Purely For Pleasure - on the Pole

[GrahamM]

Dave's article tells us how much pleasure there is to be enjoyed from pole fishing. And as a newcomer to pole fishing myself I have to agree. I'm loving it.

Do you think more of us should get the blinkers off and try a new approach, rather than just assume something is not for us?

 

[Alan Roe]

I have and still use the pole from time to time. I started using them back in the 70s when there were few around the Steads "Steadfast" fibreglass pole was the the one to own in those far off days.
My father and I cleaned up in local matches using them, as few in this area would invest in one!My current pole is one of the Maver range.
Fishing the pole can be a lot of fun on its day and in its place though since I stopped match fishing (I now work most weekends) I have found that I use it a great deal less than i used too as I personally find that for much of my fishing I get more pleasure out of rod and 'pin'. The pole is a very useful tool but keep it in its place.
In my opinion anglers should if they are able try to experience as much of the wonderful diversity that angling is able to offer. They will find that aspects of one discipline will tranfer to others and improve their all round abilities as well as being a lot of fun to learn.

 

[GrahamM]

That's right, the more any of us can try all aspects of fishing - and by that I mean all aspects of sea, game and coarse fishing - the more we will understand each other's fishing pleasures.

And that can only lead to a greater unison across the sport.

 

[Alan Roe]

Which right now is one of the things we need most as angling is coming under pressure from all sorts of sources from the poluters on one side to the antis on the other.
Have you noticed the similarity between thes people and Hitlers nazis. Both groups wish to dominate the lives of others to make them submit to their bigotry and both are prepared to use casual violence to achieve their despotic aims.
These people are the new faschist pigs of this generation..
Not that i am a person of strong opinions!!!

 

[paul williams]

Alan, bit heavy for a thread entitled "Purely for pleasure" mate!
On a lighter note, the pole or a whip can be great for teaching kids without the worry of running lines, reels etc.

 

[Alan Roe]

Yes Ok sorry about that I do tend to get steamed up about that issue..
You are right about the use of whips though for starting kids on both of mine were started in this way and they are both competent performers with rod and reel nowadays..In fact it is my lad who keeps getting into the Anglers mail ansd on the net for his fish ....not that I am jelouse of course!!!!

 

[Alan Cooper]

Watch that whip Alan - you'll be using it on the antis next! I remember saying to you when I was up that I have never owned or ever used a pole. I am certainly not "anti" by any means - I just can't really see the advantage. Can people convince me?

 

[Alan Roe]

Alan the real advantage of a pole is in the area of presentation you can feed and present a bait with unbelievable precision. this is perhaps at it's most obvious when fishing on one of the toughest stretches of water I know the Lancaster Canal!!!on this bit of water you either get it right or catch nowt!!next time you come up I will show you what i mean if you can find the time.
pole fishing revolutionised the match scene firstly on the canals then on stillwaters the internal elastication system makes for comparitivly quick and easy landing of fish once you have it set up correctly for the venue that you are fishing. The pole allows you to fish very tightly to features e.g. marginal weedgrowth and at the same time allows you to hustle a fish away form trouble very quickly. Another other big advantage when fishing the long pole short line way is that you can connect exceedingly quickly to bites.
The fact that you do not have to cast reduces the amount of fuss and splash when your end tackle enters the water.
The lack of need to cast also allows you to use much finer end tackles than you would be able too compared with fishing the rod on a hard fought winter leauge gruller on the 'cut' I would think nothing of going down to a 6oz hooklength tied in 'Double Strength'line and hook sizes ranging from 26 down to 32s!!!and use a single joker for bait.
Using the pole allowed me to do this for the reasons outlined above.
The pole is suficiently versitile to also be used by match anglers cathing carp up to double figures of some of todays commercial fisheries thought the elastic that these lads use is a world away from the sort of elastics we use on the canals!!
As discussed above the whip and thence the pole is a great way of helping kids get into this wonderful sport of ours as they dont have the problem of having to work out how a reel works and casting ...Those pleasures can come later!!Lets face it the pole is just an upmarket step from the traditional boys stick and string.
That should get a few going!!!
I hope that this gives you an idea of some of the advantages of the pole.

 

[GrahamM]

Spot on Alan, and I would add that the pole also makes it a cinch to make the hookbait dance a little and rise and fall in the water, all without losing position. Something you can't do with rod and line unless you're fishing under the rod tip.

And all those little, tatalising movements of the bait make all the difference on some days.

 

[DAVE COOPER]

As the author of the article, the message I was trying to convey was that the pole is both fun to use and a useful tool that will outfish other methods on the day. You don't have to fish it really fine either to benefit from the enhanced presentation. You don't even have to use proper pole floats if you don't want to. Theres no rule that says you can't set up a waggler on the pole. A novice will find this easier to start with as a waggler rig is relatively tangle proof when compared to a pole float rig.

 

[Philip Inzani]

One other thing the pole is not just a method for small fish either. Just this weekend I watched a guy clean up on the river Itchen with some fantastic roach. He was fsihing a far bank slack with the current this side of it racing through. As was mentioned a bit further up, the pole allowed him to get the presentation exactly right. I also knew a guy who used to use the pole to freeline for big Roach and Rudd with very light tackle. He used to swear that it was easier to land a good one with a pole and elastic than it was with a conventional running line.

 

[James Ayling]

There are several other advantages in using the pole which have not been mentioned.

Firstly, it is an absolutely superb tool for mapping the contours of your swim with a plummet. It's amazing how many small but significant fish holding features can be found in barren swims.
When these features are found you can introduce your feed with pinpoint accuracy by using a cupping system.

Poles are usually sold with several spare top kits. This makes it possible to use two or three different set-ups in the same spot to cover all eventualities.This is a lot quicker than setting up two or three rods, and probably cheaper.

Until I started using the pole I did not realise how many fish feed off the bottom. During the summer, I now catch far more quality fish up in the water than I do by fishing on the deck. I know that you can use the waggler for this method but I find it far more productive on the pole.

As others have stated, the pole should only be used when and where appropriate. It can be an addictive method resulting in anglers suffering from 'poleitis'.

 

[Carp Angler]

Not only light line, agreed.
great for tenching over marginal weed and lillies.

As an aside, I have used the pole and cup to place my rigs under bushes etc. when carping.

 

[Alan Cooper]

Ok guys - I'm now back from holiday and you've convinced me! What really did it for me was Philip's image of the bloke on the Itchen fishing for roach. I immediately thought of a couple of swims on the Avon that (I thought previously) can only be legered with the rod high in the air. Not so! Strange how it takes just an image to fire the imagination. I know I could use a pole to reach right across to these swims. So I shall put one on my list! Thanks fellas.

 

[Alan Roe]

Hello Alan Nice to see you back did you have a good holiday??