Fishing pole

(1) A misnomer usually applied to a fishing rod.

(2) A fishing implement unaccompanied by a reel or by rod components, and used for making quiet presentations, primarily of bait, to specific places, some of which are not readily accessible by casting. A pole is not used for casting and there is no running line; bait is swung or dropped gently into place and a fixed length of line is attached to the tip of the pole.

Most poles in North America are made of bamboo, and referred to as “cane poles,” although they may be made of synthetic material (fiberglass and graphite) and also telescopic. North American poles are commonly 10 to 15 feet in length, mainly fished from shore or bank for panfish species, but often employed from a boat. In Europe and Asia, poles may be two to three times this length (some expensive specialty poles are 60 feet long), and almost exclusively used from the bank, primarily in coarse fishing; they are made of graphite and are light in weight despite their great length.

Hooked fish are retrieved by being jerked or lifted out of the water with shorter poles and heavy line, and are led to a landing net with long poles and light line.

See: Cane Pole; Coarse Fishing; Float; Rod, Fishing.