I’ve attempted many different types of fishing in the past, for a range of different species. I’ve tried ledgering, trotting even stret pegging. I’ve fished for tench, I’ve fished for bream, I’ve even pranced around in front of ‘She who must be obeyed’ stark naked and fished for compliments, sometimes it worked and sometimes I’ve not always been successful (in what, I will leave up to you). There is one style of fishing that I’ve never attempted, until now that is, and that’s pole fishing. I’m not talking about cruising the interweb for Eastern European brides, I’m talking about the alien act of fishing, and I don’t want to offend anyone here but I’m going to say it anyway, fishing without a reel.!
Many moons ago I did buy a ‘pole’. It was sort of telescopic thing with one eye whipped to the tip that cost an arm and a leg from the catalogue. Well a ‘pole’ was what Gratton optimistically called it; however ‘waste of bloody money’ was the technical term for the contraption, which literally saw two minutes of action. I would point out that I use the term ‘action’ very loosely; it all depends upon your definition of the word. If your definition involves a gudgeon the length of your little finger then this was indeed a struggle of titanic proportions that left both combatants panting in exhaustion on the bank and worthy of the epitaph ‘big ‘un’ in the angling press. This was around the time that I discovered tench, so the pole was consigned to a corner where is still resides.
Upon returning to the sport a number of prejudices have made me reluctant to try this method of fishing, past experience being the last on the list. I suppose it’s the current predominance of over stocked commercials that really put me off. Initially I sat and watched a match and at first was astounded by the skill of the contenders as a ‘seemingly’ never ending supply of fish were coaxed to the net. When I fished the same commercial myself, albeit using the waggler, I found it to be just like ‘hook a duck’ at the fairground when I was a kid. I don’t wish to insult anyone who enjoys the commercial pools which do serve a function, although I would like to see less stock in them, but it’s just not my ‘cup of tea’.
I was brought up on a steady diet of Mr Crabtree courtesy of ‘Fishing with Mr Crabtree in all waters’. I suppose I live in a bygone age where Mr Crabtree was a knowledgeable friendly fisherman who would take Peter fishing and show him wondrous things about fish, fishing and the countryside; an age where five children and a dog could really find secret tunnels and capture criminals and be home in time for tea with ‘lashings of ginger beer’. Let’s face it, today the famous five would all have an ASBO and Mr Crabtree would be on the sex offenders register!
It was someone who I think of as the ‘modern Mr Crabtree’, well a more accurate description would be to cross Mr Crabtree with Neil from the Young Ones, who started me thinking about learning to use the pole again. I am of course talking about Martin Bowler. I watched two videos from his website where he was trying to catch specimen perch using the pole! This put the idea into my head, but it was Ironfever from the www.gofishing.co.uk website that got the idea to ferment! Browsing various fishing websites I saw the Middy White Knuckle margin pole advertised for less than thirty quid, so I decided to give the pole another whirl. Now here is your opportunity to go fishing with DrCrabTaJ and follow me over the next week on a white knuckle ride as I get to grips with the Middy White Knuckle margin pole! Gasp at my gormlessness, be stupefied at my lack of skill, and cackle at my calamities as I go through the ordeal that every new comer goes through in learning a new skill. Join me next time as I go rig hunting and don’t forget all advice is not only welcome but desperately needed!
