Pole or Rod

[countryman]

Now this might sound a stupid question but if you dont ask you dont know,ive allways fished with a rod and as ive recently returned to fishing i find that the pole has made a big impact on the sport now what i want to know is are poles better than rods i see alot of people use them for carp would i be better buying a pole instead of a rod? or do you need both?

Is pole fishing easyer than rods,i know this sounds amaturish to ask but ive never used a pole so i realy dont know what they are like and i realy would feel a pratt asking about this sort of gear in a tackle shop its bad enough going in and starting from scratch with rods im sure they think im thick cos i realy am out of touch.

Thanks Trev

[Peter Waller]

How good is your eyesight? Serious question that! The floats used with poles are less than big, will you be able to see it eleven meters away?

I can't condemn nor praise a pole with the wisdom of experience, but I just can't see any attraction in using a pole whatsoever. Give me a rod, a reel and a river and I'm as happy as the proverbial pig in you know what. But a pole leaves me cold. I like to enjoy owning and using my tackle and a pole offers neither attraction. Stick to your rod mate!

[rickster]

a pole gives you better presentation and the ability to get to those hard to reach places, the only thing i have found with pole fishing is the supprising weight of them when you have got all 14 mtrs out there, i find mine gives me back ache but thats proberly down to bad choice of pole on my half, to me you just cant beat the old rod and line method tho as theres nothing like your clutch screeming off with a carp and i like the ability to be able to gain more control over the fish

[poledark]

There is NOTHING to beat 15lb of angry carp pulling on the end of 11mtrs of strong pole and 14 elastic....and you can take that from someone who has used almost every other form of tackle.

 

Go for it Countryman

 

Den

[Peter Waller]

Interesting comment that Den. As In say, I have never used a pole in anger. Picked one up in the tackle shop, that was enough! And all that unshipping to land a fish!! And good poles ain't cheep either.

 

As a total ludite when it comes to poles it worries me that I would not be in control of the fish as I would with a rod and reel. The elastic, rather than the angler would be in control, and probably very effectively so, but that seems to me to be a tad unattractive, not angling as I know it! Probably my loss.

[Nugg]

countryman:

i know this sounds amaturish to ask but ive never used a pole so i realy dont know what they are like and i realy would feel a pratt asking about this sort of gear in a tackle shop its bad enough going in and starting from scratch with rods im sure they think im thick cos i realy am out of touch.

Thanks Trev

I don't think we have too many Pro's on here my friend so that makes us all amatures. I have never used a pole myself, never had any attraction, for me.

A tackle shop is the very place to ask, thats why they are in business, you can see, or even try the various makes for yourself, before you decide to buy.

Why on earth should you feel a p**tt, did you feel the same when you posted?

Don't put yourself down, you are the one in charge.

Having said that I wish you the best of luck in your quest.

[John S]

Really it comes down to what suits the individual. It is reasonably true to say that to buy a pole strong enough to handle a big carp, you will have to spend a lot of money, far more than the equivalent rod/reel. If you are aiming for specimens, I would recommend a rod and reel every time. If it decides to turn and run, the reel can cope a lot better than a length of elastic. Don't forget, the top poles cost in excess of 4,000 squids!

 

I use a pole (and a whip) when fishing under overhanging trees or bushes where it would be difficult to present the bait properly with a rod and reel, but my choice would be the rod every time.

 

You can buy cheap poles, but do not expect them to perform as well as the more expensive models. If you can, go fishing with someone who has a pole and ask to borrow it for an hour or two. Then decide

 

One thing though.... by using a pole (and in particular, the whip) you are getting back to the roots of angling, when you had to make do with a 6 foot length of hazel with a similar sized length of braided horsehair tied to the end.

 

Nothing changes under the Sun

 

Tight lines

[Andy Macfarlane]

Borrow one? Would you lend me (or anyone) yours to use?

 

The idea of giving a very expensive piece of equipment to someone who is a novice in the sport makes me dizzy.

Isn't that a bit like lending your Audi TT to someone who "fancies a bit of driving"..??

They may be careful but could you really hand it over without the stomach churning feeling of hopeless dispair?

I can see it now..

 

"Do I hold it like this?" they shout

 

"Y-yes b-but mm-ake sure you....." you weep.

 

Imagine it actually got broken!! Embolism followed by a brief journey to the Hospital via the Tackle shop. The wife leaves you and the house gets re-mortgaged.

[Wag]

Countryman, your choice will really depend on where you are going to fish, and what you are going to fish for.

 

For a canal or small pond then a 14m pole will be ideal, especially if there are features at that distance from where you are sitting - which will have to be flat and open behind you so that you can ship the pole back to land any fish you hook.

 

The problem comes when you have a 14m pole and the fish are 20m out, or the nearest fish holding feature is more than the length of your pole away. What do you do then?

 

If you are targeting bigger fish, such as double figure carp or hard fighting fish like barbel, or sneaky buggers like chub which seem to know the exact location of every weed bed and tree root in the swim, you will really struggle to put enough initial pressure on the fish with the pole to stop getting broken off, or snagged. If the fish runs off, and carp are the masters at it, what happens when it gets to 15m away and is still going? The angler in the next swimm is not likely to be too happy with someone waving 14m of carbon fibre running along the bank chasing a strong fish.

 

I'm not being anti-pole, for accuracy and presentation they are unbeatable, but there are many situations where a rod and reel will be a more flexible choice, and a hell of a lot cheaper than a manageable quality pole. You should be able to get yourself kitted out with a few good rods (say a 13ft match, a 12ft leger/avon, and a 10ft spinning/lure rod) and a couple of quality reels and spare spools, plus all the terminal tackle you'll ever require for the same price as a good pole.

 

I know which choice I'd make, but there are an awful lot of very successful pole anglers who would argue with it!

[Rob Ward]

Rods for me every time, I wouldnt feel like I was fishing without a reel!