Worrying about my fly rod takes away from my enjoyment while sight-fishing for reds in my shallow-water skiff. I lashed a nine-foot section of 1 1/2″ diameter, thin-walled PVC along one gunwale of my skiff (tied to a seat with 1/4″ line, just temporarily). I attached a pad of hook-and-loop fastener to the top side of the tube at the stern end. I slide my fly rod into the tube (any rod worth its salt can handle the slight bend caused by the gunwale) and run a strap equipped with the other half of the hook-and-loop connector under the butt and attach it to the tube. My rod is protected from clumsy feet and it’s ready to go when the redfish reveal themselves.
Joel Arrington, Oriental, North Carolina
