HOW TO BUY
Read Tackle Editor Mark Sawyer’s essential advice before buying a pole
BUYING a new pole can be quite a daunting experience, as there are quite literally thousands to choose from, says Mark Sawyer.
Margin poles, power poles, silvers poles, flagship poles and all-rounders – the list is endless and so, in the case of many top-end models, is the spread of prices. So, to help you make the right choice, follow our 10-point guide to buying a pole.
KNOW YOUR BUDGET
Before you even begin to look at poles, think hard about your budget. If you’re just starting out, you won’t be needing to spend thousands on an expensive flagship model. Have a price in mind and stick to it.
HOW LONG SHOULD IT BE?
Think about where you go fishing. Unless you regularly fish snake-style lakes, commercials with islands, or rivers and canals, paying for 16m of carbon is probably a waste of your money. There are plenty of really good 13m poles that will cover most other commercial fishery scenarios.
STIFFNESS AND BALANCE
A pole’s balance, weight, stiffness and strength are all very important factors. Consider this – the lightest one you can find may not be best for you, especially if you’re a bit heavy-handed. If it’s always windy where you fish, then a slightly heavier pole will likely be easier to handle, because they’re a little less prone to being blown around in the breeze.
HOW SHOULD IT HANDLE?
Think rigidity. The rule of thumb here is that the pricier the pole, the stiffer or more rigid it’s likely to be – and the stiffer it is, the easier it will be to fish with. If you pick up a pole and it bounces around like an old stick of rhubarb than it’s going to handle very badly.
FEEL THE BALANCE
Assemble the pole at its full length, sit on a seatbox, and lift upwards as though you were striking into a fish. The end of the pole (the pole-tip) should lift quickly and cleanly. Many models will dip down a little before they lift, but don’t panic. As long as it isn’t an exaggerated movement, and the pole-tip doesn’t bounce around wildly after the initial strike or lift, then it should it be fine.
WHAT ABOUT SHIPPING?
A must-have for any pole is a non-stick finish that allows you to ship it in and out without having it catch in your hands. Nearly all poles have this special coating, but it tends to be only across the larger butt sections, where it’s needed most often. It’s still a must though!
GET THE KNOW-HOW
If you have friends who pole-fish, ask them which model they use, and why. One of the best ways to scout out a new pole is to have a quiet walk (with permission, of course) around any popular commercial fishery. Here you will see a forest of different poles, and you can watch them being used.
Look for rigidity (lack of bounce), ease of handling – especially if it’s windy – and quick, non-stick shipping. If you get to a fishery around two o’clock you can scope out plenty of poles, and with most matches finishing at three, after the all-out whistle has gone you can
have a word with the owner of the pole you fancy.
SPARES AND BREAKAGES
Poles are not immortal. They are not immune to breakages or accidents, because they are, by their very nature, fragile and brittle carbonbuilt things of beauty. You need to make sure that spare sections and top kits are readily available. Most of the big-name manufacturers carry spares that can be replaced quickly and without fuss. But always ask your retailer about spares availability before you buy.
SPARES PACKAGES
Having lots of top kits is handy, but a spare fourth section is even more important, as these come in for lots of use and abuse. A same-length cupping kit is another must-have. If the pole you’re after comes with a choice of top kit packages (for example, Match or Power) that suit your type of fishing, then so much the better. For me, other essentials are pre-bushed top kits. These save time and money, and you can rest assured that the pole will be balanced. It will come with its top kits ready for immediate use, and you won’t have to cut down any carbon as you would if you’d had to bush it yourself. Side-puller kits are imperative on commercial carp venues. Old-school match top kits without side-pullers are fine for lighter, solid elastics, and will keep the pole’s weight down, providing better balance when fishing long from 14.5m upwards for silvers.
LOOK AFTER YOUR POLE
Let’s face it, your pole is likely to be the most expensive tackle item you have, so you need to look after it. You can keep it clean by washing all the sections in the bath or spraying it through using a shower head. Cheap silicone sprays such as Flash Dash will help keep the sections slick to handle. Check for wear on the joints – the male fourth and fifth joints are normally the first to show signs of wear. If you find a little split in a joint, carefully run a drop of superglue into it as this will prevent further splitting. Nearly all the big manufacturers provide a good spares service, but it pays to ask your local shop who they deal with, because this can sometimes help with speedy replacements.