Well, we have to admit it. When we received the Thule Cast Away roof mounted rod carrier we weren’t thinking HOT! product winner. For starters, the official FlyFsh.com vehicle, a classic Toyota Land Cruiser, has had a Thule Flat Top Rack mount system for 7 years. Originally designed to carry Skis, we’d adopted it as a terrific fly rod carrier with two soft arms that gently clamp on to the rods and hold them secure in all types of off road turbulence.

Anyway, we stuck the Cast Away next to the ski rack. Installation was simple even with the tall roof. Merely a few twists of the hand screws and we were ready to roll in minutes.

The Cast Away’s unique clam shell lock box does what that old ski rack couldn’t. Mainly, it protects the reel and line from the elements. This is especially important in our case as we tend to leave rods with the reels up on the roof for the better part of the summer saltwater season. As we all know, salt air can do nasty things to your reel and line if not protected. Moreover, the clam box provides more security than conventional racks and hides your valuable reels from jealous eyes. Also, exposed reels can take a beating on long distance highway trips and often become nicked and pitted from high speed road particles. The Cast Away eliminates this sandblast effect.

Once the Cast Away is installed, rod loading and unloading is extremely simple. We even envision its utility along those waters edge drives, when the sight of striped bass breaking the salty surface or trout rising call for a quick stop and unload. Definitely a HOT! product to have for those on the move.

For more information visit your local fly shop or head to www.thuleracks.com .