I keep the angle of the rods low to the water so I don’t snag them when I’m casting. For trips like this I swap out the RAM tubes behind my seat with RAM fly rod holders. In the summer if I’m floating the Potomac River I usually fly fish for its smallmouth bass. One weekend I might be bass fishing on a slow moving river, the next I might be jigging bridge pilings for stripers. During a fishing season in Maryland I can fish a variety of waters and configuring the rod holders specifically for the type of fishing I’m doing helps me make the most of each trip. Once the base is mounted to the boat it’s a simple matter of changing the rod holder itself. Some nice things about RAM and Scotty mount accessories are that they’re relatively cheap and by design they’re very easy to swap out. This setup is good for trips when I bring 2 spinning rods and a fly rod, like in the spring on the Susquehanna Flats or in the fall when fishing the shallow water around Jane’s Island, but it isn’t perfect for every outing. On my Native Ultimate 12 I initially rigged 2 RAM tubes behind the seat with a Scotty fly rod holder up front on the right side. I think that once you rig your kayak up it’s easy to leave it the way it is.
Native Ultimate 12 rigged for a day on the Susquehanna Flats
