Making a Fishing Pole
Pole fishing has been practiced for a very long time, long before the invention of reels, monofilament line, and fiberglass rods. The advantages of a pole are that it allows an angler to reach out from a bank, without exposing himself or casting a shadow onto wary fish below. A pole enhances the feel of when a fish takes the bait, allowing you to set the hook quicker and more surely, because it extends the distance that you can pull. A pole also acts like a spring, bending as a hooked fish pulls against it, but not allowing it the solid yank that it needs to break your fishing line. Lastly, a pole’s butt end can be sunk into the ground, so that it stands upright, and twitches visibly when a fish bites.
Most simple, expedient, and maybe even most valuable, because it can be made virtually anywhere in minutes, is the sapling-type. Find a long, relatively straight sapling, found growing along the banks of every river or body of water where fish live. The pole need not be large in diameter, about three-quarters of an inch in diameter at the base, tapering to about a quarter-inch at the opposite end. A pole this size will hold up against fish up to 8 inches long, making it ideal for pan fishing. For bigger fish, you can increase the diameter and, therefore, strength of the pole.
Tie a length of fishing line around the narrow end of the pole, about an inch inward. Less than 10 feet of line is usually enough, but you might want a longer line if you’re float (bobber) fishing, or if you’d like to “cast”—throw—the hook end farther out into deeper water.