Bait Launcher Cannon

[TrackerPro16]

I have been looking into ocean beach/saltwater fishing of late and ran across some videos and sites where people are using air cannon/launchers to get their rig further out without using waders and going out into the surf. I used to build spud (potato) cannons years ago and it caught my eye. There were also giant sling shots (which I also have ) to do the same. Pros? Cons? Anyone used one?

[Larry3215]

Sounds like fun, but you would have to be sure your bait was the kind that stayed on really good

[TrackerPro16]

They make a 'chum sickle' the size of the launch tube that has the hooks and bait in it. Chums as it thaws...

[TrackerPro16]

I typed in 'bait cannon' and this was one of the first ones to come up. There are a bunch. This is a commercial unit. There are a few of them as well. The difference between the potato cannons I used to make and these is we used to ignite hair spray to get the pressure, these use compresses air. I am thinking it is not worth the trouble at this point but reserve the right to change my mind at a later date.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7NXgqrXvnzU

[Larry3215]

That looks like a lot of fun actually.

Here is a video on how to DIY one. Looks easy and cheap to do.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iRS4ucMn7T0

One thing occurred to me - you would want to be 100% sure you remembered to flip your bail open! It would be a shame to watch your rod flying off into the surf!!

[TrackerPro16]

Ya. I have watched that one as well. If you are going to build one look at a number of the DIY vids before settling in on what you want to build so you don't build it twice. I would use the electric sprinkler valve (or two) with a switch as it seems to release the quickest, which makes the best use of the air charge.
There are a number of different barrel sizes people are using. The bigger diameter ones are launching more weight, but require more air to do it. The little 12V compressors use a fair amount of battery, so I would think a smaller chamber used with a smaller diameter barrel would be good if you were going to do a number of launches.
Watching a bunch of surf fishing videos of the Washington and Oregon Coast I will probably try using my waders and just casting out or parallel to the beach at first. Was down by Grayland Sunday and brought some gear but not my waders. I decided to bag it but will make the effort soon.
On the reel bail, yeah, that could be a problem... I am thinking it would just snap the line though. That is why I quit using a reel with my bowfishing rig. Bumped the handle a couple times. Once it just snapped off the 200 lb line and I lost my bowfishing arrow, another time it came back at me. That was the last time I used a fishing reel... Retreiver reels all the way now. And 'Safety Slide' arrows. Much safer.

[TrackerPro16]

That's perfect! Then you are free to give him crap if you don't like it... Well, you pretty much have to give him crap anyway. It's a brother thing!
In the video's I have watched I have not seen anyone use a hairspray powered cannon to launch bait. I suppose it could be it adds scent but I doubt it would add much. It would certainly lessen the amount of 'stuff' you would have to take. They do 'boom' pretty loud, so that could be an issue with some folks. I don't think the bait weight would be a problem as potato's are pretty dense and they seem to work fine.
The last potato cannon I made had a piss oak formed grip handle with a BBQ igniter imbedded in it for a trigger and a site snapped on the side. All out of PVC of course. Looked like a bazooka!
I had to laugh when I went to pick up pieces at Lowe's. One of the employee's walked by and said, without hesitation, "You building a potato cannon?". When I said "yes" proceeded to grab everything off the shelves that was on my list without looking at the list. Pretty funny. That was quite a few years ago when it seemed like everyone was making them. Still have the plans around here somewhere...

[Larry3215]

Yeah, I was thinking those same things as I watched those videos. Id use a large ball valve - same diameter as the barrel at least - or the electric valves for sure. You would want more than one electric to keep the size of the opening large. Faster opening and free flow of the air are both going to be critical.

Ive been leery of potato cannons since I saw one explode. Im sure it was user stupidity/error. I went to school with the idiot and he was one of those "Hold my beer and watch this" kind of guys. One of the joints on the combustion chamber end popped. No doubt due to poor construction technique. No one was hurt other than stinging hands, but it still makes me worry about using one.

I also wonder if the extra shock might not tend to break up the ice pellet?

[TrackerPro16]

I watched for stressing at the joints and corners. They start turning a lighter color over time. Time to replace it! Lots less 'shock' with the air system.
You can get the 1" electric sprinkler valves pretty cheap but they go up quickly for anything bigger. Watching the vids it seems that the ball valve cannons waste a lot of air as the bait 'bullet' is gone and there is still a lot of air being released. The 1" electric sprinkler valves seem popular but most are converted to be manual/mechanical. Just to be safe I would probably have an 'arming' switch and a 'fire' switch running it electrically. I would go electric valve only to try to reduce the air chamber size. The quicker release time should use less air to get it moving. Then again, the ball valve ones obviously work. If I used the ball valve I would spring load it to open and make some sort of release trigger for it.
Always fun thinking about projects like this!