JIGGERPOLE FISH FOR SUMMERTIME BASS

Disciples Of Jiggerpole Fishing

EDITOR'S NOTE: My dad sat in the front of the handmade, cypress johnboat in the hot sun and tapped out a tune with his cane jiggerpole to which the big bass danced. While the burnt orange rays of the new sun painted a golden tapestry across the little ripples made by the tapping cane, my father's fishing skill held me spellbound. An explosion on the water that revealed the savage fury of a 5-pound-plus bass at close range scared me so badly I pulled hard on the paddle I was using to propel the boat down the bank. When I released the paddle and grabbed hold of the side of the boat, I heard the loud, sharp pop as the pole splintered in my dad's hands. Often a big bass would break a jiggerpole when my dad and I fished together many years ago. Jiggerpole fishing, a part of the Phillips' family fishing tradition, catches numbers of summertime bass. However, as in all things when the old gives way to the new, some of the best bass tactics have died out. Fickle anglers often change techniques and search for a new strategy, a magic lure or a better way to catch bass. However, Randy Howell of Demopolis, Alabama, not only has preserved but also has improved the lost art of jiggerpole fishing, which some anglers consider one of the most-productive ways to catch big bass, especially in the summer.

My brother, Archie Phillips of Pleasant Grove, Alabama, also has converted to jiggerpoling after fishing with Howell. In one day of shake-pole fishing, they caught 15 bass, one that weighed 5-3/4-pounds and another that weighed 7-1/2-pounds. And like the Disciple James who learned the good news and brought it home to his brother, who became known as the Apostle John, my brother began to excitedly retell the story of his fishing trip with Howell and shared the gospel of jiggerpole fishing with me. You'll find the philosophy behind jiggerpole fishing simple. Since the beginning of time, bigger fish have eaten smaller fish. The jiggerpole recreates this life-and-death struggle right before the eyes of a large bass. As the tip of the jiggerpole flips the water, the big Creek Chub lure swims 6 inches behind the tip of the pole. The gentle flipping of the water looks as though a small baitfish has tried to make a splashing escape from a larger baitfish that's about to eat it. Generally when a bass sees what it perceives as a big baitfish chasing a smaller baitfish, the bass will attack the Creek Chub viciously.

As Howell explains, "To jiggerpole fish, I've replaced the cane jiggerpole with a durable, 20-foot, fiberglass, telescoping pole, the Tuff-Lite, made by the B & M Company in West Point, Mississippi. This pole's strong enough to handle heavy bass, has a flexible-enough tip to flip water and is long enough to reach the bank from a boat." Howell ties 85-pound test Dacron line behind the last joint of the pole at the butt end and wraps the line around the pole to within 2 inches of the tip, leaving 6 inches of line at the end of the pole. Using electrician's tape, he attaches the line to the pole in several places. Then Howell ties a #5 stainless-steel snap swivel to the end of the line. To the snap swivel, he fastens a Creek Chub jointed wooden lure. Howell has found that a wooden lure performs better and floats better than the plastic imitations do.

Although old-timers who jiggerpole fished sat on the front of a wooden boat and sculled the boat down the bank with a paddle, Howell prefers a foot-controlled trolling motor to slowly move his craft down the shoreline. "I hold the jiggerpole in my left hand and balance the pole across my right knee," Howell instructed. "Then by very gently shaking the pole with my right hand, I can cause the tip of the pole to flip water. When a bass blows up on the lure, and only 6 inches of line are between the fish and the pole, the angler has all the excitement he can stand at close range."

TOMORROW: JIGGERPOLING POCKETS AND WEEDLINES