220 Louisiana Sportsman^ | April 2015
Like many surf fishermen, one item
that Glenn Russo of Castle Hayne, N.C.,
can’t do without is a sand spike to hold
those 9- and 10- and 11-foot surf rods.
Sand spikes come in different materials
and sizes. Russo discovered a way to
make sand spikes that could be used for
rods of different lengths and in sand of
different consistency.
“I use a 42-inch section of PVC pipe, 1 ½
inches in diameter,” Russo said. “It cost $6,
and I have been using it for several years.”
He saws the bottom of the PVC pipe at a 45-degree angle to
make it easier to push into the sand, then drills holes through the
pipe from side to side in four different spots on the pipe: 11 inches
from the top, then 3 more 3 inches apart. He slides a 2 ½-inch
hitch pin through the holes at different heights depending on the
length of the rod it’s holding.Holden Mathews of Elon, N.C., has been in a fix that
a lot of fishermen have experienced. The foam or cork
grip on your rod’s handle gets worn and slick, and you
need to be able to get a good hold on it.
Some fishermen have used gauze tape, but Mathews
went to another sport for help, finding a spool of the
tape that baseball players use to wrap the handles of
their bats.
“I decided to put some baseball bat tape on the han-
dle of the rod and it has made the grip on it so much
better,” Mathews said..Rod slick? Grip it
like a baseball bat
Make an
adjustable
sand spike
PVC pipe, drill and hitch
pin do the job
tips & tactics
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or e-mail to: [email protected]*Manufacturers choice. We’ll get your prize out to you within 8 to 10 weeks. We reserve the right to substitute prizes of equal value.Baseball bat handle tape is a good
alternative when the grips on your
fishing rods get too slick. A quick wrap
makes a world of difference.Empty pill bottle can
become popping cork
“Have empty pill bottles? You can use these to make your own
rattle corks,” said Larry Gaudet of Belle Chasse, La. “I used BBs and
jingle bells i bought. I made sliding corks and fixed models. They
tend to lay flat and a make a lot of noise. You can add or remove
contents.”
Gaudet cut a small length of fuel line from an outboard engine,
then drilled a center in both ends of the bottle, slightly smaller
than the diameter of the hose. He then cut a short piece of hol-
low, plastic dowel rod for a tight fit in the hose and drills a hole
through the dowel rod, long ways.
Gaudet uses tiny jingle bells but said that anything that makes
noise can go inside the pill bottle to rattle around. They can be
added or subtracted simply by removing the bottom cap.
Gaudet stuffs a tiny plastic bead in the the end of the plastic
dowel rod and then threads his line through the plastic dowel
and the bead, which can be moved to adjust the depth he wants
to fish.A discarded pill bottle
is the building block for
a homemade popping/
rattling cork.A long piece of PVC pipe
with holes drilled at sev-
eral levels makes a great
adjustable sand spike.Some people have 2 boats,
1 for offshore and 1 for inshore.
And then some people
just have a Tideline.
A true hybrid, the Tideline 235 can do anything a bay boat can do but is more offshore capable than any bay
boat on the market today. With a shallow draft, it tracks very well with a bow mount trolling motor, is quiet
with no hull slap, and is a great inshore vessel. But unlike so many other bay boats, the Tideline 235 Hybrid
is truly offshore capable. Rigged with twin engines, a large fuel capacity, insulated fish boxes, and a soft
and dry cat ride, this boat is just as comfortable outside the inlet as it is staying inside.