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Location: Eastern Ontario | I have two friends that have each broken Downeasters in the past 2 weeks and one has just broken his 4th over time.
What other holders will allow the running of big baits with the rodtips in the water?
One friend lost a St Croix rod Tekota reel and a Plough, I think I will have to dig my safety leashes back out. |
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Posts: 1425
Location: St. Lawrence River | Should always be leashed
Although plastic, the Folbe rod holders seem legit. |
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Posts: 483
| curius to know which part broke ? |
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Location: Eastern Ontario | danlaboucane - 12/3/2017 9:13 AM
curius to know which part broke ?
The front trailing wing on the rod cradle |
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Posts: 82
| If you break a Down East (assuming it's a Salty) it's a bit like breaking a Cat D11R, nowhere much you can go from there ! |
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Posts: 1084
Location: Aurora | Down Easters are castings->Castings have porosity (air bubbles/voids) in them->Porosity can cause areas of weakness->Occasional breakages can result but are rare. Other factors could be corrosion, age-hardening or, misusing them as boat cleats, walking/stepping on them, etc.
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Posts: 483
| cheap enough to replace if you don't loose the rod &reel so i leach em but the cisco holder looks very nice but costly |
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Posts: 1516
| What do u use for a leash? A long leash or quick release type deal? |
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Posts: 20216
Location: oswego, il | Scotty's for me. If i was stuck with DE holdeds i would not troll or sucker fish., not worth the aggravation. |
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Location: Eastern Ontario | ToddM - 12/3/2017 7:07 PM
Scotty's for me. If i was stuck with DE holders i would not troll or sucker fish., not worth the aggravation.
Todd can you place your rod tips in the water with Scotty's and what model are you using |
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Posts: 488
Location: Northern Illinois | Never had my Folbes break. |
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Posts: 20216
Location: oswego, il | horsehunter - 12/3/2017 7:30 PM
ToddM - 12/3/2017 7:07 PM
Scotty's for me. If i was stuck with DE holders i would not troll or sucker fish., not worth the aggravation.
Todd can you place your rod tips in the water with Scotty's and what model are you using
Yes i run my rod tips in the water. Just so easy to get a rod in and out. I have trolled big baits tx44 boards no issues. |
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Posts: 483
| Pepper - 12/3/2017 7:06 PM
What do u use for a leash? A long leash or quick release type deal?
i made some with good quality bungy around 36" long
that stretches to +-60"wtih detacheble clips and multi strand leader hoops on the reels
or you can buy some already made from terry chaput on facebook:St. Lawrence Custom Rod Leashes
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Posts: 1714
Location: Mt. Zion, IL | Folbe or Scotty Orca holders will do you just fine. These are not traditional plastic like you would think, but glass filled Nylon. the advantage of these is that they do flex if you impact something with the bait, rod, etc. They flex quite a bit before you would ever think one would snap. |
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Posts: 1080
| Wow! That is a LOT of broken Downeast rod holders! I can maaaybe see one breaking due to some incidental manufacturing problem. But to be consistently breaking them in a short period of time and by the same isolated crew of anglers? I'd say that there HAS to be more to the story, which leads me to think user error and mistreatment of the equipment. Example: Maybe dropping them on the concrete a few times loading and unloading from the boat, creating stress fractures in the metal? Unless Downeast now is manufacturing out of China? Are there knock-off Downeast rod holders out there circulating?
I've heard of the Folbes, I've seen the Folbes, I'd never trust a Folbe. I won't trust plastic and it flexing over time. Everyone knows what happens to plastics that flex back and forth over a long period of time: it fatigues and softens and wears out.
I especially would not trust the plastic rod holders in the cold temps. Everyone know what happens to plastic in the cold temps: it becomes more brittle.
To each their own though.
Been running the same set of Downeast rod holders in my boat for over 12+ years now and that's with trolling with the rod tips buried in the water, while fishing very, very weedy lakes with a lot of floating debris and those rod tips load up with a lot of weeds and create a lot of drag. Not one snapped rod, not one broken rod holder, not one broken line, not one lost rod. Check, maintain, protect and treat your equipment nicely and it should continue to function reliably for years to come. |
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Location: Eastern Ontario | Mack : The 4 were over a 30 year period the 2 in 2 weeks were in 2 different boats run by friends in the same area one the lure was hung on bottom one was by a savage hit by a mid 40's fish . the same rod holder has held many mid 50's and one 58.
