Tackle Test - Straight Up rod racks

The four game-rod stand has pride of place in the editor’s office.

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For anyone owning more than a couple of rods, where a few nails in the garage wall will no longer suffice, storing your favourite fishing tackle can be a pain.

Leaning them up in a corner over time can see the rod’s ‘backbone’ affected, especially if also subjected to direct sunlight and heat.

Over the years we have published and promoted a number of rod racks, from simple adaptations of 20-litre buckets through to ornate wrought-iron models. The latest, and one of the nicest I have seen, comes courtesy of Straight Up rod racks, created by John Buckley. These are manufactured from New Zealand timbers, the basic models utilising macrocarpa.

John custom-makes all the racks to a high standard and to suit individual needs. They are stand-alone and will not look out of place in your garage or your dedicated tackle room. Depending on what you want, the racks can be built to take just rods, or rod-and-reel combinations, ranging from soft-plastic sets through to heavy game gear.

The two racks I tested were a four game-rod stand and a longer 10-rod general tackle unit. They were delivered ready to use, requiring no assembly or permanent fixing, and had that lovely smell of recently worked wood.

Everyone who has viewed them to date has commented not only on their practicality and robustness, but also their good looks. If I had my way, mine would be in my lounge, but my family had something to say about that.

Traditionally the racks are oblong in shape; the more rods you have, the longer they get, with the 10-rod stand being the biggest standard model. However, John can customise the stands to suit individual needs and they can also be made in a more oblong or squarer shape, depending on where they will stand.

One of John’s more innovative ideas is a wash-down rack. This is essentially a standard rod rack that has a set of wheels at one end and a handle at the other. We have probably all experienced the situation where we line rods up against the boat or the fence to clean them, only to have one topple over and take others with it, often resulting in damaged or scraped gear.

The wash-down rack can be wheeled to the side of the boat or car when unloading, and the rods placed in it safely for washing. After they are dried it is simply a matter of wheeling the whole ‘rig’ into storage. The macrocarpa is naturally tanalised and can handle regular wash-downs.

John has been expanding his business, providing customised trophy boards (against which trophy snapper and kingfish are mounted), filleting boards, lockable rod storage boxes and tackle-storage racks. The racks can be personalised with burnished signwriting.

I was pleasantly surprised at the cost of the various items; they will not break the bank and make great gift ideas. Another that caught my eye was a fishing towel which will be officially ‘launched’ at the Hutchwilco NZ Boat Show.

For more information, check out the website: ww.rodracks.co.nz, phone 0274 390 690, or come and see the range at the NZ Fishing News stand at the Hutchwilco NZ Boat Show May 14-17.

- © Fairfax NZ News