Can the Inno Rod Box Hold More Than 8 Fishing Rods if They Don't Have the Reels on?

Published 10/02/2025

Question:

I am looking for a protected rod transport for long range fishing out of San Diego. I want to be able to mount to crossbars on new truck. I carry my reels separately in a pelican case. The rods vary from6 to 9 ft. Typically these are heavy duty rods from 30 lb to unlimited class. If I don’t have reels attached can the case carry more than 8 rods? Typically I can get 10-12 rods into a large Bazooka tube. The rods are all fairy sturdy. Can also cover the rods with socks or other protection. I just need enough volume. What do you think?

asked by: Ken B

Expert Reply:

Hey Ken!

Since the Inno Rod Box Rooftop Fishing Rod Carrier # IN52FR can hold up to 8 geared up fishing rods I don't see you having any problem with at least 10 rods. For 12 rods you'll likely be stacking some of them on top of each other.

My brother-in-law is super into fishing, and he has full sleeves he puts on his fishing rods so if I were in your shoes I'd do the same just to keep them from scratching each other.

What type of fish do you like to catch? I'm not much of a fisherman myself, but I do enjoy getting out with my wife and kids every once in a while to spend time together fishing.

expert reply by: Jon G

Ken B.

10/2/2025

Deep sea fishing… so, the rods are heavy. I saw in the specs that the max load is about 22 pounds. 12 rods might well exceed that. Thanks for the info. Seems like the Yakima roof rod case has a much higher capacity but only extends to 8ft. Hmmm, will need to figure this out. I really don’t want to use a rod holder that exposes my rods to the elements with long trips at highway speeds.

Jon G.

10/2/2025

@KenB Oh nice! Yeah, my initial thought was to reference the Yakima TopWater # Y04088 because you can swap those foam inserts around so the fishing rods would nestle in a little better, but then I saw the 8ft and wasn't sure how many of yours were in that 9ft range. You could always get 2 of the Inno boxes, but I almost hate saying that just because I know these guys aren't cheap. The only other thing I can think of is if you put a tonneau cover or a "cap" on your truck bed and store the fishing rods in there instead. If you do end up wanting to go this route let me know. I can help out with a tonneau cover, but we don't have a huge selection of truck caps so I might not have one of those depending on your truck year/make/model.