I learned to pole fish long before I owned a boat,” claims Wally Marshall, noted crappie tournament angler and tackle designer from Texas. “I'd wade the backs of shallow coves with a pole, easing among flooded bushes, poking the tip into the cover, and dropping a little jig into pockets.

“It was deadly and still is. I've won several crappie tournaments by wading, when the other competitors were running all over the lake in boats.”As Marshall notes, the appeal of pole fishing is its effectiveness and its simplicity.

In the southern reaches of crappie and bluegill country, pole fishing is common. It includes from family groups on the pond bank hoisting bream and crappie tournament anglers spider-rigging over meandering creek channels with more than a dozen poles deployed. In much of the northern region, pole fishing is practiced far less for reasons based mostly on tradition.

POLE PRESENTATIONS

Spider Rigging: There's no arguing the effectiveness of spider rigging. Boats rigged with rod holders can present poles nearly 360 degrees around the craft. A veteran 2-man crew can run 16 or more poles, often arranged so the longest ones (sometimes 16 feet) jut from the middle of the gunnels, with progressively shorter ones toward the bow and stern.

Spider riggers gaze at sonar units to follow creek channels, submerged roadbeds, fence rows, or other submerged structure that holds crappies when they're off the bank. During the Prespawn Period in large reservoirs like Lake Weiss and Kentucky Lake, crappies typically stage in large groups.

In many northern states, regulations prohibit more than one or two rods to be used. Ohio allows just 2 poles per person, but the father and son team of Bob and Rick Jones finds spider rigging effective to locate and catch crappie.

“In our home waters, we fish four 12-foot poles set off the bow. To rig, we tie a bell sinker at the end of each line,” Bob Jones reports. “We vary the weight from 1/8 to 1 ounce, depending on time of year, depth of fish, wind, and how choppy the lake is. The sinker serves to stabilize the bait, so you increase weight in rougher conditions or deeper water. We favor the B'n'M Sam Heaton Signature Series Poles for their sensitivity, as well as durability.

“About 18 inches above the sinker, tie a loop to hold a hook or jig, then another loop 18 inches above that one. Rick and I always run two baits, experimenting with depths and bait types until we find what works best in that situation. Where 3 poles per person are legal, we run a 14-footer and a 16-footer directly off the side of the boat, rigging four 12-footers off the bow.

“The long poles are for what we call “longlining,” as we run 50 to 75 feet of line out to drag baits behind. On these poles, we slide an egg sinker up the line 18 to 36 inches and wrap the line around it two or three times to secure it. Tie a bait to the end of the line and another one about 18 inches above the sinker. The egg sinker can be easily adjusted up and down the line. Trolling allows you to test several variables at the same time -- depth, speed, and lure color, which can't be done so easily if you're rod and reel fishing.

“Bait selection can be critical, too, and we rig with crappie tubes and jigs from 1/64 to 1/4-ounce. On a tough bite, we pack the tubes with wax worms, which really turn on finicky crappies. Two- to three-inch shiners lip-hooked on an Eagle Claw BP 022 or 214 EL hook is another staple bait.”

In many southeastern states, regulations are liberal. Alabama, North and South Carolina, Georgia, Mississippi, Kentucky, and other states do not restrict the number of poles anglers may fish. Another father-and-son team, Adam and Stokes McClellan from North Carolina, take advantage by deploying an array of 12-, 14-, and 16-foot B'n'M Pro Staff Trolling Rods, covering a swath of water nearly 40 feet wide.

Adam McClellan says, “We fish the open waters of larger reservoirs, looking for crappies relating to big schools of shad, rather than fish buried in cover. We watch sonar closely and maneuver with a Minn Kota AutoPilot trolling motor with the new wireless remote control. That wrist-watch size controller makes it easy to follow courses exactly and make minor speed adjustments. More than 75 percent of the time, we troll at 1.2 to 1.8 mph, and catch fish in less than 12 feet of water. We feel that speed helps to generate reaction strikes from crappies in all seasons.

