# Poling tips for a beginner



## FCanglr904 (Sep 26, 2021)

Alright guys i pulled the trigger on a moonlighter 20ft fiberglass pole for my Gheenoe LT10. i went out this past saturday and boy did i learn alot and was humbled very quickly to say the least lol. yall make it look so easy ! anyways im here for tips any and all are welcomed. 

So i began by setting up my cooler on the back deck of my boat strapped down and got the general idea after watching a few videos. needless to say i struggled but i had a great time. At first my motor was down and i was having a hard time turning for obvious reasons. i eventually lifted the motor out of the water tilted all the way up and had a lot more success after that. still had a hard time staying straight and the wind turning me around. it was about 2-3 knots when i started and about 2 hours later the wind picked up to about 10-15 and i gave up in those conditions i was just getting beat up and thrown into every grass line. Anything helps how do i do this in the wind? how much wind is considered to windy for poling? How do i stay straight? I have lots of questions and nobody i know poles so i can't just take a buddy out to show me lol. im in jacksonville FL so mud is a big factor. Thanks in advance guys!


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## flyclimber (May 22, 2016)

Gheenoes can be tough to pole, especially in the Jax mud. Keep your bow into the wind is a good start and make small adjustments to start. I would also fish with a buddy on the bow so you aren’t squatting in the boat, that’s nearly impossible to push. Start with small pushes like 1’ pushes and don’t walk your hands on the pole. Get a feel for where each pole position does to the boat and learn from there.


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## MMc (Sep 27, 2018)

If possible, try to plan your fishing path to move in the direction of the wind/tide so that it is more of a controlled drift rather than constantly fighting wind and current. Obviously not possible in all situations, but helps when you can.


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## 17376 (May 5, 2017)

Get out on a calm day and practice. Have patience. That gheenoe is a pain in a sense to pole. Also don't try and push super hard bc you will over steer. Get up towards Kingsley plantation where there is a lot more hard bottom and practice.


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## FCanglr904 (Sep 26, 2021)

MMc said:


> If possible, try to plan your fishing path to move in the direction of the wind/tide so that it is more of a controlled drift rather than constantly fighting wind and current. Obviously not possible in all situations, but helps when you can.





Northfl89 said:


> Get out on a calm day and practice. Have patience. That gheenoe is a pain in a sense to pole. Also don't try and push super hard bc you will over steer. Get up towards Kingsley plantation where there is a lot more hard bottom and practice.


yeah the biggest hurdles i had was wind, bad mud bottom in sisters creek and it being high tide so water was relatively deep in some spots but i just wanted to get my feet wet. im gonna try that tho!


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## ElLobo (Sep 14, 2020)

Imagine there is a hula hoop size circle behind the engine. Only put the pole down in that area when making adjustments. Also pick one side of your body to be the strong side and try to pole from that side 99% of the time.


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## 17376 (May 5, 2017)

Also have someone up front or a bunch of weight to balance the boat.


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## FCanglr904 (Sep 26, 2021)

Northfl89 said:


> Also have someone up front or a bunch of weight to balance the boat.


okay will do ! i had my wife upfront saturday blind casting we got 3 trout all over 20 inches so i was happy considering i couldn't put us in positions i wanted most of the time. i look forward to getting more time on the platform!


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## Action Johnson (Feb 4, 2016)

El Lobo nailed it. Most of the new folks that I put on the poling platform of my boat make huge corrections and inevitably lose control of their track. Small corrections and deviations are all that is needed. Really you can get all the tips you want on here however ultimately its going to be time on the water in different conditions to build up that muscle memory. It will be frustrating at first, just keep at it!


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## Feltonard (Nov 6, 2019)

Look at it this way, if you can pole a gheen, you can pole anything. I found on my old LT that the more weight in the bow the better, I had someone use a yeti 50 loaded with beer and ice as a casting platform. Helped the boat track a little better but at the end of the day the Gheenoe hull is just really tough to pole.


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## Sublime (Oct 9, 2015)

All good points. I would add that in mud, less is more. Only push down hard enough to make headway. Jerking the pole out in a quick motion to set it again can help depending on just how sticky it is. If you try to pull it out slowly It will probably slow any forward progress and in some cases set you on a path in the wrong direction. 

