Hook’em is an Aussie company that manufactures and distributes a range of fishing accessories and tackle.
The stainless-steel rod holders featured in this review are something special. Not only are they easy to locate and remove (simply slot them into/out of, existing holders as found in the gunnel of your boat), they allow for the rod angle to be adjusted both vertically and horizontally, thus making them ideal for a number of fishing scenarios. Being stainless means, they are strong enough to cope with the most violent of strikes as well as being resistant to both rust and salt corrosion. Simply slip the rod holders into an existing holder-tube and you are away.
Rod holders are an essential piece of kit for all watercraft, and they are used for much more than storage and a break from holding a rod. Sure, they offer effective storage that keep rods off the floor and out of water, and yes holders are great for trolling and allowing for more than one rod to be used at a time; but the correct style holder in a given scenario becomes a serious fish-catching tool.
The Hook’em rod holders have three features that allow them to be that serious fishing tool. First off, they are portable and can be easily removed when not in use. If you aren’t sure about this feature then see what happens when you are floating baits back to hungry snapper on a handline. You’ll be cursing tangled lines quick smart!
Secondly, the slotted base of the holder’s stem enables these holders to be set at the required offset from the axis of the hull. The closer to 90˚ you set the holder, the more spread you’ll get between trolled lures and/or baits. Maximum spread is achieved when two Hook’em holders are used on either corner of the transom, both set perpendicular to the hull’s axis.
The final feather in the cap is the ability to set the angle of the rod to the desired vertical position. The higher the angle, the closer the bait or lure trolls to the surface whilst the converse is true when the rod is set at a lower angle. Lower angles work well when trolling with a downrigger. Rods cope much better with the additional weight of the lead bomb and when the line flicks out of the clip as a fish strikes, there is less chance that the line will tangle around the tip of the rod.
Further, low angles are preferred when jigs and soft plastic outfits are placed in holders as these angles minimise the chance of the tip or the butt of a carbon rod being snapped. I’ve learnt that the hard way!
More info at hookem.com.au.
