3 Ideas On Carrying Fishing Rods With A Tonneau Cover
A tonneau cover allows you to do things you couldn’t do with an open bed – keep the stuff under there safe (at least to some extent) and dry.
But in other ways, it makes things which were a lot easier to do before now harder, and in the case of this blog post, it definitely holds true to fishing rods.
Use crossbars
The best way to hook up fishing rods when you have a bed cover, especially if those rods are longer than the truck’s bed to begin with, is by utilizing a set of crossbars.
The amazing thing about this particular kind of rack is that you don’t have to drill a single hole. The brackets just bolt onto the existing truck’s bed rail, that’s it.
Now I know that the price for such a thing may be too steep when all you want is to carry a couple of fishing poles, but there is really no better solution than this (though I will offer alternatives further down the post).
As far as I’m aware, KB Voodoo is one of the only companies on he market that specializes in racks made for pickups with tonneau covers.
But how do I actually secure the rods there?
If you feel comfortable enough, you can just cinch down the rods on top of the crossbars with some reusable twist ties, clamps; some may even want to use cable ties or whatever.
But to be more careful, especially so if the rods are of a more expensive kind, it’s best to use carriers made for this sort of thing.
And that’s all that is necessary, really. You just place the desired rods between the opened clamps, shut them down, lock and go your merry way!
Now again, this whole crossbar and carrier system will set you off a nice sum of money, but there is really no other, even decently comparable alternative to carrying fishing rods, when you rock a tonneau cover on the pickup truck, that is.
With that said, there are still some ways to haul your rods when you don’t want to splurge on such a system. Read on!
Make a rod pod
A rod pod is just a PVC tube that acts as a storage compartment for all your fishing rods’ needs.
This can be, to some people at least, a great alternative to buying those clamp-style carriers.
The thing, though, I don’t really like about this method is that the rods are just bunched there too close together. Carriers do wonders, because they let you space out the rods by as many inches as you want.
That being said, if you just need to carry a couple of rods at once only, this can be a great idea.
This method of rod storage could also work under the tonneau, but only if the tube is no longer than the truck’s box. Otherwise it will need to extend over the tailgate, which isn’t something you probably want to do, as it defeats the whole purpose of storing your stuff safely back there.
Put them through the back window
I’ve found this genius solution the other day when browsing around the internet.
The thing to keep in mind is that you have to add some form of cushioning between the opening of the window, as that will not only prevent air from getting into the cab, but also protect and secure the rods when you’re driving.