Poling the Weedline: A long pole can be a deadly tool when bluegills hold along an outside weedline, often suspending above the bottom. Dave Genz, widely recognized for his ice fishing developments, doesn't leave bluegills and crappies alone after ice-out. Always seeking the most efficient way to catch fish, Genz has adopted a long rod for summer panfishing on clear to slightly stained natural lakes.

“I fish a 12-foot Cabela's Match Rod, a 3-piece rod that's like an 8-foot pool cue with a 4-foot ultralight rod on the end,” Genz notes. “That's my favorite rig for dabbling in reed banks or other thick vegetation in spring. In those conditions, you need to reef hard on the fish when you get a bite and keep them from wrapping around the base of tough weed stalks. Then when you get them half way up, those big bluegills go ballistic but you keep them on the surface and out of trouble. This rod takes a little spinning reel, which just stores line.

“In summer, I look for pockets in the weedline or other cover variations that hold fish. I generally double anchor to hold precisely on a spot with no boat swing, which can frustrate your presentation in even a light wind. Electric anchor winches make this easier, by the way.

“I set a Lindy-Little Joe Shy Bite float above a Fat Boy jig baited with colored maggots. The spots I fish are very precise and you can't properly place a bait by casting. I either drop straight down or do a little flip with the rod so the jig and float land on the same spot and fall straight. The Shy Bite works well because its depth can be easily adjusted with the little rubber band on its lower stem.

“The compact Fat Boy jig telegraphs lifting bites, which often occur. That's an advantage over using a hook and shot. Sometimes I jig it up and down, much like I would when ice fishing. Another tip -- keep your bait fresh, replacing maggots often, even it they're still alive. Bluegills will suck in and spit out old bait.

“It's amazing,” Genz concludes. “On the northern lakes I fish, people come along fishing with 5-foot rods. They're either hung up in the grass or fishing way above the fish. Very few folks here take advantage of the pole or long rod.”

TACKLE TOPICS

Years ago, cane poles were standard tackle for crappie and bluegill in many parts of the country. Today, they're harder to find. B'n'M Pole Company, West Point, Mississippi, offers the widest selection of fiberglass and graphite poles. “We try to have a pole to fit every panfishing application,” says Jack Wells of B'n'M. “Some variations are due to different techniques that are popular in particular regions, and others have to do more with tradition.”

B'n'M offers two grades of bamboo poles in 10-, 12-, 14-, 16-, 18-, and 20-foot lengths. They also offer jointed bamboo poles with ferrules for easy storage. “The action of bamboo is unique, and many of our models seek to imitate it, in lighter and longer lasting pole materials.”

You can pay hundreds of dollars or more for a special European-style pole. Well built, high-modulus graphite models are available for under $50 and functional fiberglass units for just $10 or $15, sometimes equipped with a built-in reel to store and retrieve line. Poles are of three basic types:

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