Protection and Organization for Rods and Reels

As of 2022, my friendship with VRX Fishing – The Rod Glove, has lasted 10 years. Here’s a story of how our friendship began, and what went down.

In spring, 2012, FLW Everstart Series pro, Anthony “5oz” Hunt contacted me about the possibilities of reviewing some products by The Rod Glove. Having been familiar with this company since its inception, but never using any of its products, I obliged and received a sampler package of products to use.

My package consisted of two casting rod gloves (for 7 foot rods), two rod glove wrapz, one casting reel glove, and three bait gloves.

About the Company

The Rod Glove specializes in protecting and organizing fishing rods and reels for transport and storage. The Rod Glove has pioneered the concept of providing anglers with premium rod sleeves and covers. Today other companies have followed suit.

100% North American fabricated and made, The Rod Glove meets the demands of anglers by protecting their investments, thus preventing them from damage, endless tangles, and boat rash. The Rod Glove makes rods and reels last longer, and keeps them looking great.

Since introduced in 2010, the Rod Glove has catered its products predominantly to bass fishermen, and exceptionally shines for rod locker and boat storage, eliminating tangles, and organizing rods by color.

Real World Tests

One of the major factors to maximizing efficiency and one’s individual effectiveness on the water is equipment organization. I want to be at the top of my game at all times. As an organizational neat freak, I like to be prepared to have my army of rods and reels ready at all times. Due to the limited rod storage options within my boat, it is important for me to avoid line and hook tangles. Thanks to the Rod Glove, these issues are minimized to a bare minimum and my preparedness and clean equipment organization has been taken to unseen levels.

My serious fishing for the year usually doesn’t begin until the month of May. Since then, I have used The Rod Glove products for everything from boat storage and protection to transport.

I have found these products to be effective in eliminating storage tangles and mess, and preventing my expensive rods and reels from accumulating scratches and boat rash.

Below I provide breakdowns of each product received, what I used it for, and how it performed.

The Rod Glove Sleeves

The Rod Glove is a woven plastic sleeve, weaved of webbing with plastic fibers, that covers and protects a fishing rod during storage and transport. Retailing at $7.99, they are available in various lengths and diameters to match the specific lengths and sizes of both spinning and casting rods. They are available in a wide variety of colors, which can be helpful to anglers for labeling their technique specific fishing rods.

Over the years, I’ve learned that the sport of fishing can be as expensive as one makes it. The way I fish and frequently travel, and order new rods and reels on a yearly basis, this game isn’t cheap. The protection of my rods and reels, an expensive investment, is a major responsibility for me during my travels and gear storage. The Rod Glove protects the tip top, guides, and fishing line from scratches and abrasions. With their sleeves on, I am able to fit 25 rods in the Ranger’s rod locker.

The Bait Glove

The bait glove is a lure wrap that reduces hook snags that are prevalent during storage, and keeps sharp exposed hooks confined to remain secured within the wrap. Constructed of a rubber backed canvas with a velcro wrap to secure the lure and rod, it is available in packages of three for $3.99, and fits over most lure sizes.

I used the bait glove with lures with treble hooks. This product was commonly used to wrap and secure crankbaits, rattlebaits, jerkbaits, and swim jigs. While the wrap itself does an exceptional job of preventing hook tangles with other rods and their exposed line, the sharp technologically advanced hooks synonymous with today’s bass fishing are often prone to protrude through the canvas material, and become exposed. The bait glove surely isn’t made from bulletproof and hook proof material, but I feel that with a stronger, thicker material, this issue could be completely avoided.

The Reel Glove

The concept of using a reel glove to protect fishing reels is nothing new to sport fishermen. In fact, it was first developed by saltwater and big game anglers to protect their expensive investments from damage. Some major reel manufacturers such as Shimano, Quantum, Abu Garcia and Daiwa have developed protective gloves and reel covers in their own models be complimentary on specific high end reels purchased by anglers.

However, for bass anglers whose reels remain unprotected from the elements, the reel glove is a great piece of equipment to have. Available for both spinning and casting reels, the Reel Glove comes in two sizes to accommodate large and small reels, and retails for $5.99. Fabricated from a 4 way stretch neoprene material with finished edges, the Reel Glove is made to protect all reels from scratches, and easily fastens to all rods.

My Reel Glove was exclusively wrapped to a new Quantum Energy baitcasting reel I purchased for this season. Two months in, and no signs of scratches, which otherwise would be prevalent and visible on a reel whose surface and finish wasn’t secured and protected like this.

Rod Glove Wrapz

The Rod Glove Wrapz have been developed to bundle and secure fishing rods for traveling and transport. Most average bass anglers fish with multiple rods, and this is a unique item to have as it can be used complimentary to the Rod Glove, and solitary on its own to bundle rods and reels as shown in the photographs above. Available in a package of two for $6.99, one 10″ small size for the top of rods and one 15″ large size for the bottom of rods, Rod Glove Wrapz are made from neoprene material with a complete velcro backside.

I exclusively use my wrapz to bundle and secure my rods for transport whether I am trailering my boat from lake to lake, or they’re in cargo inside of the vehicle.

For the last ten years, I’ve been using the Rod Glove products on a daily basis. While in the process of catching fish, I’ve been able to see all of these products benefits such as efficiency, ability, and style. These are protective sleeves that I am thankful of having as my most expensive and sophisticated St. Croix bass fishing rods and reels can be fully protected from the most major elements of serious fishing, and be cleanly organized and stored without having to worry about damage, clutter, and tangles.

These are products I’d definitely recommend to serious anglers (especially bass anglers who tour and recreationally fish by boat) who want the most in the protection of their rods and reels, and be able to store a number of rods and reels in their boats.