Cheap Steak Out Pole

[LivelyBaits]

Probably a dumb question but wouldn't a floating stake-out pole make it more difficult to keep underwater in the mud? Besides, if you keep it tethered why even bother?

If you had no muscles, yes it would be difficult to stick it in the mud

[mudfish]

Sorry, I was a bit unclear with that query. Actually I was thinking more along the lines of it wanting to come back up with every movement and pull of the boat or wave as opposed to just staying down from it's weight, gravity etc.

[seeinred]

Sorry, I was a bit unclear with that query. Actually I was thinking more along the lines of it wanting to come back up with every movement and pull of the boat or wave as opposed to just staying down from it's weight, gravity etc.

My thoughts exactly, which is why I didn't do that... lol.

[Redfisher]

Here's another idea:

All items can be found at Home Depot.

3/4" schd 40. (Thin wall, has the red letters on it for drinking water)
Push Broom handle with the metal threaded portion on the bottom.
(Find the right one, it should fit up inside the pvc snuggly, do not force it as it will get stuck and never come out, plus if you do get it to go up inside it will cause the pvc to swell)
Get a "T" and some end caps.
Cut the bottom at a 45 degree angle.
Add a 1" x 1/4" x 20 SS bolt on the top for your camera to mount on.

This will float and is super strong, much stronger than just a piece of pvc, plus it doesnt cost much to make. I've made several for forum members.

Does this one look familiar? Follow these directions and you won't need another stake out pole.

[Dog Guide]

Here is a couple pics. I think a key thing is the eye bolt going thru the PVC, "T" and dowel.

[firejoe]

do you put the broom handle inside the the pvc and if you cut the end at a 45 wont it fall out i'm looking at the pic and all i'm seeing is pvc painted green.

[Redfisher]

do you put the broom handle inside the the pvc and if you cut the end at a 45 wont it fall out i'm looking at the pic and all i'm seeing is pvc painted green.

PM Heywood with your question. I think the wood handle just jamms in there tight but he may use some glue or something.

[Dog Guide]

do you put the broom handle inside the the pvc and if you cut the end at a 45 wont it fall out i'm looking at the pic and all i'm seeing is pvc painted green.

I use a dowel but a broostick will work too. I think with Heywoods, he uses the camera mount bolt to secure the broomstick. I put some construction glue inside mt pvc and the inserted the dowel AND ran my eyebolt thru the "T", the pvc and the dowel, this will keep the dowel inside the pvc for sure.

[Heywood]

Nope, no glue or anything else. If you pick the right broom handle, its fits just right and after a while the wood will swell inside the pvc. It will never come out.

It also floats and is super strong. I've picked up my kid with mine and would suspect it would hold a lot of weight if need be.


Ryan, glad to see one of my children doing well

[krash]

I use a very similar design, except a 5' length of 1/2" Sched. 40 PVC, T, and 2 end caps, 5' of 3/16" line, 12" bungie loop, and plastic hook. Maybe $10 bucks the line, bungie, & hook are the most expensive parts.

Drilled a hole in the top of the T, ran the line through the hole, tied a double half hitch, coated throuroughly with 5200, pulled it tight up inside the T.

Forced a wad of paper down a few inches into the pipe, filled in with a nice glob of 5200, glued the end caps and the T to the top. Hung over night by the line til the 5200 set up good. Thought this would hold enough air to make it float.

Next day, cut the end at 45 degrees for sticking into the mud. Added a stick on Florida Law Sticker (be aware some stores wally-mart still sell out of date stickers), for quick reference and fish measurement.

After the first use I realized it sinks and holds a nice little collection of smelly Mingo mud until you get it into your car and then it slowly leaks all over your car. Sinking is not a real problem except I sometimes I just pull the stake and let it drag while drifting or fighting a fish, and I was afraid it would get hung up on something.

New Modification:
Shoved a wad of paper up a couple inches into the angle cut end, proped it up at a 45 degree angle, filled that end with 7 minute epoxy for a nice hard filler. Could not find a dowell that fit. Now it floats well, does not hold mud, and works great. If I had to release it in a hurry I can easily retreive it floating away, or someone else might happen along a nice little stake out pole.

A new issue, if you catch a fish while staked out its not so easy to measure with the stake in the ground.

Some would say 1/2" is not strong enough, but so far after many uses it works great in my areas. I have a 12" loop of bungie secured to the line and hook, the pvc bends and gives a good bit as you're staked out with shifting wind and currents.

