Pole fishing is a unique form of fishing that is used to catch fish like carp through float fishing. It entails sticking a very long, from eleven to sixteen feet or more, pole out into the middle of a stream, river or lake to drop in float bait where fish are swimming. Instead of reeling the fish in, as you would with a normal rod and reel, you slowly pull the pole back in while the fish tires and then you are able to net the fish. Many of these poles are telescopic as well, allowing you to expand and contract them as necessary to fish different lengths away from the shore.
This type of fishing allows you total control over where you place the bait in the water and how high or low it floats. Pole fishing is ideal for beginners, because it is easy to learn how to do and requires minimal coordination, but it also takes a while to master. Being able to consistently catch and keep fish on a fishing pole requires a level of expertise and background knowledge.
Basics of Fishing Poles
Most poles found today are designed with elastic in the top few sections. This allows you to catch many more fish than just having a line attached to the end. The elastic acts as a shock absorber between the pole and the fish and also gives the fish some play to fight against until it tires out. The extra line and play that elastic poles give you is extremely important if you are trying to catch bigger, stronger fish like carp. The elastic comes in many different sizes, so you need to adjust the size of elastic you are using to your type of rod, the environment you are fishing in, and, most importantly, the fish that you are trying to catch. Bigger fish will require thicker elastic.
Each pole is built to handle a range of elastics, so for a beginner trying to get an all-around fishing pole, you would want to try to find a pole that takes elastics from size four to size twelve. You should also try to get a pole that is eleven to thirteen feet long. It will still allow you to have ample reach, but won’t be incredibly heavy or hard to handle. When you’re trying to find your pole, also keep in mind that you should try to find one with several different tops to allow you to adjust to changing fishing conditions.
Another type of pole you might want to consider is a carp fishing pole. Carp poles are the heaviest ones available and are designed to accommodate size ten to twenty elastic. This is because carp are much bigger than many other freshwater fish and put up a much harder fight. This requires you to have a heavier rod. However, the extra weight also makes the rod much harder to handle, especially for a beginner.
The last type of pole is a match fishing pole. These poles also are designed for use with ten to twenty gauge elastic, but they are much lighter than carp poles. They are also the stiffest poles and by far the most expensive. They’re designed for catching roach, bream, and other silver fish on river, canals, and other moving bodies of water.
When trying to find the best fishing pole, the most important characteristic is not the weight, it is the stiffness of the rod and how balanced it feels. Feeling the rod is a better gauge of how it will handle than how heavy it is. Also do not forget to count in extra top kits when you are buying a pole. You should have a minimum of three extra top kits and if you spend every penny you budgeted on a pole, you may not have enough left over to buy them.
Fishing Pole Setup and Care
It is important before you start pole fishing to take some time to correctly assemble your pole. Always keep it in a bag when not in use. Before you put the pole together, check all of the parts for dirt and grime on the inside. If there’s dirt in the pole and you assemble it, it scratches the pole and helps to contribute to an early weakening of the joints. After you’ve inspected each piece, simply line up the rings and slide the pole together.
It is important after every fishing trip to properly care for your equipment. Wash off all of the surfaces of the pole with a cloth to get any slime or other leftover from the creek off. Take special care to wash the inside of the pole to get any grime off of those surfaces. If possible, flush the insides of the pole with water and the push a cloth down through to dry. For the top compartments, let them air dry because its too hard to put a cloth down it. Once the pole has sat out for a few hours to dry, pack it back inside your bag and store it until your next fishing trip.
Pole Fishing Tackle
There are a few things you should talk along on any pole fishing trip. Make sure that you bring a fishing pole holder. It will make handling and holding the pole much easier. This is particularly true for beginners. Other tackle that you will need depends on the type of water you are fishing. Other than hooks, floats are the next important piece of tackle to use. Floats indicate your bites and keep your bait at the correct depth. A good rule of thumb for float size is to try to have it sized to one gram per foot of water. Other than floats, you also need split shots, live bait, hooks, and a landing net.
Pole Fishing Techniques
One of the best tips for pole fishing is to have different rigs ready with the extra tops to your rod before you start fishing. This allows you to quickly change if you want to try to catch a different fish, use a different bait, or conditions change on you.
When you cast your bait in the water, it is also important to have a proper feeding technique. You want to get the fish interested in your floating bait and you do this by feeding the fish in a certain way. Throw a few pieces of bait around your line every time you cast out and keep feeding the fish. The goal is to only throw out a little bait, but keep it consistent. You don’t want to fill up the fish, but you do want to keep them interested in your bait.
Another good technique to learn is how to pull in a fish. You want to use your pole to keep even pressure on the fish and keep the elastic stretched out. This tires the first out the most and when it is tired, slowly work the fish to the surface. Don’t pull too hard however, this many times will cause the hook to slide out. Also make sure you don’t tip the rod too high when you are brining the fish in to keep the tip playful and give the fish something to fight against.
Pole fishing is an ideal fishing technique for both beginners and more advanced fisherman. It is easier for beginners because it doesn’t require any casting abilities, but knowing how to hook a fish and keep it hooked takes some level of expertise. It can also be a way of mixing up your fishing style from the traditional methods fly fishing and using spincasting or baitcasting reels. All in all, it is a wonderful way to pass a sunny afternoon by your local creek or river.
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