Review of the HT Enterprises Wire Rod Holder
Summary: The HT Wire Rod Holder does exactly what it says it will. It won't catch fish for you or even protect your rod, but it will hold your pole.
3
Recommended
The red Wire Rod Holder by HT Enterprises is a classic ice fishing accessory. While there are now several different types of rod holder available for those fishing through the ice, the good old wire rod holder still sees use by a lot of people. There is a reason for that: it works!
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The HT Wire Rod Holder is exactly what it sounds like. It is made from a single piece of very thick and sturdy metal wire that has been twisted into a lightweight rod holder for ice fishing. There is a square base that you set down on the ice and a double bent over piece on top that you can easily lay an ice fishing rod into.
The HT rod holder works with almost every ice fishing rod I have seen. If it’s a standard ice fishing rod with a regular spinning or jigging reel, it will fit into the HT rod holder. I used to carry several of these rod holders until I started getting more into fishing with tip ups.
I still keep a few HT rod holders in my sled though. I used them to set down my jigging pole if I need to. I also use them for dead sticking over finicky fish and for fishing minnows when I want to feel the fight on a rod rather than pulling a fish up on tip up braid by hand.
The HT rod holders do as promised. That is, they hold your rod. They are not rod protectors however. What do I mean by that? Well, if you don’t pay attention, you can lose a rod through the ice even if it was in a rod holder. Just ask my fishing partner from two years ago. He saw two rods go through the ice.
If you want to use the HT rod holders you need to set your drag, leave your bail open, or otherwise be in close range of your pole and keep an eye on it. The HT rod holders aren’t capable of keeping your rods above the ice if the pull from down below is strong enough. They weren’t designed to lock in rods either. They are made
They are good but they should be used as intended. If you want to set baits but don’t want to stay close by or keep an eye on your rods, you’re better off fishing with tip ups or something like a Clam Arctic Warrior.
Anyone interested in buying an HT Wire Rod Holder should be careful that they pick up the original version rather than the Tall Wire Rod Holder. The latter is a sort of a strange contraption in that it is long and top heavy. It falls over easily on the ice unless you put something like a bunch of wet snow or a rock on top of the base. That eliminates the point!
The bright pink Ice Fishing Rod Holder by Eagle Claw is a good alternative to the HT model that is of equal quality and usefulness. I tend towards the HT holders just because they are available and HT is a name I have come to know and trust for ice fishing.
The HT Red Wire Rod Holder is available at Amazon.
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