[Kayaker Guy]

Uhhhhhhhhhhhh, dumb newbie question: Why and where does one use a stake out pole? I mainly fish over rocks and gravel, so I'm assuming they're used in soft mud, like down in the keys and other tidal areas? So I use an anchor where I've been fishing.

What's the benefit to using a pole as opposed to a light anchor?

Thanks.

[LivelyBaits]

Uhhhhhhhhhhhh, dumb newbie question: Why and where does one use a stake out pole? I mainly fish over rocks and gravel, so I'm assuming they're used in soft mud, like down in the keys and other tidal areas? So I use an anchor where I've been fishing.

What's the benefit to using a pole as opposed to a light anchor?

Thanks.

You're assuming correctly. The stake-out works great in the silty areas but not great on the hard packed sand, oysters or those gravel-ey areas you were talking about.

I use the anchor most of the time but there are certain areas I'll go that I'll always take the stake-out pole along

Nice piece of equipment Spencer.

[Kayaker Guy]

Forgive my ignorance as I've never used a stake out pole. But why not use use an old broomstick, sharpened at one end with a hole drilled for a line at the top?

[Kayaker Guy]

I want to make stake out pole before I go down to S Florida in March.

I went to Wal-Mart and Home Depot just seeing what I could fabricate. At Wal-Mart I found two items:

The first was a mop which included a nice lightweight, strong handle of sort sort about 5 feet long. It appeared to be plastic, but could have been metal. It was about 3/4th inch in diameter, and cost under $7. I almost got one, but then couldn't figure out how I'd put a good point on the end after cutting off the mop head. Plus I thought it would pack with mud when I used it.

The second was an adjustable extension handle for a paint roller handle. That was very similar to the mop handle except it was adjustable to longer lengths. The end of the extension was a hard plaster screw type affair. I though maybe I could form it with a Dremel tool to make it sharp if it were not hollow. If it were hollow, I'd have the same problem with mud. THey also offered non-adjustable extensions for about $3. The adjustable one was $8 I think.

At Home Depot I wanted to find the PVC that people have described earlier on this thread but my brain had already forgotten was size and type to get....duh.

Questions:
For the typical Florida Keys skinny water mud, will that sched 40 PVC do the job without filling it with a broom handle for strength? Will be be strong enough to push into the mud by hand without bending? I really like the first pole described in this thread. I tend to go for the most simple solution when possible, but I have no idea how tough a pole has to be to go into the mud down there. I don't want mud to get stuck in there, so at the very least I'd add something at the bevel end to prevent mud from entering.

And I asked I think, what about using an old broom handle? They are pretty strong, and it seems like they would work? I'm a rookie, so forgive my ignorance, please.

Oh, what is "5200" that Krash mentioned? His modification to PVC 40 sounds pretty good to me. I'd want to use 1 inch diameter if possible.

Do most people push the stake out poles through a scupper hole?

What's a good length for a stake out pole for the Mangrove flat areas?

Thanks!

[Heywood]

Here's what you need: Everything can be found at Home Depot.

Find the cleaning supplies section, there look for the wooden broom handles with the metal threaded ends.
Next, go to the pvc section, find the thin wall 3/4" pvc. It will have red letters on it indicating it is used for drinking water. Now take that back to the wooden broom handle section and find a handle that will slid up inside of the pvc. DO NOT FORCE IT. Find one that fits easily.
Now go get a "T" and some end caps. Here you have another option, get a threaded "T" and a threaded end piece, that way you can take the "T" off.
Find a stainless 1"x1/4"x20 (1"inch long x 1/4" diameter x 20 thread count) bolt and a couple of nuts. Drill a hole through the top of the "T", mount your bolt through that. Add a rubber washer and you've got a handy camera mount. (Fits all camera tripod mounts)
Cut the bottom of the finished PVC in a 45 degree angle, this way when you encounter a hard bottom, you can work it back and forth like a drill. Goes into most bottoms easily. Very strong and with the open bottom, the wood absorbs the water and swells, it will never come out of the pvc.

Oh yeah, it floats too.

[Kayaker Guy]

Here's what you need: Everything can be found at Home Depot.

......

Read, printed and now ready for the next trip to Home Depot! Thanks a bunch. About how long do folks make those poles? 4-5 feet sounds about right?