Poles
Why buy a pole? Well if used correctly in the right conditions, you will certainly catch more fish than the more conventional rod and reel method.
The pole will give you far better presentation and you can fish with much lighter tackle and be in better control than you would normally use with the rod and reel tactic.
Buying a pole is probably going to be the most expensive piece of fishing kit you are likely to buy. It is also the most important piece of kit so it will pay dividends to spend some time on what pole you are going to buy.
There are loads of factors to consider when buying your pole and shall go through each one:
Length
This is likely to be the first factor that you will think of. Most will just buy the longest pole that their budget will allow them to buy, but they might not fish venues that require that length or are unable to fish a pole at that length.
The basic rule is to look for a pole that suits the venue that you fish or intend to fish.
If you fish canals for instance then it is likely that you may need a pole that is 14.5m plus or if you fish commercials then you might need a pole up to 13m.
Elastic Ratings
This is very important depending on what you are going to primarily use your pole for. An elastic rating is not a rigid figure, but merely a guide by manufacturer's to give the end user a rough guide to the maximum usage of the pole.
Power poles for example generally carry a No 20 elastic rating, meaning that they will handle just about any elastic on the market.
The rating does not take into account the tension of the elastic, though, so if a pole states it can be used with a No20 and you fit a very tight No16, you could suffer a breakage by overloading the pole.
Learn more about Elastics here
Performance
Alot is talked about the actual weight of a pole, but balance should be a more important factor. The amount of pressure you have to apply at the butt end to keep the tip off the water (downforce) will often depend on the rigidity and the quality of the pole and the carbon that is used. A light pole maybe be sloppy, making it hard to control and keep in position, whereas a heavy pole maybe much more stiffer and easier to control, meaning you can place rigs accurately and hit bits quicker.
Spares
The number of spares provided with a pole will help you setup for the day's fishing. Poles that come with few spare top kits will mean that you either have to buy more or make do with what you have. Try and go for a pole that comes with as many as possible.
Most starter poles come with 2 or 3 top kits, whilst the mid range to flagship poles may have around 5 to 6 top kits. If you are looking to fish for the bigger variety then you will want more power kits, that will be strong enough to handle the heavier elastics.
If you are going to fish a variety of venues then you will probably want a mix of power kits and their lighter cousins match kits. Match kits are much lighter than power kits as they use less carbon, and are used with lighter elastics (typically up to a No10).
Price
The pole market is generally broken down into three main catergories:
Beginner/Budget: under £500
Mid-price/intermediate: up to £1,500
Flagship: over £1,500