Willow pole fishing?

[ak-71]

I must have missed the point, but anyway, in case you were born into more advanced times/society or missed the fun of fishing as a kid
Fished like that all the time when I was a kid, pole as long as you can manage, line a bit longer than a pole (to be able to "swing cast" it with one hand). No reel, wrap line around the pole for "storage". Bamboo poles were much better, but not disposable.
Worked for short distance, if you need more line and fish on the bottom - forget the pole - led spoon weight (cast from a car battery plates into a spoon pressed form in a shore), couple hooks on a leaders and cast holding a line.
If you need more distance - tie a thread/thin rope to a bigger spoon weight with short stick for handle to hold between fingers to cast. There are some tricks how to cast it without loosing bait, but it gains good distance.
For even more distance some people used a long stick/pole but it was too advanced for me than
Popular "bite detector" was a stick split at the end and on the line - weight creates an angle on the line - easy to adjust weight, to remove and can be very sensitive (not easy to read in the wind, if windy I preferred to just hold a line over a finger)

BTW. It's not "primitive" to make it a sport, it was just what was available

[Cal]

Originally Posted by BeeGuy

I think we should use iceshanty style rules. Well marked picture and maybe someone to vouch.



I'm against a reel.

I'm really struggling ()with whether the line should be fixed to the tip, or to have a single guide on the tip and the line fixed near the butt with something to hold extra line, like 2 pegs or something.

If you had 2 pegs and hooked into a decent fish you could hold the line just out from the pegs and let the fish take some line. Also would let you store some line.

I think the purist would abhor anything but the line tied to the tip.

So you are in favor of a line wrap or not? Dont get me wrong, the spirit of the chalenge is to go as primitive as possible and I intend to do so. But to catch a fish from the shore of Slave Lake I think I'm going to need the ability to throw a hook a bit further, therefore I will make a pole with a line wrap and a couple guides for this purpose. Other situations, such as from a boat or in the river a simple pole would work.

I think we should have bonus points for any fish caught from an old innertube.

One of my favorite fishing memories was of a trip to my Grandparents place in Michigan. My mom said we didnt have room in the car for my fishing stuff so when we got there I picked some bottles and came up with enough money to get a spool of 4lb line, a baggie of splitshot, and some #10 longshank hooks. I could ride my bike to a nearby lake and I used the "beer bottle method" to catch a few fish but I got tired of getting tangled everytime i caught a fish. On the way to the lake I crossed a little stream so I decided to fish it with a willow pole, the fish were mostly tiny sunfish but there was a good hole that sometimes had bass and bullheads. One particlarly nice afternoon I caught a 15" largemouth on my willow pole. At this point I've spent an awful lot of time fishing and caught plenty of fish but that bass is still one of my favorite ones to remember.

[50/50]

Originally Posted by KegRiver

It is how I learned to fish. I never even knew what a reel was till I was in my teens.

Saskatoon poles are the best type, available locally. It's the toughest wood around these parts.
Sandbar willow are second, because they are straight and thin for their length.

Our favourite setup was; a Saskatoon pole 10 feet or so long, 10 to 12 feet of braided chalk line, a foot of Rabbit wire and a Diana spoon.
We would bait that with Frog (preferred) or beaver meat.

Then toss out the line and wait.

Still the same system I use while fishing the Peace /Smoky rivers. River willow, 10-12 feet of line ,1/4 inch nut for a weigh,small hook and piece of steak or a 1/2 minnow. Catch flathead chub,walleye,ling and the odd pike.

Nothing better then haiving a line of kids all with their sticks stuck in the riverbank waiting for something to happen.

[densa44]

I met an old fellow years ago in New Brunswick fishing with a long willow pole. The stream was over grown will alders and I was having trouble keeping my back cast from getting caught in the bushes. The gentleman was using his rig like a sling shot, he held the fly, a coachman, in his left hand and pulled it back bending the willow, he then was able to shoot his fly under the overhanging bushes to the best spots near the shore.

He had a 8' to 10' piece of 8 lb. mono for line. I saw him catch a couple too.

He said his fly rod was being repaired, in retrospect I don't think he had one.

You don't want the line too long or you can't land the fish you hook.

[KegRiver]

Originally Posted by mtngiant

Sweet
would you happen to have one layin around or a pic of one?
if not....hopefully you make one for this lil home made competition....then post pics

None laying around. And,
I don't have a photo but I'm sure one of my brothers or sisters will.
I'll ask next week when we get together.

If not I can build one come spring. In fact it would be fun to use one again.
I'd be happy to make one and take some photos of it and it being used, perhaps with a fish on the line.

