Canoe Poling Tips

Canoe Poling Tips: How to Navigate Hard-to-Reach Backwater Streams

by Tim Smith
Tim Smith is a M.Ed., Registered Master Maine Guide, Registered New Hampshire hunting and fishing guide, and owner of Jack Mountain Bushcraft & Guide Service.

There are a lot of places in the shallows of rivers that you can't get to with boats, like wilderness fishing areas that are relatively inaccessible, that can only be reached by canoe. In many parts of North America, the streams get so low in the summer and fall, that the only way to get through the rapids is to use a canoe and pole. Sometimes, you might only have six or eight inches of water, so a paddle can't move enough water to effectively control a canoe. For the avid fly fisherman, poling opens up a whole new level of accessibility for fishing those backwater, northwoods streams.

Canoeing has been the preferred method of spring, summer and fall travel in the northern forests for thousands of years. The waterways were the highways of early native peoples. In addition to their short stroke paddling style, which allowed them to cover vast distances while expending little effort, they used the pole to travel upstream and in shallow water.

Poling and snubbing (poling downstream) a canoe are traditional skills that allow you to have complete control over where your boat goes whether you are traveling upstream or down, through all types of water. When you are standing and poling you have a better field of view, useful for both canoeing and fishing. It is easier to maneuver the canoe while standing with a pole because you can control the angle with which the pole contacts the bottom of the river or lake, and you can walk your hands up it, giving you a longer push stroke. Poling makes shallow rapids navigable, allowing you passage through water you would otherwise have to portage, and lets you feel safe doing it.

Traditional freight canoe hull designs tend to be more responsive to the pole, and are able to carry a heavy load without drawing a lot of water. But regardless of the type of canoe you are using, traditional poling techniques work as well now as they have for centuries, and are the only tried-and-true method for the safe passage of people and gear to those secluded fishing spots.

The following seven tips on poling will give you an excellent start to learning this technique.

1. Get a pole. Traditionally poles were made from black spruce, which is strong, stiff, and light. You can also find poles made from ash, and some people swear by using aircraft aluminum. Regardless of what material you use, you will want something about 12 feet long and roughly between 1-1/4 and 2 inches in diameter at the base, and 1 to 2 Inches in diameter at the top. Traditional poles are outfitted with a metal shoe, which helps you grip the bottom, but if you are fishing, a wooden tip will be much quieter. If you are fishing over a muddy bottom, you will want a special expandable tip that doesn't sink into the mud.

2. Get your legs. Poling a canoe is all about balance. Find a quiet spot of water without any current that has a solid bottom, and is one to three feet deep. Get in your boat alone and stand near the center of the boat with your feet spread shoulder-width apart. Now bend your knees and shift your weight from one foot to the other, while keeping your center of gravity directly over the centerline of the canoe. Rock back and forth until you get some decent movement. After doing this for a while, you are ready to move on to the next exercise. Move your feet to the center of the boat. If there were a line going down the center of the canoe, you would keep each foot directly over this line, and slowly walk to the far end of the canoe and touch the deck plate. Then pivot and walk to the other end of the canoe and touch the deck plate, before moving back to the center. You will find out that if your weight is not over the centerline of the canoe, then you cannot pick up a foot without losing your balance.

3. Push off straight. Like paddling, you will want to travel in a straight line while keeping the pole on one side. The way to do this is plant the pole on the bottom and push parallel to the centerline of the canoe. If your push is not parallel with the center of the boat, you will not go straight.

4. Learn to turn. There are many ways to turn a canoe when poling. A simple way to turn toward the side you are poling on, is to drag the pole in the water after pushing off and doing a slight pry by bracing the pole against your hip and pulling with your hands. To turn away from the side you are poling on, paddle a sweep (as if you had a paddle in your hands) after the pole stroke.

5. Paddle with the pole. If you are poling and the water starts getting deeper, use your pole like a kayak paddle by taking alternate strokes on each side of the boat.

6. Trim for wind and current. Wind and currents can work against you tirelessly and relentlessly, making your boat act like a weathervane. Instead of fighting them, work with them by adjusting the load (gear and passengers) in your boat. Since the wind wants to push the light end of your boat around, always trim your boat so the upwind end is the heaviest. Currents have the same weathervane effect, so make sure the downstream end of your boat is trimmed heavy, whether you are headed downstream or up.

7. Carry some ballast. Having some weight in the canoe makes it less tipsy, especially if you are just getting your legs. It can also help with getting the correct trim. I use large plastic water jugs (5 - 8 gallons) as they are cheap and easy to transport when empty. Fresh water weighs around 8 pounds per gallon, so a large jug or two adds a significant amount of weight to the boat and decreases its initial instability.

Keep in mind that no one has ever learned to pole without falling in at least once. If you start to go over, let it happen and step (or fall) out of the boat. Try not to fall on the gunnels. You will find the water is a much softer way to break your fall.

With some experience and training - and the right equipment - you will be all set to explore those hard-to-reach backwater streams, where few fly fishermen - unless accompanied by a professional guide who knows poling - have ventured.

Instruction on traditional canoeing techniques is available from Jack Mountain Bushcraft & Guide Service. This instruction includes: (a) learning to efficiently propel a loaded 18 ­ 20 foot canoe with paddle and pole, both up and down rapids; (b) Learning to "read" a river while running various classes of whitewater, by learning to "see" where the channels and rocks lie; (c) Making field-repairs on wood/canvas canoes; and (d) Learning how to rescue people and gear after an upset.

Canoe poles and pole shoes are available from Pole & Paddle Canoe, online at www.poleandpaddle.com .

Jack Mountain Bushcraft & Guide Service is known for providing the most comprehensive traditional wilderness living and travel courses available, including their 23-day canoe expedition and guide training course. For more information regarding their courses, please contact Tim Smith at Jack Mountain Bushcraft & Guide Service, P.O. Box 61, 267 Camp School Road, Wolfeboro Falls, NH, 03896; Phone/Fax: 603-569-6150; email tim@jackmtn.com; or visit their web site at www.jackmtn.com



This page was created October 23, 2005