Xtra Long Poles for the Xtra Bites By Bernard Williams, Magnolia Crappie Club

Every so often I like to try something new; today’s test was nothing new. I’ve used 16’ BGJP’s (Bucks Graphite Jig Pole) as my spider-rigging and longlining poles for some time. Sometimes when something is working you try to perfect it even more. That was the case today at Sardis; I broke the tip on one of my 16’ poles. I always carry a spare or two for just that purpose. Today was a little different; my partner Don Terry of Jackson, MS decided to give Sardis a try. Having heard several good reports we decided Friday night to make the trip up from Jackson. If you don’t know already, the distance is about 160 miles one-way to the lake.

We were loaded and ready to leave a few minutes before 4am. I grabbed a couple of extra poles just in case we had trouble with our regular set; by mistake I grabbed two 18’ Pro-Staff poles. It wasn’t until we were in the water that I realized my blunder. When the tip broke we had no choice but to use it as a replacement. My idea was to use it in front of the Minn Kota Terrova Trolling motor. I really didn’t think it would make a difference.



We’d fished about an hour and picked up two keepers when I broke the tip. Our fish were nothing spectacular, about 13 inches for both fish. I reluctantly grabbed the 18’ Pro Staff and tied on a ¼ ounce Capps and Coleman Minnow Rig and placed it in the Driftmaster Stalker directly in front of the trolling motor. Within five minutes the pole had a fish on; this was a big slab, nearly 2.5 pounds. Boy was I wrong about the 2’ difference; after catching several more on this one pole we added the other 18’ pole to our setup. At the end of the day the 18’s had nearly doubled the output of the 16’s.

I’d forgotten why I changed from 14’ to 16’ poles; to get the bait away from the noise of the boat. The 18’ Pro Staff poles gets the bait even farther away. But where will it stop. You know B’n’M makes 20’s poles; I may test them later. So what are you saying? Basically the farther away from the boat your bait is, the more likely you’re to get a bite.

The pros know this; they use long poles consistently. You’ll never see 12’ or 14’ trolling poles in their boat unless they’re fishing over 20’. So is it worth the investment? Yes, you should add at least 4 – 18’ rods and 2 – 20’ rods to your arsenal. It’ll pay off on those days when the bite is slow and light. The extra-long poles will get your bait far enough away from your boat to eliminate the noise and shadows that spooks the fish on your approach.

Crappie like other fish and animals become smarter; it’s the law of survival of the fittest. I’ve seen the evolution during my crappie fishing career. Just look at the advancements in boats, rods, lures, and electronics over the past 10 years. Sure, we can go out find a brush pile or stump and catch a few during the spawn but that’s not what I’m talking about. I’m talking about arriving at a new lake that you’ve studied the lake map and picked out a few potential locations and catching a good mess of fish when others are struggling.

Don’t just take my words for it; try it for yourself. I’ll be using them for cranking, long-lining, and slow-trolling. It takes some practice; but it’s worth the effort in my opinion for the xtra-bites. You’ll get the additional bites; it’s up to you to land the fish. Remember one thing from this article if you don’t remember anything else; get the baits as far from the boat as possible if you want to catch more fish. I call them planer poles without the boards; precisely because they get the bait far away from the boat. Using 18’ poles out of each side of the boat gives you an xtra-wide path; now that’s what’s necessary to get the xtra-bites and catch more fish.

You can find these poles at www.bnmpoles.com under Trolling Poles – Xtra-Long Poles. They sell for less than $80 each. Not too bad for a 4 piece super sensitive trolling pole with a superb backbone. - Bernard