Can a person push pole a bass boat?

[StogieMan]

I have seen TV shows of flats fisherman being push poles around by a guide. I wonder if this can be done with a bass boat? The Delta is shallow for the most part and I was curious if it could be done, or more to the point who has done it?

On TV they push from the back, of course they have a client on the front plus they are on an elevated platform. So I you can do this from a bass boat what is the best location assuming you are alone, front deck or back deck?
Any technique tips?

[mac (Doyle McEwen)]

Of course you can..And many have and do, especially when sight fishing..As far as the best way to go about it, I have no idea..

mac

[jamescaird]

I have a one piece 18' Stiffy Hybrid push pole on my Ranger 520. You can't really pole a bass boat the way they pole the flats skiffs in Florida. #1 the bass boat is alot heavier (a flats skiff can weigh well under 1,000 pounds is designed to be poled). Yes you can push the bass boat around but it's not like poling a light aluminum or flats boat.

That said I find the push pole INVALUABLE ...

1. I can anchor in up to 12'-14' of water very quickly by stabbing the pole into the bottom (manual powerpole, but it is very fast and easy). Also anchors quickly in very shallow water
2. Retrieves frogs or baits that went down a cave in the rip rap every time, or any other snags in 15' of water or less
3. Ultimate "Oh S**T Stick"... push off the bank, push off the sand bar, push off the draining flat when your boat quits floating.
4. If you are wondering if there are bass under the shallow mats, go by on the trolling motor fast stabbing the mats, they'll come shooting out and give you confidence you were in a good area (do this after you fish the area)

The ideal boat for a push pole would be a fairly flat bottom 17' aluminum or similar... then you can actually pole the boat around.

Keep in mind you can't cast if you're poling... 99% of the time I'm using it to anchor quickly and quietly.

[StogieMan]

James,
thanks for the detailed reply. I had not considered the anchoring aspect at all.

My thought process was getting into heavily matted sections of the Delta which seem to be the rule rather than the exception; and as good as my trolling motor is; I cant reach them at all or when/ if I can it is like a freight train by the time I get there

Can I ssume you just tie a dock line to the pole and then to a cleat after you have pushed it in the bottom.
How do you store this 18 foot pole on your boat while fishing?
StogieMan

[acm95301]

I'll second the vote on push poles. Last year was some of my first experiments with it. I've heard the skiffy brand recommended several times. If you search recent posts about power poles, you'll see a post about a company that sells a manual "power pole" that consists of a bracket that the pole goes through and then you stab the pole into the river bottom. two poles are requires to avoid spinning, and there is some difficulty in current if the poles load up and prevent thier extraction from the barcket...binding up.

In a situation like the Delta, they can be very valuable in getting bigger fish that spook at the sound of a trolling motor. Also I was using it for sight fishing last year.

[Cooch]

My thought process was getting into heavily matted sections of the Delta which seem to be the rule rather than the exception; and as good as my trolling motor is; I cant reach them at all or when/ if I can it is like a freight train by the time I get there StogieMan

There in lies, the idea for the next, "great invention" for River bass fishermen! I think if ya take Don Davis' pully system, grab Marty and his new Cross bow, afix a Batman like grapling hook to a long line, ya might have something there Stogie! HAR! HAR! HAR!

A push pole is a great tool when yer in shallow areas with heavy, submerge vegitation. It's purty useless in an effort to cross over any thick surface vegitation like the Hyacinth, Perrywinkle, Pond & Duck weeds here.

[davet.]

Yeah, I keep the BPS telescopic push pole in the boat. It comes in handy when you find yourself too shallow for any motors. You can push your way out of or into some tight spots.

[Otay Michael]

I've always got one on board, it's just a regular 8' plastic oar, and I've pushed into, or out of, some serious trees where I had to get my lure back, or a fish from off a tree (pulling 'em up and over trees many times, and they get stuck and hang there kickin' in the wind), and pushed back over a lot of weeds that I've sometimes been blown deep into.

I could start the big motor in a lot of these cases, but hey, I'm trying to fish here, know what I mean? But then again, sometimes the big motor has been lifted so I can get back into a lot of these places, and the only way to get out is to push or jump out of the boat and push it (not anyone's favorite thing to do, especially if the water is cold).

It's cool, a lot of the guys with new boats don't go back to a lot of these spots, too much scratching would happen, my boats older than heck so it's just a tool to help me get the job done.

Here is a shot of the usual places I fish down here, the flooded shallows with a square mile of the brush/trees in the background. A lot different situation than the Delta. Clearlake has a couple of spots similar.



If you look hard, you will see a little bit of the water through the leaves behind me. Way back behind me is all fishable, just not easy. Plenty bass too!

[yjjustforme]

Check out the shallow water dig in anchor system. Im gonna be getting one for my boat also.

[hnoor0066]

On TV they push from the back, of course they have a client on the front plus they are on an elevated platform. So I you can do this from a bass boat what is the best location assuming you are alone, front deck or back deck?????

[ElGuapo]

I've got a couple of these: http://www.catfishedge.com/shallow-water-anchor/

They work great as anchors for my 18' tin boat. I've used them to push off the bank with the handle end as well but not for poling around while, say, sight fishing. Probably shoot. Spooked a bunch of bedding fish this past weekend even with the t-motor on "2".