Make your own rod leashes...?

I don't know "if" this has been posted here on NCKF B-4 but, I was forwarded this video from a member of the CCKF and I tried it and it IS "the trick"!



The credits go to Professor Salt for making the video, and to Mad Cat for the forward.

I Zod Out

very cool

Yes!! I do the same thing - really thin bungee, and lots of stuff you can get at the hardware store... I keep them SHORT - no more getting tangled on the kayak!

Thanks for the post. I have some line from an old weed eater I wasn't sure what to do with. 

Are the crimps he use with hammer any better or worse then the kind used with a crimping tool?

I've given up on leashes.  I've seen my buddies get tangled on them at the wrong place at the wrong time.

I can still remember 3 occasions, we were done fishing and re-entering from a surf launch. Upon getting off their yaks one of their feet got tangled on those leashes.  Its a good thing somebody was around to untangle them or cut the leash.  The next wave would have rolled them leashed to their kayaks. 

Oh yah make sure you have a knife attached to your pfd.

Are the crimps he use with hammer any better or worse then the kind used with a crimping tool?

No, the hammer crimps are No better than the ones made for the crimping tool (I "think" they are the same anyway). I also think(?) an electrical grounding crimp would work just as well, but it would probably rust in time.

I have my first set boiling on the stove right now, and after I freeze, reverse twist, and rig them, I'll let you know if I lose any gear after the 1st of May, Ha!

I Zod Out

PS, the leash for the paddle probably should be a bit longer than the one for a pole or plier?

I Zod Out

I've given up on leashes.  I've seen my buddies get tangled on them at the wrong place at the wrong time.

I can still remember 3 occasions, we were done fishing and re-entering from a surf launch. Upon getting off their yaks one of their feet got tangled on those leashes.  Its a good thing somebody was around to untangle them or cut the leash.  The next wave would have rolled them leashed to their kayaks. 

Oh yah make sure you have a knife attached to your pfd.

I have been tangled with longer ropes and the paddle cord a couple times.  I wanted a few tighter ones for my vhf radio and few other things I want close by.

Also want to make some for my friends boat.  Lost my favorite rod/reel last year when his downrigger rod holder snapped off. 

Knife on vest is a good idea. 

I don't know "if" this has been posted here on NCKF B-4 but, I was forwarded this video from a member of the CCKF and I tried it and it IS "the trick"!



The credits go to Professor Salt for making the video, and to Mad Cat for the forward.

I Zod Out

Thanks IZod.......FYI this is NCKA not NCKF 

Floatation yes. Leashes no.

I made a bunch of those from another video I found. They're easy to make and work great.

Floatation yes. Leashes no.

Even though I don't practice as I preach,  Tote is right… I use a similar method with old cell phone car charger cords…  I've been lucky so far and keep "several" knives at close range…  the only time I've really needed these is when I'm fishing with my boys and absolutely lose it trying to help them land fish as nothing is so exciting as seeing your young ones on fish out of a yak.  7 times after those events,  there have been one of my rods Dangling off the side of my yak… 

other than that, never really needed them and should switch to a floatation device….  when on the salt,  one should taylor every advantage one has toward safety …

  again, though, I'll probably stay with my system as it is and hopefully survive that faithful day when it all goes wrong…  kind of like a proper diet to prevent cardiovascular disease, we won't give up the bag of potato chips till that elephant sits on your chest….

  (see pic of disaster in wait…)

how many entanglements can you count in pic?

no prize for correct answer other than possibly your life….   

Ciao! 

I am listening to the arguments against the use of leashes. Having heard similar arguments in the past decades in regard to surfboards, I was an opponent of them for years.  A ding in a fiberglass board is usually repairable, and there is a degree of safety in being able to shed the board in rough seas.

Currently however as a kayaker, this past 2013 year I lost 2 rods over the side of my Yak. One fresh water rod was on a lake where I fumbled the rod and it sank from view. The second was in the Pacific, where I bumped a fairly new (to me) 7' stick with my elbow when it was supposedly secure in a rod holder behind me, and the 4 oz. jig at it's tip quickly took it to the bottom. 

So, I have some direct experience in losing equipment. I figure I am currently in a position where the Water is + 2 and I am - 2.
I want to rectify my position.

As per the video above, here are some pics of today's  experiments with the making of coiled leashes.

Boiling the coils


Freezing the coils


Removing the Mandrels


After removing the coils from the mandrels


I Zod Out

You won't loose a rod to the drink if you do this either.

http://palmettokayakfishing.blogspot.com/2011/09/build-rod-leash-for-kayak-fishing.html

This is what I use.  The cable clamps are cheap, can be undone with one hand, don't corrode, and don't damage the finish on rods or reals.   I crimp everything in my vise.  Also I can only echo the admonition about safety in the ocean.  Usually I only leash one extra rod.  I never leash the one I am fishing with, only the one behind me that I bring as a spare.

You won't loose a rod to the drink if you do this either.

I agree w/ Tote.  I use smaller gray pipe insulation from any hardware store and tested them.  Your rod and reel will float rod tip pointing up.