Daniel Ambrose answers:

Talk to your father’s fishing buddies. They are the people who know how he fishes and what equipment will compliment what he already has.

I won’t mention brands but here are some ideas.

Does he fly fish with dry flies? You could get an extra spool for his reel with sinking line.
Is he interested in ice fishing? $100 will buy a nice hand auger and a jigging rod and reel combo.
Another idea for a fly fisherman, a fly tying kit so he can make his own flies.

I still think talking to his friends will be your best source of advice. Maybe your father is frustrated with something he already has. You can buy him a replacement. I bet if you ask his friends that one of them would bring you shopping for your father’s gift.

Daniel Ambrose answers:

What is Pole Fishing ?
Pole fishing is a highly specialised version of float fishing. A pole is used instead of a rod. The idea of using a pole is based upon early fishing techniques. Many people will remember when people fished with a long supple stick of wood or cane stem. Modern rod materials like Carbon fibre and Fiberglass are now used to make long poles.

Poles provide a level of precision that a rod and reel just can’t produce. They allow you to hone your rigs, presentation and skills down to a fine edge. I feel that pole fishing is the ‘fly fishing’ of ‘coarse fishing’. It may seem like an ungainly way to fish, but once you learn how to use one, you’ll ask yourself why it wasn’t sooner.

There are many varieties of poles available. Poles can be used to fish shallow or fast rivers, to small ponds or large lakes. They come in different lengths, strengths and designs. They can be used to ‘bag-up’ on small fish like Roach, or to tame the hard fighting Carp. Poles allow you to fish with a great level of precision and sensitivity. It is a very popular technique with match fishermen, and when used in the hands of a professional, can result in a huge weight of fish. It really is something you have to see and try to believe.

Read on to learn more about pole fishing and the techniques involved.

What are Poles ?
Poles are similar to very, very long rod blanks. The length ranges anywhere between 6 to 18 meters. The pole blank is made up of many sections. A section is usually 1 to 1.5 meters long.

[ A short pole - The colourful markings on each section help the angler put it together ]

Poles are designed to be put together in different ways. The original poles used telescopic sections. These sections slide together like a telescopic rod or an aerial. The pole butt is the largest section. All other sections sit within it. The sections are extended to become one pole.

The other more popular design is the ‘pull-apart’ pole. Each separate section is made to slide into the end of the next section. This type of pole can use two different types of section joints. The first is the ‘put-over’ joint. This is where the section closer to the tip of the pole, is designed to slide into the end of the section behind it. The other type is called the ‘put-in’ joint. This is where the section closer to the tip of the pole, is designed to slide over the end of the section behind it. The ‘put-in’ joint seems to have become the most favoured type. I believe that when poles were first being designed, this joint used less materials, and therefore made the pole a bit lighter. Modern techniques and materials allow for the use of either one. I don’t think it makes much difference with the range of poles available now.

What are Pole floats ?
Pole floats are a designed to be ultra light and sensitive. Since the float rig is literally pushed out by the pole, any excess weight previously used for casting, is no longer needed. This means that the float is only being used as a bite indicator.

Pole floats are recognisable for their small body, slender stem and stream-lined design. The pole float body is located nearer the top of the float. This reduces the weight needed to sink it. The body is usually made from balsa wood. This is because balsa wood is very buoyant, yet still very strong. Balsa wood also allows for many different shapes and designs. The shape and design of a body affects the way the float sits in the water, to the way it responds to a fish taking the hook.

The stem is an important part of a pole float. It needs to be strong yet very light. The main types of materials used for stems are cane, thin gauge wire, fibre glass, plastic and carbon fibre. Each different material has different characteristics.

Cane is the traditional material used to make stems. It is very cheap and natural looking.

Thin gauge wire and spring steel is very strong, but adds quite a bit of weight to the float.

Fibre glass is very strong and light, but isn’t very thin.

Plastic is cheap and light, but isn’t strong. If the stem bends from a big fish, then the float is usually wrecked.

Carbon fibre is the latest in pole float stem technology. It is extremely strong and light. The material is more expensive than the others, but if you are after quality, then go for floats made with this.

There are many varieties of pole floats. The range of shapes and styles suits all situations

Daniel Ambrose answers:

Sounds like the old “passin’ the buck” syndrome… Have two friends that are game wardens in Northern Cali and their answer (as be mine) to your question is NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO<);-3

Daniel Ambrose answers:

You can also try E-Bay!!

Daniel Ambrose answers:

Fishing rods can be everything from worthless to something nice. If I were you, I’d talk to a friend and let him look at your poles. He could probably determine whether they are worth anything or not. Old poles are not necessarily worthless but some can be close to that. Most poles have brand names and dimensions on them and that would be a help to identify them, but their current condition might determine what price you might charge.

Daniel Ambrose answers:

Fishing poles are normally sized by thier length (6′, 7′, etc.)and for thier action (ultra-light, light, light to medium, medium to heavy, and heavy). They may also state on the pole what kind of fishing they are made for (boat rod, surf rod, etc.)

4/0 … I’m guessing someone was taking about fishing hooks sizes.

Small hooks have a big number (like 12 or 10 ), the bigger a hook gets..the smaller the number, all the way down to zero. Then multiples of zero for even larger hooks.

Small–> 8,6,4,2,1, 0, 00, 000, 0000, etc..<– large