Homemade Fishing Carts
- To decide what cart best suits your needs, focus on three things. First, where are you going to take your cart? This will help you with your wheel set-up. Some places are more hospitable to certain wheels than others. For instance, a soft, sandy terrain requires a larger wheel. Second, consider the kind of gear and how much of it you want to haul with your fishing cart. Account for all the gear you plan to take with you. Third, decide how you plan to transport your fishing cart. You may need one that is collapsible.
- An upright fishing cart can be made by transforming one of many manufactured carts designed for a different use. For example, get a simple hand truck with its high-back frame, wheels at the bottom and a flat base. Secure some 1 1/2-inch PVC pipes to the high back supports of the hand truck with some zip ties or hose clamps and you have pole holders. Attach a 16- to 18-inch square piece of plywood to the base of the hand truck with bolts or screws to make a larger base for your fishing cart. You can even drill two holes on the outer edge and run bungee cords back to the high back supports of your fishing cart, adding more support for your base. For a collapsible cart, just add a hinge on the plywood you attached to the base, allowing it to fold in on the cart when not in use and be held by the bungee cords.
- Flat carts are popular and can be made with a wide variety of techniques, such as building one with your own frame. Depending on your skill, budget and time, your cart can have welded materials, wood or even a PVC frame with and axle and wheel system. There is also the simple approach of taking something such as an old shopping cart or a small plastic wheelbarrow and converting it to a fishing cart. Do this by attaching some 1 1/2-inch PVC pipes to the sides with some zip ties or hose clamps for fishing pole holders and possibly changing the wheels as the terrain dictates.
