1/ Remove lures and crush barbs
Leaving your lure mounted on your rod means you're almost certain to spend ten minutes trying to remove it from the car seat once you've reached your destination. You'll waste far less time unhooking it (especially if you're fishing with staples). However, you may have to move from station to station, in which case you may forget to remove it. The additional tip is therefore to systematically crush your barbs. Not only will you hurt your fish much less, but you'll also avoid wasting too much time if your lure gets caught in a seat, a bag or even a sweater.
2/ The turnbuckle between the seats
This is probably the most practical tip I've been shown for carrying my rods. Get a turnbuckle and tie it between your front seats. All you have to do is slide your rods into the car and let your heels rest on the rear board. A simple and effective trick.
3/ Tie your rods together
If you're carrying several rods, they'll clash at the first slight jolt. I therefore advise you to tie them together (at the last rings) once you've slid them into your car. You can use a piece of string or even a rubber band.
For my part, I use a neoprene Velcro fastener: it's a handy little accessory that's always present in my car! If you don't want your rods to move around too much in the car, you can also attach the bundle of rods directly to the turnbuckle. Again, this takes barely 20 seconds to do and undo, and makes for safe cornering.
4/ Protect your rods from shocks
When transporting your fishing rods, it's important to protect them. A shock to your rods, blanks or rings can easily happen. Without removing the reels, you can simply slip them into their case, especially for long trips.
Longer rods can hit the windscreen and bang on it repeatedly all the way. You can take a simple sock or a roll of toilet paper and thread the tips of your rods through it. The trick may not be very aesthetic, but it's highly effective.
