Tripod or Sand Spike ?

I had an argument with an American fishing buddy about what is best Tripod or Sand Spike.

His take is that a tripod would pull over easier...only if the tripod is not dug in properly IMO. The only point I can see where a spike wins over a tripod, is that you can get your rod tip higher, I cant think of another one, can you!

I would like to hear if anyone has ever used a sand spike or mono-pod (as some call them) and the good and bads from both angles, if there is any.

Thanks,
Tom.

I bought one in France after having my tripod go over twice! Most of the French, Spanish and Italians use them on the beaches.

In sand, they are preferable to a tripod on many occasions. If you have two rods, you can move each rod independantly - good and bad on this one. If it's a very shallow beach and you have to keep moving back, this can be a pain, but many of the beaches allow only a few moves back as the tide approaches. If you're only fishing one rod - the a spike is a good way to go. There are good and bad spikes of course, so opinions can vary.

If you are on pebbles, or small stones, the spike is hard to dig in. Generally you have to dig a hole and bury the thing!

If you are on rocks, I find a tripod preferable, but do tie my tackle bag underneath the tripod to anchor it down. Had a few bird stikes and a couple of takes which would have pulled the tripod over if it wasn't anchored.

i was given a spike by a lad who was moving back to france(french of coarse), and used it only three times and i've had it nearly three years..

the reason i dont use it is because it is very hard to find a beach that has a good depth of sand that is solid enough to hold the spike in place...
and you are limited to just beach fishing unless you jam it between two rocks..

i much prefer to use tripod because you can use it virtually anywhere.. as for getting rod tips higher, i have no problem with the tripod.. just dig the back prong in deep and move the butt cups(yeah in know, sounds funny doesn't it) further up the stand leg..

Ian,

Thanks for the imput :)

In the words of another Ian...Golds, if your rod stand pulls over, more often than not, your not useing it right. his words not mine. If the back leg is dug in far enough at the right angler, faceing the right way to heavy tide or weed, then the front legs should dig in deeper, but the stand should never pull over.

Regards spikes and moveing...some of the American guys use 3 spike to fish 2 rods...4 to fish 3 rods etc...they have one ready for a rod, then take the last spike out and so on. hard work I think.

Personally I think a lot of people ( not saying you do) just place the tripod down and never dig the back leg in far enough at the right angle.

On rocks or a jetty, your right to add as much weight to the underneath as possible, like you say, birds, some of those gulls are massive, got a Pelican in my line once....nightmare...almost lost the lot, good job my line had gone a little slack before it hit :(

Steve,

Thats exactly what I do if I need any height, cups higher and back leg in deep at a better angle.

Tom.

Last edited by Rockhopper on Sun Jul 16, 2006 2:21 am, edited 1 time in total.

Never had any bother with my tripod. Don't always fish sandy beaches either, so a spike would be useless to me anyway.

My da would always bring a 2-3 ft piece of plastic pipe with him if he was coming beach fishing with me and use that. Pain in the arse to push in far enough to hold though...

Made a few tripods in my days and I have always found that while fishing in bad sea conditions the best way to keep the tripod from going over is to fill a plastic bag with sand or stones and hang it from the top of the tripod. This changes the centre of gravity and makes it harder for it to topple over.

I recently had a brainwave (I know that is rare) and bought a pack of 6 bungee cords in Homebase.

I bring one with me every time I go fishing now - why? I hear you ask...

On rock marks, you can usually dig the metal hook at one end into a gap in the rocks and then connect the other end to the tripod - thus providing a perfect anchor.

If fishing the beach, I will hook the bungee either to my 5 gallon bucket filled with water or to my seat box.

Tripod will always be held in place.

Jude

Not really answering your question but if you ask me neither. I always hold the rod. Less chance of missing any bites or a take, especially with Bass.

A sand spike will only work in sand and is useless in stone or rock. Even in sand if the water comes in around a sand spike it will soften the sand causing it to become less stable. The tripod can be used in all terrains,
tripod: 10
sand spike: zip