What kayak crate do you run?

[flyfisher]

I use a standard milk crate with nothing mounted on it.  I cannot stand rod holders mounted to a crate and I could never see the need to buy a "fishing" crate.  The features they touted always seemed to be solving for a problem that didn't really exist.  

[TcRoc]

3 hours ago, TNBankFishing said:

I really like this product. I ran a milk crate for a couple years and the tuff krate (when on sale) is worth every penny. Add some bungies to the top lid and tray and it never flops open. Plus it’s not heavy, and fits what I need. I’ve stuck some Gruv launchpads on top of mine as well which make swapping my most used lures easy and fast. 
 

I think kayak fishing has an issue with over priced junk. On the whole though there are good products if you know where to find them. 

Yup .. mine pictured above added shelf liner to each compartment as well as small piece on top.. also shelf liner to both compartment rims.. nice and quiet when u close  .. added the bungee as well and different rod holders .. keeps them a lil farther away .. lids don’t knock them when you open ..2 pieces of paracord so both lids only open so far,, was  60 bucks,  used a gift card so got it for 10 bucks shipped on Amazon ?

[CountryboyinDC]

A lot of neat homemade crates on here, which are my preference.  Reminds me of how things were 10-15 years ago.  I think @schplurg has the tidiest.  When you go to the trouble of making a fixture to notch your rod holders, you're concerned about the details.  I don't know about the wine bottle for the flare on the rod holders - I'm sticking with Modelo bottles.  I always forget where I kept the ones I used last time, so I have to go get another 6 pack.

 

By comparison, mine's nowhere near as clean, but it does exactly what I want it to do and is easily carried.  It's made from a cube storage component, but if anyone's interested in cut list, parts source, etc., happy to share.

 

 

 

[HookInMouth]

Ran a homemade crate for a season and then just started bringing a tackle bag with me. 

[the reel ess]

A free milk crate with 6 PVC rod holders zip tied in.

 

Something I've learned over the years is the black PVC and black zip ties have more UV and weather resistance. This has been independently verified by zip tie aficionado Dave Frieburger of Roadkill fame.

[Bluebasser86]

On 1/29/2022 at 7:57 PM, Maxbasstn said:

After looking around a ton,  I found a cool setup on YouTube. $45   It’s a Hart brand toolbox from Walmart. It will fit a trolling motor battery, lunchbox, tools, jackets, etc.  love mine. 

 

I use this same toolbox. Fits in the back deck area of my kayak nicely. I added 8 rod holders to the sides. It holds 3-4 3700 planos and a few gallon bags if plastics plus several tools and items in the top compartments as well.

[Bassin Bruce]

9 hours ago, HookInMouth said:

Ran a homemade crate for a season and then just started bringing a tackle bag with me. 

That's what I'm doing as well, no crate just my tackle bag that carries 3700 series boxes. 

This way I can move quickly and easily between my kayak or over to my canoe if my son os coming with.

 

[RAM3139]

I've been using an old milk crate with 3 vertical rod holders attached to the outside for about 15 years now.  This last season I added in a divider to split the planos from the "other junk".

 

Works well for me, but I tend to go pretty light on tackle.  2-3 planos and a fistful of bags of soft plastics.

[HookInMouth]

I've been known to grab my rod, a bag of rage tail menace, and some hooks and sinkers and nothing else. 

[FryDog62]

So I’m new to the kayak thing, but liking it. One thing I’m having a hard time figuring out is why rod holders (in the hull of the kayak, or on crate boxes) stick straight up or at a slight angle?
 

If I could find a crate with rod holders at a very low trajectory going backwards and out of the way I would buy it. Otherwise, I’m always casting at awkward angles so I don’t hit my other rods on the backswing of a cast. 
 

Maybe they exist, I just haven’t seen it... 

[MN Fisher]

51 minutes ago, FryDog62 said:

If I could find a crate with rod holders at a very low trajectory going backwards and out of the way I would buy it. Otherwise, I’m always casting at awkward angles so I don’t hit my other rods on the backswing of a cast. 
 

Maybe they exist, I just haven’t seen it... 

We had this discussion a couple years ago...

