Capt. George Tunison

Be it an old dented-in and leaking 10-foot duck boat, a modern high-end hi-tech saltwater skiff, a kayak or even a shiny new metalflake lake rocket bass boat, they all share one item of equipment – a push pole. Stealth equals angling success and in some cases thousands of dollars in tournament prize money.

Most saltwater anglers don’t think of big winnings bass kings like Kevin Van Dam push-poling a Nitro bass boat on Lake Okeechobee but Mr. D knows there’s no better way to sneak up on clear-water bedding bass than with a push pole. From Keys bonefish to a pumpkin-hued Pine Island redfish, stealth is the ticket to angling happiness.

After spending a couple decades on local waters, I’ve always thought it odd seeing the huge numbers of poling platform-equipped skiffs out there, but with very few anglers actually using them, instead choosing the Motor Guide or Minn Kota to get around. If this is you and your poling platform is just really a lunch table, a seat, a got-ta-have decoration or tackle station and you don’t even own a push-pole – that’s fine as it means more fish for me.

If you’re ready to get serious and kick your shallow-water fishing experience up a notch or two, then purchase the best pole you can afford, climb up there and go to work. Poling not only keeps the noise down but the height off the deck puts you in perfect position to spot fish far off that deck-bound anglers never see except for the fishes’ wakes as they’re scared off from approaching boat noises. Think of your hull as a long hollow drum transmitting your footsteps, slamming lids and dropped tackle, half a football field away in skinny waters meaning nothing to a 10-inch trout or pufferfish but a sure danger warning to a wise old snook that was caught a few times in its youth or an even wiser gator sized seatrout. Think of your “quiet” electric trolling motor as a noise maker as well because it simply is, especially in very thin water. Sound travels over four times faster underwater as it does through the air.

My first push-pole was a PVC pipe then later I graduated to a real “pro” pole which was a well-known but heavy as lead fiberglass pole that kept getting heavier and heavier as the day and the hot sun wore on. If big arms and saving bucks is the goal then stick with fiberglass. The next step up would be aluminum which are, of course, lighter than fiberglass but somewhat noisy. If you want to get serious about poling then bite the (expensive) bullet and go high tech as in carbon fiber equipment. Fiberglass poles start in the $100 to $150 range and expect to fork out $700 to over a grand for a carbon fiber pole.

Besides price, length and weight are the other two important considerations when purchasing. High atop a standard skiffs poling platform think 16 to 22 feet in length but half that or less to power a bass boat from the front end. Carbon fiber poles weigh a fraction of their fiberglass cousins, which makes a huge difference when pushing a boat, tackle, batteries, fuel, ice and an angler or two on a hot and humid Florida day.

If you don’t have a poling platform, try a cooler firmly secured to the deck. An unsecured cooler on a fiberglass deck is a sure ticket to broken-bone unhappiness.

Tarpon are still around in Boca Grande and the deep holes in Charlotte Harbor but getting them to chew is another matter. Right now king and Spanish macs are the hot ticket and can be found around and near the passes to 10 miles out waiting for your trolled spoons, plugs and live offerings.

Capt. George Tunison is a Cape Coral resident fishing guide. You can contact him at 239-282-9434 or via email at captgeorget3@aol.com.