“As for tackle, we use small open-face spinning reels with 4-pound-test mono, attaching leadhead jigs to a loop. Favorite baits include Charlie Brewer Slider Grubs from 1 1⁄2 to 4 inches long and Bass Pro Shops Triple Ripple Grubs from 2 to 4 inches. These bigger baits select for big crappies.”

Dipping, Dabbling, or Doodle-Socking: Terms vary for this long-rod short-line technique, but it's deadly in cover that rises well above the surface of the water. In impoundments, spring rains often raise water levels, covering thick growths of briars and vines. In natural lakes and vegetated reservoirs, cattails, bulrushes, alligator weed, and other emergent grasses draw crappies and bluegills in the same manner.

Warming water in protected coves attracts plankton, baitfish and panfish. During the Prespawn Period, fish hold near cover, then spawn on hard-bottom spots nearby. In most reservoirs, water color is stained to murky, so nesting fish can't be seen. But in the dingy cloudy water, shallow crappies can be approached within range of a pole from 8 to 11 feet long without spooking them. Even in rather clear lakes and river backwaters, fish in dense grass beds can be approached closely.

A single pole, fished by wading or from a boat, is an effective tool, often outperforming spinning tackle, particularly when fish hold in thick cover. “One old trick is to hold the pole in your right hand, “Marshall says, “while you draw the line in with your left hand until the jig is tight to the tip of the pole. Poke the tip back into the willows, buck brush, or cattails then release line to drop the lure straight down.

“When a crappie bites, retrieve line with you left hand so the fish is drawn straight up and out. If you let a crappie run sideways, that broad body will hang up and the fish will get a bit of slack and escape. Obviously, you need a pretty stout pole for this combat fishing,” he adds.

Kent Driscoll, a crappie expert from northern Mississippi, also favors a stealthy wading approach on lakes like Enid, Sardis, Arkabutla, and Grenada, all famed for producing big crappies. “The spring spawn period invariably brings dingy water and the big spawners move into cover 1 to 3 feet deep. By donning a pair of waders, you can get to spots that boat anglers can't reach.

“When wading, I always fish into the wind, so mud stirred up by my boots is washed away from the fish. A cloud of silt will totally turn them off. I rig a 10-foot B'n'M Brush Cutter pole, which has excellent backbone but a sensitive tip, with 8-pound test Stren High-Vis Gold line. I call this a “jungle rig” because it works so well in flooded thickets where crappies hold.

“I set a Styrofoam slip float above a pair of 1/8-ounce bullet sinkers and three clear plastic craft beads. Place the bullet sinkers so the pointed ends face up and down. Set your bobber stop to hold the bait off bottom and hook a 2- to 3-inch lively minnow on a #1 Eagle Claw 214 EL light wire hook. In some situations, I fish a leadhead with a minnow and no float, or a jighead with a Berkley Crappie Nibble.

“To fish, pull the jungle rig to the tip of the pole, as you'd do with a jig, ease the tip into the brushpile and the worm weights will pull the bait down where the minnow will do its work. If the hook hangs on a twig, pull 4 to 6 inches of line with your free hand, then let it drop. The weights will knock the minnow free. Let the rig sit and the clicking sounds of beads and weights, moved by an active minnow, draw fish to the bait. It's deadly for monster crappie. I keep a landing net on my belt and quickly dip fish up before they can tangle in the brush.”

In natural lakes where water is typically clearer, it often pays to slowly move with the trolling motor through stands of bulrushes or maidencane, searching for fish visually and dabbling into pockets. When you spot a group or get a couple bites, anchoring lets you carefully fish the area with a long pole. In reeds, an underhand swing propels the float and jig or minnow accurately and quietly into pockets among plant stalks. The noise and shadows from a moving boat sometimes spook fish in clear water.

