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John's Journal... Entry 154, Day 3

JIGGERPOLE FISH FOR SUMMERTIME BASS

Jiggerpoling Pockets and Weedlines

EDITOR'S NOTE: My dad sat in the front of the handmade, cypress johnboat in the hot sun and tapped out a tune with his cane jiggerpole to which the big bass danced. While the burnt orange rays of the new sun painted a golden tapestry across the little ripples made by the tapping cane, my father's fishing skill held me spellbound. An explosion on the water that revealed the savage fury of a 5-pound-plus bass at close range scared me so badly I pulled hard on the paddle I was using to propel the boat down the bank. When I released the paddle and grabbed hold of the side of the boat, I heard the loud, sharp pop as the pole splintered in my dad's hands. Often a big bass would break a jiggerpole when my dad and I fished together many years ago. Jiggerpole fishing, a part of the Phillips' family fishing tradition, catches numbers of summertime bass. However, as in all things when the old gives way to the new, some of the best bass tactics have died out. Fickle anglers often change techniques and search for a new strategy, a magic lure or a better way to catch bass. However, Randy Howell of Demopolis, Alabama, not only has preserved but also has improved the lost art of jiggerpole fishing, which some anglers consider one of the most-productive ways to catch big bass, especially in the summer.

Howell shakes the jiggerpole down the edges of weedlines, in and out of little pockets, along visible stumprows, in and out of trees and bushtops as well as beside any other type of cover where he thinks a bass may be holding. "I fish the jiggerpole all the way down to the bank," Howell explained. "Anglers who cast and retrieve throw to specific targets and may miss the fish that lie between the targets to which they're casting. However, with the jiggerpole, I cover the entire shoreline. Because the pole's so long, I can pick my bait up and put it in pockets in the weeds. I can fish it behind weeds, stumps and bushes. I can put it in the center of logjams or run it under boatdocks that are low to the water. Few places exist where a jiggerpole won't swim a Creek Chub."

This method of fishing reliably catches bass because the lure remains in the fish's strike zone much longer than it will if you cast and retrieve. The bass has the opportunity to see the lure coming down the bank, the weedline or around the cover just like a bass will watch a baitfish playing out in front of its ambush point. The fish has the option of striking as the lure approaches, then again when the bait's in front of the bass and also when the lure starts to leave the fish's territory. When bass don't feed aggressively, the angler can slow down the rhythm of the pole and the speed of the boat and make the lure so tempting that the fish will hit -- even if it's not hungry. Landing a bass on a jiggerpole requires the artistry and coordination of a tightwire walker as the angler manipulates the pole carefully and integrates the cadence of the pole with the movement of his body while readjusting the position of his hands on the jiggerpole.

"When a bass hits, I set the hook by pushing down hard on my jiggerpole to get the tip under the water," Howell commented. "At the same time, I push the pole down, I roll my hips forward and push the pole toward the front of the boat. As I start to sweep the pole around the front of the boat, I begin moving my hands down the pole toward the pole's middle. I keep steady pressure on the bass as I'm swinging and sweeping the pole around the front and toward the back of the boat on the opposite side of the boat from the bank. By the time I get the tip of the pole to the back or the middle of the boat, I have about two-thirds of the pole behind me. Then I carefully lift the bass over the side of the boat and lay the fish in the boat." One man can jiggerpole fish just like modern-day flipping to cover an entire shoreline. However, Howell has successfully jiggerpole fished with a partner.

TOMORROW: JIGGERPOLING WITH A PARTNER

 

 

Check back each day this week for more JIGGERPOLE FISH FOR SUMMERTIME BASS ...

Day 1 - Lost Art Of Jiggerpole Fishing
Day 2 - Disciples Of Jiggerpole Fishing
Day 3 - Jiggerpoling Pockets and Weedlines
Day 4 - Jiggerpoling With A Partner
Day 5 - Jiggerpoling Produces Miracles


John's Journal