Slow Trolling with 18’ Poles By Bernard Williams

I recently interviewed an MCC Team about their win at Lake Washington. Johnny Walker and Will Clark weighed 15.26#’s and a big fish at 2.44#’s to win our 6^th tournament of the year. I was curious how they beat the other 59 tournament teams with such an extraordinary weight.

“We used B’n’M 18’ poles out of the front of the boat in shallow water, fishing about 2’ deep in 4’ water. The fish were very spooky that day. The lake had over 100+ boats and we tried to stay away from them as much as possible”, says Walker. “We used a stealth technique. We cut off all our electronics and used hand signals to communicate. I knew the fish were there, I’d found them the day before.”

Johnny says, “The closest boat to us was about 150 yards to the south, when they would come near we would kick up our trolling and move away. When they would pass thru our spot we would return and fish it slow and quietly. We used the 18’ B’n’M Pro Staff poles with B’n’M Pro Staff Spinning Reels. We fished 8 poles, 6 in front and 1 on each side. Our bait would reach the fish long before any noise from the trolling motor or the boat. I really think that was our greatest advantage.”

Will agreed that the poles made a significant advantage, Clark says. “Those xtra long poles take some getting used to; the fish are hard to land if you’re not familiar with long poles. Fishing with only 3’ of line at the end of an 18’ pole requires team work. If I set the hook, Johnny would have the net ready. My job would be to pull off enough line to get the pole up enough to control the fish and get it to the net. A 2+ pound fish is hard to control with a short pole, and it’s easy to pull the hook out of its mouth if you’re not careful.”

Walker said, “We used 10# high-vis line to see the bite, Will has a lot better eyesight than I do, and his reflexes are better than mine at 72 years old. We work together, we don’t have to say a word, when one of us set the hook and the other grabs the net. I think we had about 15+ fish over 2 pounds.” That’s quite a feat considering lots of teams didn’t weigh 7 fish.

I know the 18’ poles are the ticket when the fish go shallow. It takes practice to master landing a fish but with a good net man it not a problem. Never reel the fish up to the point you can’t raise the pole up and bring the fish close enough to the boat to land it.

Johnny and Will agree that 18’ poles do give you a substantial advantage when it comes to catching big crappie. Walker says, “I’m not out there just to catch fish, I need 7 big fish. Big fish didn’t get that size being stupid. You’ve got to outsmart them. You’ve got to eliminate the noise, move slow, and fish efficiently. By efficiently I mean you’ve got to make every bite count.”

Now Mr. Walker you said a mouth full. It takes patience and practice to fish long poles. The B’n’M Xtra Long Poles have an unbelievably sensitive tip. I use them long-line trolling for the reach. I catch most of my big fish on them because of the reach. When I stick two of them out the side, I’m covering over 45’ of water. My belief is you’re going to get more bites if you present it to more fish.

By Bernard Williams - Magnolia Crappie Club Outdoor Writer