Pole Fishing for Beginners

A pole is a long, light carbon rod with no reel and no rings. Your line is tied straight to the end, so you lower the bait into the water rather than casting it.

That makes it the most accurate way to fish. Your bait lands in exactly the same spot every time, right on top of the bait you have fed, and the float sits directly under the pole tip so you can see the smallest bite. It is the favourite method on commercial fisheries and canals, and great for roach, skimmers, perch and F1s.

A short pole with no sections to take apart is called a whip. A 4 to 6 metre whip is a cheap, simple way to try pole fishing before you buy a full pole.

The pole: made of sections that push together. You add or take off sections to fish closer or further out. Most anglers start fishing at 8 to 11 metres. Match poles go up to 16 metres.

The top kit: the top two or three sections. These have a stretchy elastic running through the middle, fixed at the bottom with a bung and at the tip with a connector you tie your rig to. When a fish pulls, the elastic stretches and absorbs the fight, so you can use fine line and small hooks without snapping.

Pole rigs: you make these up at home and store them on plastic winders. Each one is a float, a weight, some small shot and a hook, ready to clip on. Have a few top kits rigged up and you can change in seconds.

A pole roller: a stand with rollers that you slide the pole back over behind you, so it never lands in the mud.

Elastics are graded by number. The higher the number, the stronger the elastic. Brands grade them differently, so check the packet, but as a rough guide:

Low numbers (around 4 to 6): small roach, rudd, perch and skimmers on canals and lakes.

Middle numbers (around 8 to 12): F1s, bigger skimmers and small carp on commercials.

High numbers and hollow elastic: carp. Hollow elastic is softer to start with, then gets firmer as it stretches.

Match your line to your elastic. A light elastic with 2 to 3lb line is perfect for silver fish.

From the top, a simple pole rig is:

The float: pole floats are small and very sensitive. Pick one rated for the depth: around 0.2g to 0.4g for a shallow canal, 0.5g to 1g for a 2 to 3 metre deep lake.

The bulk weight: an olivette (a small teardrop weight) or a group of shot about two thirds of the way down. This takes the bait down quickly.

Two or three small dropper shot: spread out below the bulk, so the bait falls slowly and naturally for the last bit.

The hook: a size 18 or 20 for maggots and casters, size 14 to 16 for pellets and corn.

The most important bit: leave only 30 to 45cm of line between the pole tip and the float. That short line gives you control. Any longer and the wind blows the float around and you will miss bites.

Before you fish, find out how deep the water is. Push the hook into the cork base of a plummet (a heavy weight) and lower it gently straight down.

If the float is pulled under, you are too shallow: slide the float up the line. If the float lies flat, you are too deep: slide it down. When just the coloured tip shows, the plummet is on the bottom and you have found the depth. Most anglers then add 1 to 2cm, so the bait just touches the bottom.

Mark the spot on your pole with a small piece of tape or a marker pen. Then you can lower the rig in the same place every time.

Accuracy is the pole's superpower, so feed accurately too. Clip a small pole cup on the end of your top kit, fill it with a little bait, then ship the pole out and tip it in right over your float.

Little and often is the rule. A small pinch of maggots or pellets every few minutes keeps fish coming without filling them up. You can also loose-feed with a catapult on top.

Shipping out means sliding the pole out over the roller to your fishing spot. Shipping back means sliding it back towards you when you have hooked a fish or need to rebait.

When the float dips, lift the pole smoothly upwards. Let the elastic do the work. Ship back until you reach your top kit, take the pole apart at that joint, then lift the top kit and draw the fish over your landing net.

Never grab the line or lift a fish out by the line. Always net it.

Carbon poles carry electricity very well. Never fish anywhere near overhead power lines. Electricity can jump across a gap, so you don't have to touch a wire to get a serious or fatal shock.

Before you set up, look up and check above your swim and behind you, where the pole goes when you ship back. Look out for warning signs on the bank too. Don't use a pole or rod in a thunderstorm.