Who here has fished with a cane pole?

[BarryBobPosthole]

River cane was plentiful around the places I grew up. Big stands of it along the rivers. I have made the mistake of trying to take a shortcut or two through a stand and its always a mistake. Briars and cane. I only did that shit in winter too. Mr No Toes lives in there too. I know of only a few big stands on the Fourche where my cousin’s farm is. Now, folks are trying to restore them laft and right. They do serve an important purpose in nature I suppose.
Anyway, my first encounter with a rod and reel didn’t happen until I was in the second grade, by then a veteran cane pole fisherman. And I didn’t own a rod and reel until I got one on my 11th Christmas, a Zebco 33 combo from my Uncle Huck.
The ones we used were cut and dried by my uncles and were maybe 10 footers. Store bought ones, all varnished and pretty were 14 ft and more. It was a common sight in those days to see a car with cane poles tied front and back and bent over the top of the car on one side.
And it was with a cane pole that I learned (and agree) with what Hidehunter says is the most important lesson you’ll ever learn in life, “When the cork goes under, pull!”. That lesson applies to many, many important things in our lifetimes.
I’ve since changed it to a disdainful, “They ain’t got no hands” when Birddog needs reminding, but some folks are slow learners.

I was just wondering how many of you elders remember how to rig a safety tip on a cane pole and if you ever fished much with one.

BKB

[DeputyDog]

That’s how I started fishing.


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[quercus alba]

I was 40 years old before I found out that a rod and reel weren't some kind of myth like the fishing forum. I've been known to harelip more than a few yearling bass doodle-socking a plastic worm around brush and lily pads and a poor little three inch bream was likely to become airborne.

I used to fish a pond that full of little bitty bream and a cane pole wasn't very sporting. We'd cut a willow limb and string six lb test on it (the line was thicker than the end of the limb). Even the small guys felt like a whale and if you got a hand sized one on it took five minutes to land him.

Kids can be very creative

[Thumper]

I grew up using a cane pole cut from a patch of bamboo growing in a vacant lot behind our house. After we moved, I cut my poles from a thicket of bamboo growing behind Old Lady Beacham's house (with her permission of course). I do remember getting my first rod and reel, like P-hole, a Zebco 33 combo that came with a little weighted, heavy rubber torpedo type thingy that I'd tie on to practice casting in the street in front of our house. I think I was about 11 or 12 and got it for my birthday. Even then, I think I always had a cane pole available. Even as late as 1977, when my ex-wife and I moved back to Orlando from L.A, we'd grab our cane poles and go fishing down at the lake almost every night after I got home from work. We were pretty poor at the time and those bream, bluegills, sunfish, shellcrackers, redears ... whatever you wanted to call them back in the day (As far as I'm concerned, they are ALL bream ... or actually "Brim" to me), became our supper many times during the week. I still have one of those poles in my garage (I gave the other to a neighborhood kid about 30 years ago). It's 13-feet long and is a fancy, varnished pole with brass joints where it can be unscrewed and broken down into three pieces for easy transport. I remember buying them at a clearance sale at a local hardware store that was not going to carry them anymore. One advantage was, with a cane pole and fishing from the bank, we didn't have to have a fishing license.

Now that I'm thinking about it, I should go grab that 45-year old pole and clean it up a bit. It's caught a LOT of fish and there are many fond memories built into that old workhorse.

[BarryBobPosthole]

Wow, I never had a fancy one you could take apart. Those musta been for rich rednecks!

BKB

[HideHunter]

Nothing "native" here - but, always were about 4-5 stuck in the hog wire fence at Grandpa's pond.. all rigged and ready to go.. You could even buy the "rigging". ;) 12979

[Thumper]

Wow, I never had a fancy one you could take apart. Those musta been for rich rednecks! BKB

Ummm, well, in '77, I was 25 years old. Before that, all were cut from bamboo patches. Ya' gots ta' step up in the world sooner or later! Besides, in '77 I was driving my Datsun B210 hatchback ... my cane poles were 13' long and the car was 13.5' long ... it was easier to throw them in the back with my little tacklebox, my cooler and a tin can of worms than to try strapping them on the roof! ;)

[BarryBobPosthole]

Nothing "native" here - but, always were about 4-5 stuck in the hog wire fence at Grandpa's pond.. all rigged and ready to go.. You could even buy the "rigging". ;) 12979

My first ever encounter with a fishing reel was was when I was 8. I remember it like yesterday. We lived in Charleston, Ark and I followed my older 11 year old cousin around like he was Elvis. He had just gotten a Johnson Century outfit and we were fishing in our everyday summer fishing hole, Mr Wakely’s pond. My cousin had to run to the house for some emergency or other and set his pole down and made me swear not to touch it. He was barely out of sight whenI pickedit up and made my first cast ever. It sailed all the way across the pond. problem was, there was a barb wire fence running acrossthe middle of Wakely’s pond too. That’s when I learned one of the first lessons of modern fishing, losing tackle. On my first cast. At least it wasn’t mine.
I did get a pretty good pounding from my cousin for it.

BKB

[DeputyDog]

The first fishing pole I had with a reel had a Johnson on it. Can’t remember for sure if it was a Century or a Citation.


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[Thumper]

My dad and I bought a Johnson Century combination for my Grandfather one Christmas in the early 60's (?). He passed away in 1964 and my grandmother gave it to me (I was 12). Over the years, the grease hardened and the reel was all mucked up. I still have the pole, but gave the reel to Cappy and he cleaned it all up and says it worked like new. I guess it's still there with his stuff and I'm sure it would be no problem, but I'm just not comfortable asking for it back.

[jb]

Only way I knew how to fish till I was about 10. Where I grew up it was the only way you caught Perch, sat on the channel wall with cane pole and minnows, the fishing line was no longer than the pole, so when you pulled it up the fish would just swing into your hands. You adjusted the depth of the bait by how high you held the tip of the pole above the water.

[jb]

Got me thinking, First Rod & Reel I fished with was this one. Must be close to 70 years old. My father won this someplace.
SS Bronson Lashless on a 4' SS rod. The reel was made in Michigan, no name on the cork handled SS rod.
Caught a lot of fish on this.
12980