Consensus was - build your own or use rail-mounted holders instead of a crate...for some reason the crate manufacturers/suppliers want the rods held at a high angle.

[FryDog62]

21 minutes ago, MN Fisher said:

We had this discussion a couple years ago...

Consensus was - build your own or use rail-mounted holders instead of a crate...for some reason the crate manufacturers/suppliers want the rods held at a high angle.

Thanks I did order some rail mounts... they haven’t arrived yet and thought I might still find a crate with them. Will see how they fit on my Boonedox rail and see if/how to fit a crate in/around it..

[Darth-Baiter]

My first day out with kayak.  I didn’t have a box.  I kept my rod in factory holder.  Puts it in mortal danger of my cast.  
 

a few hours in it happens.  I catch my rod, backlash bad, and manage to yank rod from holder and send it into the lake.  I was snagged so I pulled it out of the water.  Now?  I have rod situational awareness.  I haven’t done it since.  
 

I put a sixth holder on my box for Clearlake tomorrow.  Normally five rods is plenty. 
 

 

 

[Landis Carrier]

Another vote for the Flambeau Tuff Krate. 

[Koz]

On 2/3/2022 at 6:44 PM, FryDog62 said:

So I’m new to the kayak thing, but liking it. One thing I’m having a hard time figuring out is why rod holders (in the hull of the kayak, or on crate boxes) stick straight up or at a slight angle?
 

If I could find a crate with rod holders at a very low trajectory going backwards and out of the way I would buy it. Otherwise, I’m always casting at awkward angles so I don’t hit my other rods on the backswing of a cast. 
 

Maybe they exist, I just haven’t seen it... 

 

I think you will find that as you get more time on the water with your kayak that positioning your kayak for where you are casting eliminates much of your issue. That being said, I've clanked a rod against another rod more than once. 

 

I also have the added degree of difficulty of casting over my pedal unit and around my fish finder. But by far the biggest pain is when I navigate under a low underpass and have to remove all of my rods from the rod holders and hold onto them while pedaling and steering. I do have lay down rod holders, but they are a pain with 7 foot plus rods.

[casts_by_fly]

On 2/3/2022 at 8:01 PM, FryDog62 said:

Thanks I did order some rail mounts... they haven’t arrived yet and thought I might still find a crate with them. Will see how they fit on my Boonedox rail and see if/how to fit a crate in/around it..

not sure if I shared this with you in another place but this is my setup. Horizontal rod holders from mariner sails. I’ve written about them in the autopilot Facebook group a good bit. Overall I like them a lot and would never change to vertical rods. I need to make a modification eventually to put the Navarre handle on and move my mounts back a bit so it doesn’t interfere with the rudder deploy.  I carry four or five rods.  If five, one is in my hand and four down. If I want six, then I add a yak attack holder tilted down behind the seat.  I stand the whole time to fish so vertical rods are a pain. 

On 1/28/2022 at 7:33 PM, Scott804 said:

I currently have a basic run of the mill modified milk crate for my kayak fishing crate. It certainly does the job but I'm not super in love with how it looks and while it isn't the end of the world, I have begun to look at some of the aftermarket kayak crates specifically made for kayak fishing. It seems like no matter which crate I go to, in the reviews there are multiple people complaining. I find it hard to justify buying a 100$+ possibly kayak crate if 1/3rd or 1/4th of the reviews are negative. 

 

So, what kayak crate do you run? Normal milk cart? Hobie H-Crate? Yakattack BlackPack? Wilderness Systems Krate? Any anecdotes or in depth experience would be appreciated! 

i also don’t run a crate. Rods go in the holder in the picture above. I carry a Plano guide series tackle bag that holds 5x 3700, a 3600, and a bunch of soft plastics bags in the sides. I’ll swap out a 3700 depending on where I’m going. To do it again I would get the big one one yet and just not swap stuff around. 

 

 

[flyfisher]

On 2/3/2022 at 6:44 PM, FryDog62 said:

So I’m new to the kayak thing, but liking it. One thing I’m having a hard time figuring out is why rod holders (in the hull of the kayak, or on crate boxes) stick straight up or at a slight angle?
 

If I could find a crate with rod holders at a very low trajectory going backwards and out of the way I would buy it. Otherwise, I’m always casting at awkward angles so I don’t hit my other rods on the backswing of a cast. 
 

