The fishing world is constantly developing, which can make it hard to keep up with it. But sometimes you may need to forget all about the modern spinning reels and baitcasting reels, and resort to old cane poles invented by our ancestors.
Cane pole fishing is a sport for everyone. If you’re a beginner on a tight budget, you won’t need to splurge your money on a fancy reel or composite rod. Even pros can go back to classic cane pole fishing when they’re targeting bluegills and small catfish.
In this article, we’ll walk you through every step of cane pole fishing. Let’s delve into it.
Where to Get a Cane Pole
As old as cane poles are, they’re still used by many professional anglers because of their low prices and secure handling.
If you’re looking for a ready-made cane pole, you’ll find one in stores that sell fishing equipment. They’re super affordable and come in different sizes to suit different age groups.
If you’d like to go through the full experience, you can get some strong bamboo branches and build a cane pole, which is quite simple. You only need to follow some tips.
How to Build a Cane Pole
1. Find Your Base
Some manufacturers produce fiberglass and graphite cane poles; however, when anglers are building their cane poles, they usually pick bamboos. If bamboos aren’t available, you can turn to any robust, wooden structure.
You need the branch’s length to be from 8 to 12-feet long, depending on your height, water choice, and angling position.
Using a knife, cut off a bamboo branch and trim off the sides to give the pole a uniform, stable structure.
You also need to leave the pole to dry for several days. Then, you can bleach it to give it a fancy look.
2. Rig Up Your Pole
Anglers prefer monofilament lines because of their strength. First, You should adjust the line’s length according to your target’s position, but keep in mind that it should have the same length as your pole or a bit longer.
Second, you need to attach the line to the pole at different points to guarantee that you catch your prey if the pole’s tip broke down.
Thirdly, choose the hook’s size according to the mass and species of the targeted fish.
Finally, you’ll need a bobber to alert you once the fish grabs the bait.
Types of Cane Poles
Some people are a little lazy to do the handy work. These anglers prefer ready-made cane poles, but they still need to choose one option of three: telescopic, jigger, or bamboo cane poles.
Bamboo Poles
Bamboo poles can be 8 to 20-feet long, although most anglers go for 12-feet poles. The pole comes as a one-piece, sharply-built bamboo; however, you can’t take it for granted. You’ve got to take good care of it.
Bamboos are made in factories the same way they’re made at home. Manufacturers wait till a bamboo dries, and soak it in an anti-insect and antifungal substances, which gives the bamboo a longer lifespan.
Telescopic Poles
They’re made of graphite or fiberglass, which contributes to their lightness. A telescopic pole comes in 3 or 4 pieces that can be put together into a 12-feet long pole. This feature makes the pole compact and portable so that anglers can take it on long trips and hikes.
Having all of these cool features didn’t make the telescopic cane poles expensive, as they’re pretty affordable.
When rigging a telescopic cane pole, you don’t need to tie your monofilament line several times to the pole because the telescopic pole won’t break as easily as a bamboo.
Jigger Poles
You may need a small boat and a partner to do this method. Jigger-pole fishing is an outdated technique for catching largemouth bass using an artificial lure, yet one of the most effective ways to capture bass in gloomy, structured water.
Jigger cane poles are usually 15-20-feet long. They come either in a single piece or several pieces, and they could be made of graphite, fiberglass, or bamboo. When rigging the pole, you only need an 8-feet long line.
Where to Use Cane Poles
Our ancestors used cane poles in standing water as bamboo cane poles were their only option. They couldn’t use such weak poles to catch fish swimming in salty water because the waves will probably break it down into tiny pieces.
However, modern technology was capable of overcoming this obstacle. You can now take your metal, fiberglass, or graphite cane pole on your saltwater fishing trip, and come back with trophies.
Of course, bamboo cane poles aren’t a smart option to use in salty water, even if they were well-manufactured. If the tip breaks, you may lose your prey in a flash of a second.
How to Fish Using a Cane Pole
Fishing with a cane pole is the cheapest way to have some fish on your dinner table. You’ll spare yourself the hustle of picking a reel. All you need is a durable pole, a strong line, and an attractive bait.
If you’ve tried cane pole fishing before, you’d know that it doesn’t require any casting skills. You only need to hold your pole and lay the line down until it meets the cover near your prey.
One more thing you need to do is choose a bait good enough to entice the fish and get it out of its cover.
Now, let’s reel in your prey, but how can you do that without an actual reel?
Hold your pole up to face the sky, and that’ll get the fish closer to you. Sometimes, when you capture a trophy, you may need to use a net to secure your catch.
Of course, each species requires you to use a different handling technique, but I promise you that all methods will give you the same result.
What Can You Catch with a Cane Pole
You can catch all types of fish with cane poles, especially that cane poles are best used when fishing in cover and murky water, which gives you leverage over sneaky and trophy fish.
For instance, when seeking a catfish, most anglers lean towards hooking chicken livers as bait. You also need to use a strong line and tie it to both ends of your pole to strangle a catfish.
Another example is bass fishing. As I previously mentioned, jigger pole fishing is the most effective method used in bass fishing as bass are usually hiding near weed beds or water structures. To guarantee your catch, you may need to go for a long pole and a short line.
You can also go for crappies and bluegills, which are the easiest target for cane pole users. Cane poles are perfect for catching fish hiding in water covers, and you won’t need to perform any casts, because strong casts may interrupt the water’s silence and scare off the fish.
Final Thoughts
Cane pole fishing is a sport for everyone because of its easy techniques and affordable pole prices.
You could take your kids on a fishing trip without spending a penny if you made your bamboo cane poles.
If you’re looking to take up fishing as a profession, cane pole fishing is an excellent place to start.
Finally, if you are looking for a hobby that can release your anger and teach you some patience, cane pole fishing is the sport for you!