Mud Poling

by Gritter Griffin

Poling a boat is not everyone’s idea of a great day on the water but many anglers enjoy poling along as silently as possible. Not only that, but sometimes, due to conditions and fish temperament, it is a necessity.

Poling a boat in soft mud probably ranks right up there with the old pin in the eye thing. But it is not as bad as you might think; if you know a couple of little secrets.

Most people I see poling in water with a soft mud bottom make the same mistakes and get frustrated about the same time.

When poling along over a hard bottom of clay, sand, shell, or rock it is ok to put the pole down just about as close to the boat as you want to (although I am an advocate of placing the tip a little further back on every type of bottom). But when poling over a very soft bottom, the poling stroke should begin much further back. Eight to ten feet behind the outboard is about right. This produces a shallower angle of entry that will more easily propel the boat forward whereas the more vertical approach will only result in the pole sticking further down in the mud and stalling your boat’s forward motion.

The next thing to remember is to use less force when poling over very soft bottoms. Much less force! Very gently apply pressure to the pole to begin the boat’s forward motion and then you can continue to apply gentle but steady pressure throughout the poling stroke. This gentle pressure along with a shallower angle of entry will result in much less “sinkage” of your pole into the mud and much more forward progress. Once you have your boat moving forward it is quite easy to keep the momentum going (along with steerage) by continuing the gentle steady pressure at the shallower angle.

Like everything else worthwhile, this technique requires some practice but the result is well worth the time spent. Soon you will be poling along like a pro over the nastiest soft mud Louisiana has to offer. Just remember to smile at the guy cursing away in the next pond with his pole stuck six feet straight down.

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