A fishing rod holding apparatus which enables the fisherman to resist lateral and twisting loads imposed on the rod by a fish which is pulling the line from one side to the other. The apparatus comprises a forearm mounting section which is connected securely to the forearm, and a hand engagement section which engages the person's hand and also enables a gripping of the handle of the rod. The hand engagement apparatus is able to rotate about a side-to-side axis of rotation, but limits movement about a back-and-forth axis of rotation.