When bank fishing, a good rod holder can help you catch more fish and keep you from loosing expensive gear. While there are many great commercial options for boat rod holders, there are not many good quality rod holders for bank fishing that can stand up to very large catfish. I found several at BPS but, was not 100% confident they would keep my rods safe without me standing over them. These pole holders are similar to the ones I made here but, seemed too light and flimsy to handle a big fish. With a few tools, you can make a strong and inexpensive rod holders from materials that are easy to get at any hardware or home improvement store. I was able to build 6 of these for around 35-40 bucks.
For 6, you will need:
- A 10 foot stick of 1 1/4 or 1 1/2 diameter pvc pipe: $3.73. Just be sure it is large enough to accomodate your rod butts.
- 10-12 feet of 1 1/2 x 1 1/2 slotted angle. This is about 10 bucks per 4 foot stick at Home Depot but, I got a few 10 foot sticks from a local garage door company for 10 bucks each.
- A bunch of 1/4 inch carriage bolts, washers, and nuts: $5.00 or so.
- Something to cut the angle and pvc. A grinder, jig saw, air saw, sawzall, or even a hack saw should get the job done.
- A drill and 1/4 inch drill bit.
- A 7/16 inch wrench to tighten the bolts.
- A can of Rustoleum spray paint in your choice of color: $6.00.
To get started, cut the pvc into 12″ lengths. You can adjust the length to suit your needs but, 12″ should work well for most rods.
Second, cut the angle into 24″ lengths and trim one end off to a point so it will be easy to push into the ground. When assembled, this will give you 12″ to push in the ground. If you fish alot of very soft ground, such as sand, you can make them longer so they will hold better.
Give all of the pieces of angle a couple of coats of paint and allow them to dry completely.
Place a piece of pvc in the angle and align the top of the pvc with the top of the angle. This will allow you to beat the rod holder into hard ground without smashing the pvc.
Drill a hole on each side, at the top and bottom of the pvc. You can use the holes in the angle as a guide.
Put in 4 carriage bolts giong from the inside of the pvc out through the angle. This will leave the inside smooth with nothing to damage the handles of your rods. Tighten them up snug with a wrench and you are good to go!
We used these for the first time last week and they worked flawlessly. They hold the rod very solid, are not too heavy to carry, and are easy to see. So long as your drag is set properly, you will never have to worry about a fish stealing your fishing rod!
In future articles we will show you some more great DIY options for bank rod holders and boat holders as well.
Source: Catfish Training