You've been lucky $*it happens |
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Posts: 1080
| Horsehunter,
That's a bummer...for sure.
Trust me when I say...that I'm the king of knowing that $*it happens. Because that $*it that happens, typically does happen to me. 
You've been running the Downeast rod holders far longer than I have. In my 35 years of fishing, I've only been using these Downeast rod holders now for about 12 to 13 years now. Prior to that, I was using less superior plastic rod holders. (NOT Folbe)
Amazing that the rod holders broke on you and your guys and not the rod or the line snapping. Knowing that you are a seasoned angler(s), I'm assuming the drags were set appropriately for your trolling.
You're right though...$*it does indeed happen. No product out there is 100% perfect and flawless. Even knowing your track record with the Downeast rod holders and you now doubting their product...I....personally...would not switch away from Downeast to anything else out there. That's just me personally. I would stick with them. But I fully realize, respect and understand others have other opinions...which is perfectly fine. To each their own. |
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Posts: 944
| I have used Down east rod holders for many years, never had a problem with one of them. I had used 2 brands of plastic before them and broke both. Last year at the shows they were selling those leashes in The Traxtech, Steathtackle and Muskie train booth they were all together in one big booth.
Jeff Hanson
madisonmuskyguide.com |
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Posts: 199
| Are the rod leashes for when the rod holder fails? |
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Posts: 20216
Location: oswego, il | Muskie Gal - 12/4/2017 3:06 PM
Are the rod leashes for when the rod holder fails?
Yes, had a buddy of mine make his own because his rods would pop out of a DE holder with the rod in the down position. |
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Posts: 199
| I would rather own a rod holder that I know I don't need leases on. |
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Posts: 323
Location: Elk River, MN | Muskie Gal - 12/6/2017 2:59 PM
I would rather own a rod holder that I know I don't need leases on.
Well nobody uses rod leashes expecting their rod holders to fail.
Anything could go wrong on the water, you never know. Big waves, big fish, anything could jolt a rod out of the holder or cause one to fail. It's just good piece of mind if anything ever happened. I rarely troll but I would strongly consider investing in some leashes for the piece of mind. |
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Posts: 483
| and imagine if a big fish is hooked when the rod falls over ! easy enough to clip a leash on or off to reel in . |
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Posts: 20216
Location: oswego, il | As hard as it is to get a rod out of a DE holder (yeah know about releasing pressure) i am surprised they would ever pop out. Then there is getting them in, with one hand holding a big board and a big bait, no thanks. |
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Posts: 983
| Muskie Gal - 12/4/2017 3:06 PM
Are the rod leashes for when the rod holder fails?
Its a safety precaution rather invest in $20 rod leashes and not need them then to have holder break and lose Hundreds of dollars with Rod reel Lure Line etc |
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Posts: 72
| plan for the best, prepare for the worst- Dennis Waitley |
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Posts: 483
| TannerAE - 12/8/2017 12:21 PM
plan for the best, prepare for the worst- Dennis Waitley
exactly ! |
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Posts: 199
| I would rather buy a product that won't fail. Like if it's a quality product there is no reason to buy the warranty. "Down east never fails, but be sure to have s rod leash." |
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Posts: 4343
Location: Smith Creek | I've seen Down East fail. Only holder I haven't seen fail is the tube ones that mount in your gunnel. |
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Posts: 494
Location: midwest | Cisco brand short and long cradle holders look pretty indestructible. I still have some old machined "Bulletproof" brand rod holders that I would never worry about breaking as they were machined out of aluminum. |
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| Any rod holder can break..... period.
Scotties are terrible IMO, posts break over and over and over, especially in the cold. Down Easters occasionally can break but generally they will give you a few warning signs. They are cast metal so they can weaken over time especially if you pull hard baits and smash rocks. Hairline cracks in the socket, also the wings will start to warp outwards slowly.
I try to rotate my downeasters from portside to starboard a few times throughout the year to even out the pressure on the wings on each side.