[H380]

Originally Posted by ak-71

I must have missed the point, but anyway, in case you were born into more advanced times/society or missed the fun of fishing as a kid
Fished like that all the time when I was a kid, pole as long as you can manage, line a bit longer than a pole (to be able to "swing cast" it with one hand). No reel, wrap line around the pole for "storage". Bamboo poles were much better, but not disposable.
Worked for short distance, if you need more line and fish on the bottom - forget the pole - led spoon weight (cast from a car battery plates into a spoon pressed form in a shore), couple hooks on a leaders and cast holding a line.
If you need more distance - tie a thread/thin rope to a bigger spoon weight with short stick for handle to hold between fingers to cast. There are some tricks how to cast it without loosing bait, but it gains good distance.
For even more distance some people used a long stick/pole but it was too advanced for me than
Popular "bite detector" was a stick split at the end and on the line - weight creates an angle on the line - easy to adjust weight, to remove and can be very sensitive (not easy to read in the wind, if windy I preferred to just hold a line over a finger)

BTW. It's not "primitive" to make it a sport, it was just what was available

I have one of those old bamboo poles that use to belong to my great uncle, has to be 70 years old at least . . I used it as a kid catching minnows and suckers in a nearby creek . Brought so many minnows home for the cats that they got sick of eating em ..lol. Pole nows serves as a curtain rod , maybe have to get it down and use it with the grandkids , thanx for the thread and all the memories it brings back , Cal .

[heretohunt]

Originally Posted by 50/50

Still the same system I use while fishing the Peace /Smoky rivers. River willow, 10-12 feet of line ,1/4 inch nut for a weigh,small hook and piece of steak or a 1/2 minnow. Catch flathead chub,walleye,ling and the odd pike.

Nothing better then haiving a line of kids all with their sticks stuck in the riverbank waiting for something to happen.

Wow! That takes me back
We used to head down there with a garbage bag full of pre made lines and set them like traps up and down the Peace. Chub was common for bait but moose or duck worked great too.
The rods were usually just a piece of driftwood and no reel or drag, just wind the line up on the stick and use as heavy gauge as we could find. Washers were considered the best weight because it was believed to be that it would act as a bit of a lure going side to side as it was retrieved.
We would use the whole head or tail as a setup for a "ling line"
Ther willow pole set up was really good for catching bait along the shore grass in high water.

[KegRiver]

Originally Posted by heretohunt

Wow! That takes me back
We used to head down there with a garbage bag full of pre made lines and set them like traps up and down the Peace. Chub was common for bait but moose or duck worked great too.
The rods were usually just a piece of driftwood and no reel or drag, just wind the line up on the stick and use as heavy gauge as we could find. Washers were considered the best weight because it was believed to be that it would act as a bit of a lure going side to side as it was retrieved.
We would use the whole head or tail as a setup for a "ling line"
Ther willow pole set up was really good for catching bait along the shore grass in high water.

And that takes me back, to a happier time.

We called them set lines. We'd set two or three at the head of a couple of back eddies and then leave them for a few hours to overnight.

Sometimes we went swimming while the lines did their work, or we would move to the belly of the eddies and fish for Chub.

We caught some monsters that way, and saw plenty of bears in the process.

But it's illegal now, so I haven't fished that way in many many years.

In the main river we used set lines most of the time, and Saskatoon poles most of the time when we fished the mouth of the Wolverine.

Late in the summer we would go after chubs along the sandbars, with a different rig.

A two foot long stick with three feet of 4 pound or smaller line, the smallest hook we could buy and a tiny bit of Chicken gizzard. Gizzards were best for fishing chubs cause it is tough and hard for them to steal.

Anyway, we'd wade out till we were waist deep in the river. Waste deep on a ten year old that is.
Then we'd lower the baited hook down onto a bare toe. When we felt a Chub touch that toe we' give a might yank hoping to catch it with the bait still in it's mouth. It worked about 50% of the time.

Our target was two to three inch long chubs, for use on set lines, to catch the REAL fish LOL.

Being kids we got hungry most days so we would take some of our mighty catch and spread them on a flat rock propped over a fire made with drift wood.

It wasn't very tasty fare, but to a ten year old, it was fit for a King. LOL

[Cal]

Hey Keg, have you ever tried birch or pine? I've always used willow or poplar saplings but breaking off a green pine branch can be amazingly difficult, just wondering if they'd make a good pole once you get the rough bark off.

[heretohunt]

Originally Posted by KegRiver

And that takes me back, to a happier time.

We called them set lines. We'd set two or three at the head of a couple of back eddies and then leave them for a few hours to overnight.

Sometimes we went swimming while the lines did their work, or we would move to the belly of the eddies and fish for Chub.

We caught some monsters that way, and saw plenty of bears in the process.

But it's illegal now, so I haven't fished that way in many many years.

In the main river we used set lines most of the time, and Saskatoon poles most of the time when we fished the mouth of the Wolverine.

Late in the summer we would go after chubs along the sandbars, with a different rig.

A two foot long stick with three feet of 4 pound or smaller line, the smallest hook we could buy and a tiny bit of Chicken gizzard. Gizzards were best for fishing chubs cause it is tough and hard for them to steal.

Anyway, we'd wade out till we were waist deep in the river. Waste deep on a ten year old that is.
Then we'd lower the baited hook down onto a bare toe. When we felt a Chub touch that toe we' give a might yank hoping to catch it with the bait still in it's mouth. It worked about 50% of the time.

Our target was two to three inch long chubs, for use on set lines, to catch the REAL fish LOL.

Being kids we got hungry most days so we would take some of our mighty catch and spread them on a flat rock propped over a fire made with drift wood.

It wasn't very tasty fare, but to a ten year old, it was fit for a King. LOL

And if you didn't catch fish there was always your bait to eat!
Remember leaving your bait in your fishing box till the next time? Mine was the most fowl smelling thing around but not by much!