Also, use your hip as leverage. You will find that using your hip when you can is immensely easier that just having the pole in two hands alone.


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## BrownDog (Jun 22, 2019)

Time

also practice poling off both sides of your body


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## PTLuv2Fish (Feb 10, 2021)

I have an LT10 and a 12 foot Yak Attack stake out pole, I get put the motor up all the way and secure my tiller extension handle so it stays centered. Then I rest the back of my legs/calf's on the motor standing on the rear platform-not a poling platform. I set up my drifts best I can with the wind and sun in best location to see the fish, I have my fishing buddy up front and sometimes am only using finger tip pressure on that pole and barely crawling. Much easier to stop a slow drift and less likely to spook the fish this way. I have to fight my tendency to go fast all the time. You just got to learn to make very small corrections, accept that it is like a leaf on the water and it ain't gonna be easy but you can do it. I have poled a BT Mosquito also and that was like pushing a train compared to the Gheenoe and has it's own problems due to the momentum it has. It stays put and stays on course much better though but it cost 4 times as much and don't catch anymore fish. The fish don't care


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## coconutgroves (Sep 23, 2013)

Location, price and contact info please....


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## Andresspinetti (Mar 5, 2018)

FCanglr904 said:


> Alright guys i pulled the trigger on a moonlighter 20ft fiberglass pole for my Gheenoe LT10. i went out this past saturday and boy did i learn alot and was humbled very quickly to say the least lol. yall make it look so easy ! anyways im here for tips any and all are welcomed.
> 
> So i began by setting up my cooler on the back deck of my boat strapped down and got the general idea after watching a few videos. needless to say i struggled but i had a great time. At first my motor was down and i was having a hard time turning for obvious reasons. i eventually lifted the motor out of the water tilted all the way up and had a lot more success after that. still had a hard time staying straight and the wind turning me around. it was about 2-3 knots when i started and about 2 hours later the wind picked up to about 10-15 and i gave up in those conditions i was just getting beat up and thrown into every grass line. Anything helps how do i do this in the wind? how much wind is considered to windy for poling? How do i stay straight? I have lots of questions and nobody i know poles so i can't just take a buddy out to show me lol. im in jacksonville FL so mud is a big factor. Thanks in advance guys!


pole with the weight of your body, not the force of your muscles, keep your feet together and just lean into the pole. Sounds counter intuitive at first but i promise it works. Second, always keep pressure on the pole, even if youre just crawling on the pole, sometimes i will literally do a hand over hand motion just to make sure the boat is consistenly moving and not having enough time to slow down and touch the bottom, in really skinny situations, the "stop start" of the boat will send alot more pressure waves and piss off the fish before you get to them. Lastly, dont be afraid of the wind, learn to pole upwind as early as possible, it will help you get good at positioning your angler where they need to be, as well as allow you to be more "smart" when it comes to using the wind to your advantage in crosswind situations. Hope this helps.


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## permitchaser (Aug 26, 2013)

I've polled, Lostman, Carolina Skiff, Towee and my big fat boat. Some like the motor all the way up, some like it half way down and some all the way down. In most cases it helps the boat track straight and I've never had a problem turning a boat with the motor down. Polling without wind is easy, in wind makes us all look like rookies. I sometimes turn the pole in sucking mud to get it out quickly. The best case is wind behind that way you just adjust directions


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## FCanglr904 (Sep 26, 2021)

coconutgroves said:


> Location, price and contact info please....


for the boat?? everything is forsale lol


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## masonFish (Jul 27, 2016)

Less is always more. Learning takes time. Learn your way.


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## coconutgroves (Sep 23, 2013)

FCanglr904 said:


> for the boat?? everything is forsale lol


You originally posted in the classifieds, but the thread was moved. It is a long running issue with classifieds about people not including location, price and contact info.


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## FCanglr904 (Sep 26, 2021)

coconutgroves said:


> You originally posted in the classifieds, but the thread was moved. It is a long running issue with classifieds about people not including location, price and contact info.


my bad i didn't even notice that. i appreciate you letting me know.


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