With six people in our family our fishing gear was getting a bit tangled. That many poles equals awkward transportation and storage.
During a school outing with the DWR I came across this clever PVC pipe fishing pole holder.
I took the above picture, later showed it to my kids and said, “figure out how to build this”. I also asked them to make some small changes, I wanted it to hold 6 poles rather than 8. They sat down excited for the challenge and drew a picture of each piece needed and counted up how many they would need. Then we headed to the hardware store…
The shopping list included:
16 - 1″ elbows
6 - 1″ cross pieces
1 - 1″ 10ft. pvc pipe (cut to size: 20 - 2 1/2″ & 2 - 29 1/2″)
1 bottle of PVC pipe glue
(*you may have to adjust the size according to your fishing poles. The handles should be able to fit inside the elbow piece. Moving up to a 1 1/2 ” pipe is an option.)
Once the pieces were cut and ready the kids took turns gluing and sliding the pieces into place. They used the picture I took as a guide. The glue dried quickly so they had to move fast. 
Once it was put together I helped them cut slits in the top elbow pieces to allow the tops of the fishing poles to set inside the pipe. I used a scroll saw but a hand saw or Dremel could do the trick. 
The DWR version had foam that held the poles snug in the top elbow pieces but we thought it would be easier to just use Velcro strips. I got this double sided wrapping Velcro from walmart in the fabric section.
Once we loaded the poles on the new holder we realized there was room for our tackle box to set at the bottom. We secured it with bungee cords that we tied to the PVC pipe. 
In all this project cost about $30. I’d say it’s a small price to pay for kids to practice using a little ingenuity.
Shawna
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linda says
What a great project and learning experience for your kids, and very cool pole holder!
Deborah Nielson says
I love this. We plan on doing fishing in the very near future, and we might make the 8-pole version. I’m glad to see your kids using power tools, that’s an experience that they need. Thanks for the great idea!
Stephan Beek says
This was posted on the 4th and drawing is closed on the 6th. That was quick!
Melvin says
Great idea, now I know how to DIY the fishing rod holder and satisfy my hobbi. Thank you for sharing experience!
Birdsall Marine Design Products says
Great ideas on how to create a fishing rod holder, and a really nice touch getting the kids involved too! Looks like the family had lots of fun creating those rod holders, which are truly ingenious to use and fun to make.