Just curious as to what people use more specifically home made ones, if you spend much time in the surf if your like me the store bought ones just don’t do the trick. Anybody have any tricks of the trade on what works for them either modified or made from scratch. Any pics out there.
Wicked fishing
PVC works fine but if you try to make it entirely out of PVC, it’s difficult to get it into the sand. If you can find a cheap source of aluminum V-channel/angle bar, then you can screw an aluminum stake to them and make them way easier to spike.
“Sire, it belongs in truth to the Church of God, in whose name I speak, to endure blows and not to inflict them. But it will also please your Majesty to remember that she is an anvil that has worn out many hammers.”…Theodore Beza
Pretty much what I am using now but sometimes can’t quite get them deep enough . Yesterday had one sunk about a foot and half them boom fish on pulled a hundred yard of line off and the sand spike along with my $ 350. Penn torque rod and 7500 spinfisher v went for a swim. I was sick to my stomach . Then about a minute later one of my sons was wading around looking and it was actually floating about 20’yards away, he earned himself a finders fee lol. Trying to figure out a way to get it deeper. I use a mallet now but it tears up the rubber coating and then your rod base and reel get scratched up pretty good… Sounds kind of petty but try to keep things looking and running well , equipment seems to last longer that way.
Wicked fishing
We use only PVC pieces from lowes or HD. Bigger ones for our offshore reels and thinner for surf rods. If you suck the air out from the top it will draw the spike into the sand, especially when you dig it into the water. gets them down nearly 2 feet. Never had any issues and fish up to 350lbs come and take the baits and rip two hundred yards of line off before we pick it up. When your rods are in the spike make sure you have your drag set low enough that it can be pulled out by even say a sharpnose. If you have a big fish come with your drag locked down I am pretty sure it doesnt matter how far down it is, its going for a swim or the PVC will snap and your setup will still go for a swim.
For more reports and photos Like Us on Facebook, www.facebook.com/requiemfishing
Not sure what you mean by suck the air out ? also how loose should be the drag be?
Wicked fishing
What would be an appropriate size hook for a 8’to 10 inch live whiting used as bait ?
Wicked fishing
Get a 10’ piece of the heavy 1 1/2" PVC and cut it in half at a sharp angle, then cut the square end off to the length you want. To get it deep in the sand go just in the wet sand where the waves are keeping it wet and start it rocking forward and back keeping as much downward pressure as you can. You shouldn’t have any trouble getting it 1-2 feet deep. May take 10-30 seconds. Here are a few pics of mine with a saltwater fish ruler applied.
[URL=http://s221.photobucket.com/user/Taz-_2007/media/RodHolders002.jpg.html]
[/URL]
[URL=http://s221.photobucket.com/user/Taz-_2007/media/RodHolders001.jpg.html]
[/URL]
[URL=http://s221.photobucket.com/user/Taz-_2007/media/RodHolders005.jpg.html]
[/URL]
I’d rather fish than eat.
A gun in the hand is better than a cop on the phone.
In God We Trust
I use some two inch conduit that I had left from my house. Cut it abt 3 foot long screw It in the sand and fish. never had a problem.
I back the drag all the way off and just use clicker. For smaller fish, a sputnik weight and a circle hook will hook the fish and if I’m sharking, 10/0 - 12/0 circle hooks minimum and they set themselves when you start to apply drag after removing the rod from the rod-holder. I’ll post some photos of my rod holders later. Basically angle aluminum with a cradle at the top made if 1" aluminum covered with rubber tubing to protect my reels.
All Day I Dream About Fishing
Malibu eXtreme
Hobie Pro Angler
I just use 1 1/2inch pvc, about 3-4 feet maybe? Anyways, I carry a small foldable metal shovel, I dig a hole about 2 feet down, it’s 100% solid and never budges. No mallets, no scratched up real seats, no forcing a pole into the sand for 3 minutes. I’d like to see something pull it out of the sand.
Thanks guys appreciate the ideas.
Wicked fishing
I cut the sand end of the PVC in “jack-o-lantern teeth” style…
it is much easier to auger into the sand than the traditional angle cut…
can be accomplished with a hand hacksaw or woodsaw…
I cut mine with a 4 1/2" grinder, takes less than 3 minutes.
4USC that sounds like a pretty good pro tip right there.
Wicked fishing
heres what i did: go to any hardware store in the scrap section and picked up a 4-5 foot section of 1.5" steel pipe (what was available) and cut it in half. when you get to the surf, smack one end into the sand good and hard, then wiggle it in circles, up and down, … to get it deep into the sand. another trick is to pull the pipe out after getting it into the sand a foot or so, shake the sand out of the pipe quickly, then put it back in the hole and repeat wiggling it into the sand. that trick works great in wet sand and once a good foot and a half deep (no shovel needed) it may as well be set in cement. when set good i cant move it sideways leaning my whole body weight into it and steel wont snap like pvc. i used the pvc/steel pipes before and a 5 foot blacktip had something else to say about it. i got to my rod right in time before i lost it, but this is why i went for the steel pipe rather than pvc. i did however keep that broken sand spike as a souvenir of my first beach shark (non sharpnose) and to prove right any fish story i feel like telling to any of my northern friends 
I use PC PVC pipe skewed cut on one end & on that skew end I bolt a concrete keyway stake to teh end to help get it down in the sand.
Here are a few pics of the ones I made.
All Day I Dream About Fishing
Malibu eXtreme
Hobie Pro Angler
Adidaf that is some fine looking surf rod holders you got
their. Nothing like the right equipment to get the job done.
Wicked fishing
I have found that the key is digging the same 3 feet down parallel to the shoreline.
Back in the day…I used pvc for the rod and a tent stake a few feet inshore with a tether strap between it and the pole. Worked for me.