Pole Cranking Crappies: In Mississippi River oxbows, anglers have taken to trolling multiple crankbaits rigged on poles to work basin areas for suspended slabs, a situation that begins when fish move off the banks after spawning and may last well into fall. “It's a technique for big fish,” Wally Marshall notes, “ as popular baits like the Bandit 300 and the Thunder Shad from Awesome Bait Company are around 2 1⁄2 inches long. Some folks do well with Tiny Traps as well.

“Trolling involves putting a big weight on the end of the line -- commonly 4 to 6 ounces. This keeps the baits straight down, so they don't tangle when you set out a dozen or more.

“Poles must be real stiff like the Tight Line Specials from Bass Pro Shops, rated for 3/4 to 6 ounces. Though stiff, they have a slow tip to detect bites with over 1/4 pound of weight on the line.

“About one foot above the weight, tie a 3-way swivel with a 3- to 4- foot leader to a medium-diving crankbait. This set-up functions like a downrigger. Check sonar for suspended fish and set the lures at that level or a bit higher. As you would when fishing tubes or other jigs, experiment with lure styles and colors to check for preferences.

“An option to this rigging is to use the same set-up but with two swivels about 18 inches apart above the weight, and a pair of live minnows. Lengthen the leaders in clear water and shorten them when it's murkier or where there may be occasional stumps or tree tops. Also, troll at a good clip in warmer conditions, slower as winter approaches. And shorten leaders to just a couple inches in cold water, so crappies don't have to chase the bait. Use your imagination and try other options. I know some guys who run 5 jigs above the weight.”

Poling the Weedline: A long pole can be a deadly tool when bluegills hold along an outside weedline, often suspending above the bottom. Dave Genz, widely recognized for his ice fishing developments, doesn't leave bluegills and crappies alone after ice-out. Always seeking the most efficient way to catch fish, Genz has adopted a long rod for summer panfishing on clear to slightly stained natural lakes.

“I fish a 12-foot Cabela's Match Rod, a 3-piece rod that's like an 8-foot pool cue with a 4-foot ultralight rod on the end,” Genz notes. “That's my favorite rig for dabbling in reed banks or other thick vegetation in spring. In those conditions, you need to reef hard on the fish when you get a bite and keep them from wrapping around the base of tough weed stalks. Then when you get them half way up, those big bluegills go ballistic but you keep them on the surface and out of trouble. This rod takes a little spinning reel, which just stores line.

“In summer, I look for pockets in the weedline or other cover variations that hold fish. I generally double anchor to hold precisely on a spot with no boat swing, which can frustrate your presentation in even a light wind. Electric anchor winches make this easier, by the way.

“I set a Lindy-Little Joe Shy Bite float above a Fat Boy jig baited with colored maggots. The spots I fish are very precise and you can't properly place a bait by casting. I either drop straight down or do a little flip with the rod so the jig and float land on the same spot and fall straight. The Shy Bite works well because its depth can be easily adjusted with the little rubber band on its lower stem.

“The compact Fat Boy jig telegraphs lifting bites, which often occur. That's an advantage over using a hook and shot. Sometimes I jig it up and down, much like I would when ice fishing. Another tip -- keep your bait fresh, replacing maggots often, even it they're still alive. Bluegills ********* in and spit out old bait.

“It's amazing,” Genz concludes. “On the northern lakes I fish, people come along fishing with 5-foot rods. They're either hung up in the grass or fishing way above the fish. Very few folks here take advantage of the pole or long rod.”

TACKLE TOPICS

Years ago, cane poles were standard tackle for crappie and bluegill in many parts of the country. Today, they're harder to find. B'n'M Pole Company, West Point, Mississippi, offers the widest selection of fiberglass and graphite poles. “We try to have a pole to fit every panfishing application,” says Jack Wells of B'n'M. “Some variations are due to different techniques that are popular in particular regions, and others have to do more with tradition.”

B'n'M offers two grades of bamboo poles in 10-, 12-, 14-, 16-, 18-, and 20-foot lengths. They also offer jointed bamboo poles with ferrules for easy storage. “The action of bamboo is unique, and many of our models seek to imitate it, in lighter and longer lasting pole materials.”

