AnotherAngle

Pole Stuff

• Flick Tip
• Elastic Rigging and threading
• Rod and Pole
• Float Things
• Protect that Top 3
• Where to put you pole rear end
• Dapping flies - dry and real

Aside from the ramblings, this stuff is based on my own use of the pole, which is all about the convenience of a fixed line, rather than the speed and sensitivity biased pole fishing that match fishermen use. You are unlikely to see me hunched over my pole [ ;-) ], fishing on the far bank of anywhere with all pole sections out. I'll sneak round the other side and just use the top 4 or 5...

For instance, I would rather keep the pole tip 2 feet from the float, to give me enough line length to re-bait without completely dismantling the pole - I am not convinced the tip next to the float gives me enough of an advantage to offset the nuisance of re-baiting otherwise.

I enjoy using the pole for general fishing, as when the fish are not excessively large it is convenient, satisfying and flexible.

Flick Tip

I spent the first year of pole fishing with a simple wire loop flick tip (which was all there was then, 1978) - then I broke the top 3 inches of the pole off, when striking at a fish on the Thames - the tip was under the water at the time. I had quite a game retrieving the elastic, which luckily was floating, using the end of the broken pole (I finished the day with a temporary eye whipped on with nylon). Anyhow, I made up a tip ring out of a steel wire, which mimicked the quick release float arrangement that was marketed about that time. Here it is:

Elastic Rigging

I kept this until I replaced the pole with a newer 16 foot telescopic in 1990 at a cheap price. Then I graduated to an elastic rig strung inside the pole, and having had experience of a large carp on the pole early on in angling life , I went for a set up as shown below. I take no credit for the idea, I think it was in the Angling times about 1991.

I made a bung out of a large cork, cut and sanded down to the right diameter and araldited a plastic disgorger through the middle so that the end with the hole was stuck about 3 inches through and the disgorger tapered end, that had the hook removing bit on it, out of the other. I then put cut that bit off to remove the taper and smoothed the end. The observant may notice the panel pin stuck through the plastic, embedded in the resin. Not that I'm a belt and braces type of guy... I slipped tubular surgical elastic over the disgorger and whipped it on with thick thread. I used a 15lb "Black spider" braid as it was quite thick and used PVC varnish to seal the whipping.

I doubled over the end of the surgical stuff and whipped a small loop so there is about 4 inches of elastic. Next take your pole elastic and make a large loop with a double over-hand knot about 2 feet in diameter. Thread this through the loop in the surgical and then tie it in another double over-hand loop with itself. Tighten the knots. Tightening knots in elastic is awkward, but I do it by tensioning both ends and rolling the knot up and down until it's snugged down. You should end up with about 4 inches of double elastic, 4 inches of quadruple and 4 inches of surgical. The idea is that when the single runs out of stretch, the double absorbs the shock, and so on. Take care that either of the knots cannot under stretch get jammed inside the top section of the pole. With my current pole I put the bung in the bottom of the 4th section, and this is miles (well OK 6 feet then) from the thin sections where this could happen.

I then stuck it inside the 2nd or 3rd section up (I forget) of the telescopic pole. Thread the pole up, with enough tension to keep it working and tie on a pole elastic connector. Does it work? Are bears Catholic? With this rig and no. 14 elastic and 3lb line, I have landed any number of carp up to 17½lb. As long as the water is open with no snags you can get by with little trouble.

With a very long pole (even mere a 5M) with all the sections on, you can get the line vertically (or very nearly) above a fish for most of a fight, which seems to confuse it and you can baffle a fish to the net.

I wouldn't recommend this for carp fishing though. It's handy if they come along. While you can manage quite a bit with this rig, you still lack power, and getting a large fish to the net can be hard. I believe that this often necessitates totally exhausting the fish to get it to the net, which is not ideal. When I change my old telescopic pole for a new multi section C/fibre 5M, I modified this rig to fit inside the top four sections, but skipped the surgical elastic and just doubled and quadrupled the elastic.

With a 'carp top 3' and size elastic and 5/6lb line you can do a lot. But again there is a lack of power (especially when the elastic is not stretched out), which with large fish can be awkward. I wouldn't set out to catch double figure fish with this myself though. But as a safety net when large fish are around in company with the small it's invaluable. With some commercial fisheries, it's an inevitability that you will hook a carp while fishing for small silver fish, rather than a rare event - which is hardly a good thing. It's partly why I avoid weaker than 3lb line on commercial fisheries, and often fish with 6lb main to a 4lb braid hook-length. This also allows me to avoid split shot on mono line, which I never have total faith in.

While we are on the subject, threading elastic is a pain at the best of times. A threader is well worth having, but I admit I've never bought one, but have one made up out of twisted 8lb Alasticum wire, with the loop end very small. It works well, and is cheap, and coiled up, will sit inside the smallest "seal easy" bag.

Keep some of the old pole elastic - the smallest diameters make good little pole winder stretchers, as shown. Make some up about ¾ of the winder length and some about 1½ times. That'll cover all eventualities.

Rod and Pole

These days I always have a pack of elastic when out with regular rods. On holiday in the Broads, having taken a 2lb t/c carp rod, but wanting to fish for bits and pieces, I made a flick tip of sorts out of the rod by putting about 4 feet of elastic through the rod rings, double once and twice as above and looped over the last ring on the top section (2 piece rod). The other end was threaded through a cork bead (made from a wine cork at the time), drilled out a bit, and then a pole elastic joiner.

The cork bead/pad doesn't do anything other than prevent a break-off punching out the ceramic liner in your tip ring. Looks a bit odd, but works terribly well actually.

Float Things

I'm also not a big fan on the mimsey little rings on the side of some pole floats, which pull out at the slightest pull. While there are occasions when 'top and bottom' attachment is a necessity, bottom end only often works well or better, especially if you do not want the pole overshadowing the float and bait. So I have a few floats with braid eyes whipped on the bottom stem, mostly the ones with thick carbon stems. I use these for margin carp fishing as well. Small porcupine quills turned upside down make good sensitive pole floats for bottom end only fishing.

Protect that 'Top 3'

Likewise I feel that top sections are not that robust in real life. The outer layer on many poles is thin and small knocks or nicks translate to doom under pressure. Do yourself a favour and stick a coat of clear matt varnish over the top 3 sections of your pole. Or even 2 coats. Avoid varnishing the joints together...

Where to put your pole rear end

Lastly I never ship my pole back behind me, never being that much of a hurry (and few places have that kind of space). I use my rod pod to keep sections on. I covered the cross bars with rubber sleeving, and put the sections across them. I angle it a bit back from the water though just in case...you can easily keep them in the right order then as well for adding length in a hurry...I usually put the butt rod rests on the side of the bars nearest me, front and back to rest the pole on when I need to put it down.

Dapping flies - dry and real

Try dapping dry flies with a pole...or live ones. You need to be very quick....