Using a leash is a no brainer, $15 investment to save a few hundread. |
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| downeast salty period.at more than 100 bucks per lure and at least 400 buck of rod n reel scotty and other plastic things is a no no.more than 15 years of trolling and i have never seen a downeast getting destroyed |
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Location: Eastern Ontario | supertrollr - 12/10/2017 11:28 AM
downeast salty period.at more than 100 bucks per lure and at least 400 buck of rod n reel scotty and other plastic things is a no no.more than 15 years of trolling and i have never seen a downeast getting destroyed
You have been lucky Iv'e seen several break and have friends tell me of breakage. I continue to use for my down rods because I haven't found anything I like the looks of better. Other than rods I want to bury the rod tips I use Berts tubes.
My fishing partner broke one on a small fish 2 weeks ago ( one that had handled many 50 inch plus fish in the past. He replaced it with another downeaster because we are still looking for something better. But they do break. |
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Posts: 20216
Location: oswego, il | You will also lose fish fighting to get a rod out of a downeast. I will stick with scotty, not had one break in 19 years of using them. |
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| Never had a single issue ever getting the rod out of a downeaster while a fish is on. Not sure why you are having issues. |
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Posts: 20216
Location: oswego, il | Seldom have i been able to get a rod out of a DE easy even trying to release pressure. Anyone's boat i have ever been in and i have two clamp ons i use for my little boat to put out a sucker rodnoff the back. Had to troll with them this year and had the same issues getting the rods out of ths holder. They almost didn't make it back to the dock. Then there is putting the rod in, which you have to do one handed. Not for me, i will use my easy to use and never seen one fail in 19 years scotty rod holders. |
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Location: Eastern Ontario | My Ford's better than your Chev but I'm looking for a Beamer.
I have Downeasters for down rods Berts Tubes for boards and Scotty's as extras but I'm looking for something better for down rods possibly machined . Never had an issue removing rod from a Downeaster. |
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Location: 31 | I have had a couple DEs break in my boat through the years, if you use anything long enough it will eventually fail, especially in the cold... metal or plastic. I noticed that there was a small crack developing on one of the ears of my DE down rod holder this fall and just replaced it before it broke, it was probably 20 years old. HorseHunter, IMHO you and your friends don't need new holders… just need to do a visual inspection in October before it gets cold. I assume they worked great for 30 years?
Otherwise, if a rod pops out of a DE it's simply because it was not seated in the pocket correctly (I would personally never use a leash). Many times I've glanced at the DEs after a re-set and noticed one not seated properly (some by me)… so a quick visual check should be part of your due diligence.
It's also a simple deal to just pull the rod and inline board forward to release the pressure before dropping it into the DE so you're not fighting it back into the holder. |
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| ToddM - 12/10/2017 1:59 PM
You will also lose fish fighting to get a rod out of a downeast. I will stick with scotty, not had one break in 19 years of using them.
it's a man rod holder but even my wife have no problem to move the rod out of it |
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Posts: 20216
Location: oswego, il | supertrollr - 12/13/2017 2:55 PM
ToddM - 12/10/2017 1:59 PM
You will also lose fish fighting to get a rod out of a downeast. I will stick with scotty, not had one break in 19 years of using them.
it's a man rod holder but even my wife have no problem to move the rod out of it
I lost an arm wrestling match with Don Knots once so maybe that's my issue.:-) |
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Posts: 2269
Location: SE, WI. | ToddM - 12/10/2017 1:59 PM You will also lose fish fighting to get a rod out of a downeast. I will stick with scotty, not had one break in 19 years of using them. Todd, IMO, you do NOT loose fish because you can't remove the rod from the holder. If the fish gets off early, it's because the drag was too tight, OR, fish simply was not hooked up sufficiently. One of the rules in my boat R, do not pull rod from holder inside 5 seconds after strike. We never race to get rod from holder. JD |
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Location: 31 | jdsplasher - 12/14/2017 8:29 PM One of the rules in my boat R, do not pull rod from holder inside 5 seconds after strike. We never race to get rod from holder. JD Now there's experience talking! We don't have a 5 second rule but always try to increase speed and turn away from the strike before removing the rod from the holder… probably takes about 5 seconds.
There's a lot of variables, boat speed/type of line, ect. but for long line monofilament this procedure has worked well for us. The last thing you want to do is give the fish slack line, especially in the early stages of the fight. |
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