6 Steps to Making a DIY Fishing Rod Holder

By Debbie Hanson

Dec 02, 2021

Step-by-step for building DIY fishing rod holder to prevent rod damage, stay organized, extend the life of your fishing rods using inexpensive materials

You can build a simple DIY fishing rod holder to help prevent the unnecessary stress and damage that happens when rods are leaned up against a wall or stuck in a corner. In addition, a do it yourself rod holder can keep your lines from getting tangled up, prevents rod tips or guides from getting nicked, and is a great way to stay organized.

The best part? Most do it yourself rod holders can be constructed in a couple of hours and require just a few inexpensive items that can be found at any hardware store. Check out the materials needed and easy steps to make your own garage fishing rod holder.

DIY Fishing Rod Holder Materials

 
  • 2-inch PVC pipe (1 foot of PVC pipe per rod)
  • Two 4-foot x 8-foot pieces of plywood
  • 1 ¼-inch plywood screws
  • Hacksaw
  • Powerdrill
  • Screwdriver or screw gun

DIY Fishing Rod Holder Steps

Making your own DIY fishing pole holder is a great rainy-day project that only requires six steps.

 

Step One

When making this homemade fishing rod holder, the first step is to secure the plywood backing to the studs in your unfinished garage or basement using wood screws. If your garage is finished, get the appropriate type of screw for the medium or material that you will be mounting your PVC rod holders to.

 

Step Two

Next, cut the PVC into 1-foot sections using a hacksaw (you can also ask your local hardware store if they can cut it into 1-foot sections for you). As far as the number of 1-foot sections, make sure you have one section for each rod.

 

Step Three

Measure out the spacing of the PVC pipe on the wood backing based on personal preference and the size of the reels. When it comes to fishing pole storage ideas, this DIY project is very practical because you can customize the build based on the number of fishing rods and sizes of the reels you have.

 

Step Four

Drill two holes on the outside of the PVC pipe. One should be about 2 inches from the bottom of the PVC and one should be about 2 inches from the top of the PVC. Make sure the size of the outside hole is large enough so that you can get a screwdriver or screw gun through it.

 

Step Five

Put a smaller drill bit on and use the outside holes to drill two smaller holes from the inside out (these holes should be just slightly larger than the shaft of the screw so that the head of the screw will cinch down on the PVC and keep it secure to the wall).

 

Step Six

Use a screwdriver or screw gun to screw the PVC pipe to the plywood at both the top and bottom.

Once your fishing rod holder DIY project is complete, just place your rod grips inside of the PVC pipes.

Debbie Hanson
Debbie Hanson
Debbie Hanson is an award-winning outdoor writer, women’s sport fishing advocate, IGFA world record holder, and freshwater guide living in Southwest Florida. Hanson’s written work has appeared in publications such as Florida Game & Fish Magazine, BoatUS Magazine, and USA Today Hunt & Fish. To learn more about her work, visit shefishes2.com or follow her on Instagram @shefishes2.