each 16" circle of rope and tie a slip knot approximately 4 inches down from the top of the loop. (this can be adjusted later to shorten or lengthen this section of rope)

Step 3 - Installing the new rod leash for use

- Place a fishing rod in one of your rod holders
- Take one of the 8" circles of rope, and wrap it in front of the base of your spinning reel/rod, or just in front of the index finger grip on your baitcasting rod
- Feed the loop now created at one end of the circle of rope back threw the loop at the other end and pull snug
- Now take one of the 16" circles of rope and repeat this same process, but on the wake tower in the open space just below where the Bimini top attaches
- Finally, take a Nite Ize S-biner and use it to connect the 8" & 16" rope circles

If it looks like the S-biner clip is going to bounce around and hit the wake tower while you are underway, simply move the slip knot you tied in the 16" circle of rope to take up some of the slack in that loop.

I have not tried these on the water yet, but I can't wait to test them while trolling! (it's supposed to hit 99 degrees here this week so it may be a bit before I can go fishing)! A little added security for your expensive rods and reels! I'd love to hear any suggestions/improvements/modifications that work for you with this setup. Good luck and tight lines!

 

[YamaHog]

Just coming back to this thread to say that I've been out fishing several times using these, and they have worked great. Very easy to quickly disconnect when a fish hits the lure!