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Even Captain Slocum couldn't cruise forever. So if you
live near the rocky coast of Washington, Oregon or British
Columbia and haven't tried poke poling, you miss maximum action
at a minimum investment.
Granted, poke poling is not really new; Italians poke poled
for years in rocky areas along the California coast. It's not
hard to learn, just difficult enough to be interesting, as each
trip to the shore finds new spots to try and techniques to
refine. So there is always a challenge and always something to
bring home for the pot! Combine poke poling with clamming or, as
incoming tides drive you off the rocks, conventional fishing and
you have a pleasant recipe for a relaxing shore day when it kicks
up outside as well as the makings for a great shore dinner.
Poke poles are, as their name suggests, poles you poke into
cracks in rocky reefs, undercuts in sandy bottom tide pools or
kelp beds. A 10 to 18 foot long bamboo or fiberglass pole lets
you put bait in front of lurking eels, cod, perch and other rock
fish.
Try inexpensive one-piece bamboo poles from your nursery to
start; pros use collapsible Fiberglass. Tip these with a short
two to three foot long wire (cyclone fence wire works well; wire
coat hangers work in a pinch) lashed to the end of the pole to
hold up to the abrasion of this probing technique. Make a loop in
the end of the wire and add on a snelled size 2 hook. Bait with
mussels, whelks and other shucked shellfish where bait collecting
is permitted or use "store-bought" pile worms or strips
of squid and you might take fish just about anywhere.
Organize trips to nearby rocky coastal areas during minus
tides and plan your arrival three hours or so before low water.
The lower the tide, the better the action. We find fishing the
outgoing and the first 30 minutes of the incoming tide most
productive. Then we switch to conventional tackle and fish the
first two hours of the incoming tide with small jigs, flies or
bait as water deepens where clam or mussel gleaners' efforts act
as chum. Poke poling isn't difficult once you understand the
technique. Fish and eels that live in rocky reefs or shelter in
kelp generally lurk and ambush dinner in much the same way a
black bass waits under a snag for passing bluegills. A bait under
your quarry's nose keys action. Deep probing in cracks or under
heavy kelp does this best.
Beginners find poke poling easy to start, but those who watch
old pros who know the rocks best in action rapidly develop a case
of "instant humble!" As is the case with stream trout,
certain holes produce trip after trip at the same water level. So
each time you visit you learn new productive spots. As a result,
you take more fish if you fish the reef nearest home. You should
take more fish than you would find at "more productive"
spots you cover once or twice a year.
On your first trip to a new area it's wise to climb up to look
down from a high point -- rocky reefs, by their nature, are found
off high bluffs -- and get a general idea of the layout of the
connecting channels and tide pools they produce. Deeper water's
darker, and Polaroid glasses let you spot kelp, rocks and other
landmarks. NOTE: some find a sketch map useful when exploring
larger reefs.
When you get out on the rocks never, never pass up a deep
hole. Even cracks only a foot wide at the top can widen out to
two or even three feet at the bottom and could hold a substantial
fish or shellfish. Crabs are not unknown on the West Coast; the
system also takes lobsters in some East Coast locations. Do check
local regulations and limits. In California, for example, you
need a fishing license. As a rule, the best spots seem to connect
to deeper water channels. Don't miss rocky tide pools or any size
hole with kelp or sand bottom spots where you can see small fish
hiding. In the last case it's not unusual to take nice flounder
or flatfish which blends with or buries itself under the sand.
Do take the time to move bait slowly along cracks and cover,
but don't invest more than a minute or so per spot. Rocky reef
cod, rockfish, eels, perch, capazone and flatfish don't seem
picky and most bite immediately. So move systematically over the
reef and you should take an assortment of fine fish that offer
the makings of a nifty French or Italian fish soup. Add a few
clams or mussels if "red tides" haven't caused a
quarantine, as can be the case in hot weather, and you can enjoy
a gourmet delight at a minimum price.
As with shellfish, the lower the tide the better the results
as new habitat gets exposed by receding waters. But any + .5 or
lower tide offers fair chances. Do realize that storms and
onshore winds can delay or cancel tidal ebbs.
As always, weekend trips find more crowded conditions on the
reefs than mid-week visits if there's shore access, but if you
boat in, you have the whole reef to yourself. We do find two day
visits most worthwhile so we can clam and poke pole one day and
enjoy bottom, bay or ocean fishing the second. Then it's time for cioppino, continues to cook on
the table. The only sin is overcooking!
AUTHOR'S NOTE: Louis Bignami's written full-time since
1969 and, often with his wife Annette, has written eight cook
books, two fishing and more than a dozen other books as well as
several thousand magazine articles.
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