TheFlyFishingFilmmaker
Steelhead
Rich at Water Master was interested in checking out the Riversmith Swiftcast rod holders as an option to sell on their site and sent me a couple to take on a 5 day trip down the Grande Ronde river. After the trip I put together a video on how I set it up on the Bruin and how you might set it up on your own raft. I was able to setup 2 rod holders one facing forward and one facing backwards so that the rower and the front angler can reach the rods (it's not exactly easy for the front angler to pull the rod in and out, but it's possible).
Pros
* Provides full protection for rods that sit fully in trays (meaning you can sit/step on it and not worry about the rod getting damaged or the flies catching on something
* the plastic feels very strong
* flexible mounting (would like to see some different mounting hardware from them to make it even better)
* for 10.5 or smaller rods the reel actually locks in and then has a bungie that keeps the rod from bouncing
* rod holder tips can rotate which means they can accommodate rafts with rockers or rafts without
Cons
* if you mount on the outside bar, not a fan of how the whole frame now rests on 2 points (and some of the edges are kinda sharp). I fixed this by only using half the bracket and using a cam strap instead (see video)
* trays aren't made for spey rods, even my trout spey handle didn't fit completely (i also had to break it in half to get it not to stick out the back) Spey rod can sit in it and not bounce out, but the guides stick up above the trays
* to get it off my raft, I have to take the two pieces apart
* not cheap
Pros
* Provides full protection for rods that sit fully in trays (meaning you can sit/step on it and not worry about the rod getting damaged or the flies catching on something
* the plastic feels very strong
* flexible mounting (would like to see some different mounting hardware from them to make it even better)
* for 10.5 or smaller rods the reel actually locks in and then has a bungie that keeps the rod from bouncing
* rod holder tips can rotate which means they can accommodate rafts with rockers or rafts without
Cons
* if you mount on the outside bar, not a fan of how the whole frame now rests on 2 points (and some of the edges are kinda sharp). I fixed this by only using half the bracket and using a cam strap instead (see video)
* trays aren't made for spey rods, even my trout spey handle didn't fit completely (i also had to break it in half to get it not to stick out the back) Spey rod can sit in it and not bounce out, but the guides stick up above the trays
* to get it off my raft, I have to take the two pieces apart
* not cheap
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