Article by Aazdak Alisimo

We can tell from drawing and stone inscriptions that fishing poles of one sort or another have been used for thousands of years. Bamboo and wood were the original pole materials.

There are a variety of stone inscriptions that point to the use of the fishing pole in ancient China, Egypt, and Rome. Unfortunately, there is very little written information about the materials or techniques used in these early fishing poles. The real story of the fishing pole is one of those things that have been lost in the mists of time, but one thing is certain. Man has fished since the time he realized that fish can be eaten. As is the case with hunting, fishing began, not as a sport, but as a means to find food and survive.

There is also very little concrete evidence about just when fishing moved from being a food producing activity to being a recreational one. It is quite possible that this happened fairly early, however, because most fishermen realized that nets and fish traps were a much surer and quick way of producing fish for food. The fishing pole and the enjoyment and challenge of outsmarting and capturing a large fighting fish must have held the same appeal for our ancestors as it does for us. At least, this would be true once his belly was full.

From what we do know of early fishing poles, it is clear the same basic principles applied to the ancient models as to today’s poles. The fishing pole was made of a material that was tough, but also somewhat flexible. It tended to be tapered from the handle end, getting progressively smaller toward the tip. At first the pole had some kind of line attached to the end with a hook attached to the end of the line.

A fishing rod differs from a fishing pole in that it contains excess line that is stored in a reel. The line runs from the reel to the tip through a series of guides. This arrangement allows the hook and any attached bait and lures to be cast out some distance from the fisherman. The disadvantage of the original pole was that the casting range was limited to the length of the line attached to the end of the pole. Modern reels allow casting to great distance and with great accuracy. The modern rod and reel and the line itself is usually sized to maximize the challenge of bringing the fish to the shore or boat. Of course, commercial fishermen are not concerned with challenge and use heavy line less likely to break.

The modern era has been marked by the use of modern materials such as graphite in the making of fishing poles and rods. This material allows lighter poles with incredible durability. Another common feature of modern poles is the idea of the traveling pole. This is a pole that can be broken down into two or more pieces for travel and reassembled for fishing.

About the Author

Aazdak Alisimo writes about hunting and fishing for HuntingandFishingStores.com.

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