Date: 5 November 2018. Attaching a Fishing Reel.

© janice142
 

Aboard Seaweed I do not have a lot of space for a fishing pole. My pole must be shorter than 5 1/2' (165cm) long in order to fit in the spot that I chose for storage. Once I had a pole that would fit where I needed it to go came the next step: I needed to attach a reel. Here is how I modified a 10' (300cm) long surf fishing pole to suit my needs.
 

ATTACHED ROPE↓ to hold fishing pole, EYE HOOKS↓  for
"fishing" wires pole, and where the SOLAR WIRES↓ come through.

A fellow named Stevie gave the surf fishing pole to me for my birthday a few years ago. He stated, rightly so, that a 10' (300cm) pole split in two would fit in my overhead. The space available is just 5 1/2' (165cm) long. The problem is that there would be no way to use such a long pole with the layout of my cockpit.
 

The cockpit of Seaweed is covered. I could not possibly fish out there with a 10' long pole.

And please don't think I am an expert fisherman. I am The Worst.
 

Seriously, if I had to rely on my fishing skills
to eat, I would starve. Fish do not fear me.

The first thing I did was try to swap the big pole for something smaller/shorter. The problem was two-fold. I wanted a short pole that was stout, not flimsy. Most poles sold are at least 6' long. The sturdy deep sea fishing poles are even longer.
 

Then I realized what I wanted was actually in my hand. The top portion of the fishing pole I was given would work. I simply needed to attach a reel to it.
 

Sometimes I get so focused on what I want that I miss what is right in front of me. This pole, or the top portion thereof, was what I needed.
 

Because of the spacing of the loops the line goes through, I had
to remove one. The reel would attach where that loop formerly was.
 

If there is a tool more versatile than a pair of Vise grips, I do not know what it is.

First I unwound the string that held on the loop. Then using the Vise grips I wrenched off the loop.
 

I use my hand tools frequently. Almost every day I am tinkering with something.

That is why I have mine so conveniently located.
 

When I first bought Seaweed I had dreams of matching plastic containers for my various tools. Then I priced the boxes. Spiffy ones that would fit into that locker space would have cost more than $20. I could do a lot with that much money so I kept using what I have.
 

I do keep my eyes open for the right size ones at thrift stores. This is an item that I want, but not enough to pay retail for. It is on a list though. I described how I keep track of wishes in the 3x5 Cards article.
 

I knew I could attach the reel to the pole using hose clamps.

My hose clamps are stored in the bilge on the bulkhead. They are sorted by size. I have small ones
 (1" or so) on one line. Medium clamps (up to 3") are on a separate rope. The largest are on a third string.
 

Side Note: The reason I knew that hose clamps work to hold on a fishing reel is because of a sports fish boat I saw years ago. The owner had attached fishing reels to a stainless rail. I tucked that aside in my memory. Modified,  that idea was used for this project.
 

When presented with the top half of a 10' fishing pole I believed I could use a similar reel mounting system.

I loosely attached the hose clamps to verify they would function as desired.
 

Next I got out an adhesive. This time I chose LocTite Stik'N Seal. ←affiliate link
 
I chose LocTite not because I was sure it would be a superior choice. Basically, I had it on hand so I used it.
So far, it is okay. The hose clamps do the securing anyway. Not that I have caught a fish. I have not.
 

The reel is the smallest Penn bait caster I could find. I like it. Due to my Penn being antique I found a link for the
Abu Garcia Ambassadeur model which I have owned in the past. If I were to pay retail today I would shop for an Abu Garcia.

I grew up using bait caster reels and prefer them.

I am not the only fan of bait caster fishing reels. In 1979 Fred and Tom were successful catching a shark using a similar reel:
The difference is they actually catch and land fish. I do neither!

For now the rod and reel are safely secured to my overhead above my dinette.

 

That is all the news from here. I am on a kick to get things done. I just fixed the curtain shown above. It is now Good Enough.
 

I am so looking forward to Thanksgiving and Christmas, you have No Idea. This is my favorite time of the year.
 

Thanks so much for reading.

Do you have fishing gear aboard your boat?
Are your poles stowed inside in a special rack for them?
 

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