When this product hit our door step to take some photos a couple months back we were stoked! Our stoke stemmed from the three broken rods in our gear shed due to not having a raft fly rod holder on our current boat. Check out more about the “Swiftcast” in this release from Riversmith.
From Riversmith:
Boulder, CO – Riversmith is proud to announce the introduction of the Swiftcast, a modular fly rod holder for fishing rafts – purpose built to protect your fly rod. The Swiftcast was designed and manufactured to solve a problem that many raft anglers face on the water: how to fish as efficiently as possible while protecting a fly rod that is not being used. This versatile rod holder was designed for quick assembly out of the box and can be mounted and deployed to almost any rafting frame. You can use one or more Swiftcast Rod Holders on your boat depending on how many rods need to be stored and they can be mounted universally and configured for your particular needs.
Once you are on the water – you can trust it was designed and built to work in the roughest situations and conditions.
“We’re anglers and river rafters so we know the challenges that anglers face off and on the water. The awesome thing is though, if you stop and listen to the fly fishing community they’ll tell you directly which problems need solving versus those we can live with,” said Jason Thomas, Director of Design and Product Development at Riversmith.
“The need for a universal, rod carrier for rafts was clear – folks have been trying to solve the problem on their own for years now. With a year and a half of development under its belt, the Swiftcast solves this problem for all raft anglers, no matter what size or configuration boat they have. It was designed to suit and help protect what is most important to our customers – their time spent on the water, their gear and overall experience fishing.”
Key Features & Benefits
- Universal mounting to any raft frame and raft size
- Holds a single fly rod – up to 10ft in length up to 10 weight reel/line
- Elastic cord for 100% security in rapids
- Attach inside or outside of oar tower
- Can be paired together in-line or bi-directional
- Curved or straight tube options
In addition to solving the problem of fly rod storage on float trips, the Swiftcast has many other unique features. The bottomless reel box allows water to naturally drain as you work your way down the river. The streamlined curve of the nose cone smoothly transfers your rod from the channel into the curved tubes for quick and seamless access.
These rod tubes have been carefully designed to be able to rotate to ensure you can lay the Swiftcast to fit your raft no matter the shape of the bow. This also provides a seamless transition so you can rest assured you won’t break a rod tip or guide during storage or deployment. These features combined allow for an ultra-sleek look while keeping a low profile that minimizes your chances of getting your line caught while casting.
Here is additional information to learn more or purchase the Swiftcast Rod Holder.
- You can pre-order starting March 1st.
- Shipping May 2023
Here is a short video that highlights the assembly and mounting of the Swiftcast modular raft fly rod holder.
