How to Make a Storage Rack for Fly Rods

Proper storage of your fly fishing rods is essential to maintaining them in an operational state. Storing rods on their sides allows the lines to become tangled, resulting in wasted lines or damage to the rods themselves. A vertical storage rack keeps the rods pointed straight up; the lines cannot cross and create a knotted mess.

Things You'll Need

  • 2- by-6-inch plank, 6-feet long
  • PVC pipe, 1 1/2-inch diameter, 8-feet long
  • Tape measure
  • Saw
  • Power drill
  • Drill bits
  • Screwdriver bit
  • Wood screws
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Instructions

    • 1

      Cut two planks of wood 6 inches long. Leave the 5-foot section uncut.

    • 2

      Cut the PVC pipe into 11 pieces, each 8-inches long.

    • 3

      Drill a hole in each pipe, 2 inches from one end of the pipe. Use a bit that is slightly larger than the body of the screws, but smaller than the heads of the screws. Pass all the way through the pipe -- so that the bit comes out the other side -- creating two holes.

    • 4

      Drill through each remaining pipe with an identically placed hole, 2 inches from one end of each pipe.

    • 5

      Drill a second pair of holes in each pipe 4 inches from the same end of the pipe. Align the second holes directly above the first set on each pipe. A line from one set of holes to the other points straight along the length of the pipe.

    • 6

      Drill through one pair of aligned holes on each pipe; use a drill bit larger than the head of your screws. Do not follow through the pipe to the holes opposite the pair you are drilling. Each pipe requires two pairs of holes.

    • 7

      Position a pipe 5 inches from one end of the 5-foot plank; the bottom of the pipe must be flush with one side of the 5-foot plank. Turn the pipe so the small pair of holes are touching the plank.

    • 8

      Insert a screw through both large holes in the pipe; drive the screws through the pipe and into the board. The larger holes allow you to access the heads of the screws with the power screwdriver. Drive them through the smaller holes and into the wood.

    • 9

      Screw four more pipes on the same side of the plank. Place one pipe every 10 inches.

    • 10

      Screw the remaining pipes to the opposite side of the plank. Place the first pipe 5 inches from one end of the plank, the second 15 inches away, and so on. All six pipes must be attached to the plank.

    • 11

      Stand the plank on its end so that the pipes are pointing up. Position a 6-inch plank against either end of the 5-foot plank, centered across the width of the shorter planks.

    • 12

      Secure the 6-inch planks to the long plank with screws. The shorter planks serve to stabilize the rack.

    • 13

      Insert a fly rod's handle into an open pipe to store the rod vertically.