The FOLBE in the 4:00 position is my favorite rodholder in the boat. With the help of the double-ended dog-bone extension, it helps me to achieve maximum spread to deploy the widest possible curtain of gear in the water. It also helps to achieve maximum load on the rod before line strips from the reel. From the first moment of the strike, that rodtip is going to move nearly 8 feet before line starts peeling from the reel! It's a sight to behold!

And releasing that maximally loaded rod is still a breeze, even from a seated position. The guy just leans forward in his seat to reach for the grips, releases the rod, and then simply leans back in his seat to complete a very low horizontal hookset in one continuous fluid motion... without EVER losing the load on the rod!

Most folks probably won't be using that 4:00 position much, but opting for 3:00 instead. All the same rules apply.

To illustrate that WIDE curtain, here's a pic of the F/V eyeFISH spreading its wings. The second pic is a closeup of my side-rigger FOLBE, only on the opposite side of the boat (technically that'd be the 8:00 position, mirror image of 4:00). Notice how good the crew is about opening the FOLBE's on that 1/4 radius path.... no hands needed to receive the rod when it's time to re-deploy!