Bow Poles

A forum for people who are new to commercial fishing and for talking about the fundamental rules and regulations.
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Thorne Isl.
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Bow Poles

Post by Thorne Isl. »

Hello Everyone,
I have looked for other topics on this forum and did not find any info.
I am looking at putting bow poles on my 38 ft troller.
What is a good length, and diameter for bow poles for a troller this size?
Your input, greatly appreciated.
Salty
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Re: Bow Poles

Post by Salty »

30 foot aluminum
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Re: Bow Poles

Post by Salty »

Birds feeding with Edgecumbe under bow pole.jpg
Birds feeding with Edgecumbe under bow pole.jpg (42.53 KiB) Viewed 10250 times
Thorne Isl.
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Re: Bow Poles

Post by Thorne Isl. »

Thanks Salty,
I had no idea the bow poles would have to be that long.
Being that long. What about diameter? Bases at 2.5" and topping out at 2" , or heavier?

So are bow poles the way to go, or is there some issues using bow poles?
Salty
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Re: Bow Poles

Post by Salty »

Bow poles are another tool in your attempt to maximize troll production and they are a lot of fun. Learning curve using them though.
squareface
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Re: Bow Poles

Post by squareface »

Do you have use different leader lengths? One size for main and a different size for the bow poles? Or do you keep them all the same?
Salty
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Re: Bow Poles

Post by Salty »

Like most good questions the answer is "it depends". In the chum troll fishery I use the same leader lengths on all four lines. In the coho fishery I use the same leader lengths. In the Chinook fishery I use 2-4 fathom leader lengths on my bows with longer on the bottom and shorter up the line. On the tips for Chinook I use from 2-10 fathom leader lengths depending on the situation, depths, and lures.
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Re: Bow Poles

Post by squareface »

Thanks! Everyone I talk to tells me I should really put bow poles on, so I'm trying to get as much info as I can. Sometimes I see guys with bow poles using float bags and not using the bow poles, in calm conditions. (why?)
curmudgeon
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Re: Bow Poles

Post by curmudgeon »

Squareface
Your new boat has drilled mounting holes for bow-pole bases on the top of the anchor winch if I remember correctly. I wonder if Jerry might remember where the poles and fittings went to?
Mike
Salty
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Re: Bow Poles

Post by Salty »

Most guys do not use bow poles and float bags at the same time. When fishing chums i often put floats out to keep the schools between the lines. Also keeps the guys fishing between my back lines a little further back.
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Re: Bow Poles

Post by fvsedna »

Squareface~
One of the most common reasons for not using bow poles Is depth....Its' a little trickyer fishing deep with bow poles.....& avoiding tangles...but like most challenges there are on occassion, tricks to overcome challenges. if you Install them ....my $.02, start shallow, 30Fa. or less In a familiar area or drag. Use 1/2 the gear as your mains/tips Initially, until you become comfortable, & twice the lead as the mains....atleast. I use 70# on the bows & 35# on the mains when fishing deep...30-70 Fa.....be patient, there may be a painful @ times learning curve...persistence pays off....there are a few other other tips that help with the operation....main Idea though Is separate the wires as much as possible.....my bows are 28'...and mains are 38'...on a small boat...36'...
Good luck...good fishing....
Andrew~
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Re: Bow Poles

Post by Salty »

Andrew is right on, as usual. One of the problems with bows is dropping the main into the bow on the same side when setting the main. When running the gear I always run the bow first, then the main on that side, then the other side so that you aren't putting the main down into a bow dragging back with a bunch of fish.

At least that is the theory, my main problem is getting the fish to drag the bow back.
FV_Wild_Card
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Re: Bow Poles

Post by FV_Wild_Card »

Is there any way bowpoles make more money than float bags?
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Re: Bow Poles

Post by Salty »

Do bow poles make more money than float bags? Since I am relatively new to bow poles I can't say with any authority how they would stack up over time for a lot of guys with different boats, fishing styles, etc. I can say with authority that they are a heck of a lot of fun, give you option on tight drags that you don't have with floats, save your wife from having to handle floats, and are used by better fishermen than I am.
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Re: Bow Poles

Post by FV_Wild_Card »

Like everything else troll it seems to be highly subjective. It would be a pretty cool show to see a couple nice kings crashing onto one at the same time, or even one for that matter.
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