You can pay hundreds of dollars or more for a special European-style pole. Well built, high-modulus graphite models are available for under $50 and functional fiberglass units for just $10 or $15, sometimes equipped with a built-in reel to store and retrieve line. Poles are of three basic types:

Telescopic Poles: Easy to store and quick to deploy, telescopic poles have grown in popularity. Shakespeare's WonderPole, available in 10-, 12-, 13-, 16- and 20-foot lengths, are rated form lines from 4 to 10 pound test. A flip of the wrist extends the pole, and you're ready to fish. No reel needed, as extra line is wound around a line keeper on the butt.

B'n'M offers 11 series of telescopic poles, in addition to multi-piece poles with guides, and long spinning rods. The Black Widow Ready Rig comes in 4 lengths up to 20 feet, pre-rigged with line, shot, and hook. Just add water.

Zebco has added the Crappie Cane Classic Series, including a 10-foot telescopic pole with a miniature reel in the butt for line storage. Cabela's Classic Crappie Poles range from 10 to 16 1⁄2 feet, while lighter action Panfish Poles are graphite, and available in 12-, 15- and 15 1⁄2-foot lengths.

Telescopic Spinning Rods: Long telescopic spinning rods with guides are popular with bank anglers and trollers. These rods accommodate spinning reels or underspin spincast reels, which have remained popular for their ease of use and smooth line release. Zebco's Crappie Classic series includes a 10-footer that comes with a Zebco 11MTS Triggerspin reel and line. B'n'M has the Slo-Troller Series (4 lengths to 20 feet).

Multi-Piece Rods: Multi-piece rods have grown in popularity as they're most like traditional rods in appearance and use. Several companies offer light and sensitive graphite models. These rods (often called poles) match spinning, spincast, underspin reels, or small round reels that serve primarily for line storage, such as B'n'M's Buck's Mini-Reel and Bass Pro Shops' Wally Marshall Signature Deluxe Crappie Reel.

Shakespeare's WonderPole Series of 2-piece rods includes 10- and 12-footers in both fiberglass and IM-6 graphite. Match with Shakespeare's new Synergy Titanium SYMS and 1402 Ti underspin models or Pflueger's Microspin U. Zebco has 10- and 12-footers built with “Tennessee” reel seats.

The Wally Marshall Tightline Specials from Bass Pro Shops (12-, 14-, and 16-foot) are built of hybrid IM-6 and IM-8 graphite and feature Fuji Concept guides. Bass Pro Shops' Universal Crappie Series (8- to 14-foot) are lighter action for dabbling or bank fishing, built on IM-6 blanks. Cabela's Crappie System rods (9- and 12-foot) feature an extremely light tip, rated for lures from 1/32- to 1/8 ounce.

B'n'M offers seven series' of 2-piece jig poles, including the Sam Heaton Signature Series, of IM-6 graphite, in 9-, 10-, 11-, and 12-foot models. Buck's Brush Cutter, a heavier action pole, also is of IM-6. Other models are 96 percent tubular graphite or fiberglass.

Line: Most pole anglers favor abrasion-resistant mono for these vertical or near-vertical tactics. The smoothness of Berkley's new IronSilk makes it a winner, while old favorites include P-Line CXX X-TRA Strong, Maxima Ultragreen, and Berkley XT. For poles rigged with small spinning reels or underspin models, flexible, easy casting lines, like Berkley Trilene XL or Stren MagnaThin are good choices.

In murky waters, many pole anglers favor hi-vis lines like Stren's High-Vis yellow or the Super Vis Mr. Crappie Line from Bass Pro Shops. In ultra-clear conditions, on the other hand, thin clear lines can mean more bites.

Fluorocarbons lines have started to catch on, though some anglers balk at their price. TripleFish Camo-Escent introduced the camo concept to line and has expanded it with Ultra Viz, with four alternating fluorescent colors providing high visibility above the surface but a camouflaged appearance underwater. Mr. Crappie line also comes in camouflaged form.