Do-It-Yourself Surf Spike
Bob McNally 08.12.15
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When lures are used, beach anglers hold their rods and reels during the cast-and-retrieve sequence. But when natural bait is employed, rods can be set down until a fish takes.
Naturally, the more baits set out with different rods along a beach area, the more likely a strike. But wise surf fishermen never place their expensive tackle in the sand, which can ruin such gear. Instead, they use a surf or sand spike, which is a rod holder easy to make from PVC pipe.
A 3-foot section of 3-inch diameter PVC pipe is used. One end of the PVC is cut at an acute angle with a saw to sharpen it, which allows easy insertion of the pipe in sand.
About 1-foot from the opposite end of the PVC pipe, a hole is drilled through the center, and a stainless steel bolt with nut is fitted. This acts as a rod-butt stop when a surf rod is positioned in PVC pipe during fishing. A file can be used to round the edges of the PVC end so it doesn’t scar fishing rods or their handles.
Such sand spikes are quick and inexpensive to make, and they’re impervious to saltwater. Thus, a number of rods with natural baits can be set out along a beach area, which maximizes an angler’s efforts to catch many of the fish species readily available in coastal surf.
