Spider-trolling with cane poles placed around the boat is a tactic often employed by crappie fishermen. Photo by Keith Sutton

When I was starting out crappie fishing as a kid, selecting equipment was a cinch. We went to a cane thicket, cut a pole, and cured it in the barn. Then we tied on a piece of Dacron line, added a cork bobber, split shot and hook, and we were ready to fish. Creek minnows we caught in homemade traps served as bait.

In recent decades, crappie fishing has changed a lot. Instead of cane poles, many anglers fish with jigging poles made from a variety of lightweight, super-strong space-age materials. You can choose from boron, graphite, fiberglass or composites; long poles, short poles or in-between poles; and one-piece, two-piece or telescoping ones. Some are so tough that you can tie a knot in one without breaking it. Others are so sensitive, you probably could detect a gnat landing on their tip.

It's still fun, however, to cut and dry your own cane poles -- a nostalgic adventure that adds an extra measure of enjoyment to the fishing experience, especially for kids. Modern jigging poles are more durable and offer a better "feel." But cane poles work great, too, just as they have for centuries. It's good to know that in a world obsessed with high-tech this and newfangled that, you can still catch a mess of crappie on reliable, old-fashioned, cost-nothing fishing poles you make yourself.

CUTTING & CURING YOUR OWN CANE POLE
Cane grows in the understory of many bottomland hardwood forests. There are two species: giant cane and switch cane. Giant cane reaches a maximum height of 30 feet, with an average of 15-20 feet. The maximum height of switch cane is about 10 feet, with a diameter up to about one inch. Both make excellent fishing poles.

A sharp machete or heavy hunting knife is a good cane-cutter. Select green canes of the proper length and diameter. A pole that's too long or too thick will be heavy and unwieldy, while a short and skinny pole is likely to break if you hook a real fighter. Most anglers prefer those 1 to 1 1/2 inches in diameter at the butt end, and 10 to 14 feet long. It's a good idea to cut poles of various lengths, and in the following paragraphs, you'll see why.

Cut each cane at the base, then trim off all the leaves. Be sure to leave the slender tip, taking care not to damage it during trimming.

Back at home; saw through the bottom of a joint to square off the butt end. Done properly, the butt will now be "capped" with the piece of wood dividing the joint; the next hollow space inside the cane won't be visible. Run your hand along the pole and smooth with sandpaper or a knife any rough edges you feel.

Straight canes make the best fishing poles, but unless cured properly, the poles will bend at their tips while drying. To prevent this, hang each poles upright. Tie a cord to the tip, and secure the cord's free end to barn rafters or a tree limb, so that the pole hangs straight, its butt end slightly above the ground. Curing is complete when the pole takes on a tannish hue, a process that usually takes several weeks. Some anglers varnish their cured poles for extra durability.

Before fishing, test each cane pole by grasping it near the butt and whipping the tip back and forth. If there are any cracks or breaks that weren't evident before, they'll show up now, giving you a chance to cull a defective pole. The best poles are whippy yet straight near the tip, with a solid, inflexible butt.

Some anglers make the mistake of tying line only to the end of the pole. If the tip breaks, the fish is lost. It's better to run line along the whole length, starting just above the pole's "handle" where you'll hold onto it. Tie the line here, then wrap a piece of electrical or duct tape around the knot to secure it. Tape the line at several evenly spaced points along the pole, then wrap several feet around the tip and tie the line off, leaving a length of line beyond the tip that's a foot or two longer than the pole. When you rig the line with terminal tackle, adjust the line's length as necessary by wrapping or unwrapping it at the tip. A simple overhand knot serves to tie it off.