Maybe they exist, I just haven’t seen it... 

Best rod holders I have found are the Yak attack omega mounted to a track system.  They hold my fly rods and all my conventional rods very well and are easily adjusted.  I hate rods sitting right up behind me too which is why I usually use angled flush mounts on my kayak.  They are far enough back that they are not in the way but close enough I rarely if ever hit them.  Fly fishing though I have the rods in the omega holders and parallel to the kayak.  Fly line catches everything.....

[MIbassyaker]

Basic plastic storage crate I probably bought for $8, with a some rod holders in a surface mount zip-tied to the sides.

 

[casts_by_fly]

41 minutes ago, flyfisher said:

Best rod holders I have found are the Yak attack omega mounted to a track system.  They hold my fly rods and all my conventional rods very well and are easily adjusted.  I hate rods sitting right up behind me too which is why I usually use angled flush mounts on my kayak.  They are far enough back that they are not in the way but close enough I rarely if ever hit them.  Fly fishing though I have the rods in the omega holders and parallel to the kayak.  Fly line catches everything.....

the omegas are great and secure. But you’re going to struggle to use more than two.  So if you carry more than 3 rods you’re kinda stuffed. 

[flyfisher]

1 hour ago, casts_by_fly said:

the omegas are great and secure. But you’re going to struggle to use more than two.  So if you carry more than 3 rods you’re kinda stuffed. 

I usually don't carry more than three fly rods but on the occasion I do, I use two of the pro models in conjunction with the regular ones.  it allows one pair to be just high enough to still clear the other rods and not stand straight up in the air.  

[Scott804]

8 hours ago, Koz said:

I also have the added degree of difficulty of casting over my pedal unit and around my fish finder. 

 

Have you tried getting your seat higher? I was having similar casting issues casting over until I got seat risers. It also made pedaling far more comfortable. 

[Koz]

3 hours ago, Scott804 said:

 

Have you tried getting your seat higher? I was having similar casting issues casting over until I got seat risers. It also made pedaling far more comfortable. 

My seat does not have a vertical adjustment. I had thought about trying to increase the height, but the seat frame rests in u-shaped slots so raising it would probably mean bolting another piece on top of that, and that would be a pain.

 

Also, my kayak is very stable - something I appreciate being an old guy. I'd hate to mess with the COG, especially with the rough conditions I encounter on my lake.

[Boomstick]

I got the YakAttack Blackpak. It's kind of pricey but it holds 3700 sized boxes which is nice. At the end of the day, I get my money's worth.

[5/0]

On 2/6/2022 at 10:47 AM, casts_by_fly said:

I carry a Plano guide series tackle bag that holds 5x 3700, a 3600, and a bunch of soft plastics bags in the sides. I’ll swap out a 3700 depending on where I’m going. To do it again I would get the big one one yet and just not swap stuff around. 

Ran across this thread while surf searching.

I don’t kayak but backseat in small club tourneys, but I use this bag. I found that if you use a combination of Plano 3700 & 3701 boxes you can increase the number of boxes in the main compartment. I currently run 3 of each, 5 vertically and 1 horizontally on top. This frees up the 3600 pouch on the side for additional soft plastic storage if needed. You can even get 6 stored horizontally in the main compartment if you want to go that way. I’m toying with that idea now. The only concern would be the hassle of digging the boxes near the bottom out.

[casts_by_fly]

45 minutes ago, 5/0 said:

Ran across this thread while surf searching.

I don’t kayak but backseat in small club tourneys, but I use this bag. I found that if you use a combination of Plano 3700 & 3701 boxes you can increase the number of boxes in the main compartment. I currently run 3 of each, 5 vertically and 1 horizontally on top. This frees up the 3600 pouch on the side for additional soft plastic storage if needed. You can even get 6 stored horizontally in the main compartment if you want to go that way. I’m toying with that idea now. The only concern would be the hassle of digging the boxes near the bottom out.

Are the 3701 a lot thinner than the normal 3700?  The 3700 spinnerbait box is a bit thinner but the plastics box is thicker. If the 3701 is the same as the spinnerbait box then another box is interesting.