Stake Out Pole, Yay or Nay??

[Steve6902]

So I’m thinking of getting/making a stake out pole. My question is how many of you guys use one and is it really worth it?? Please feel free to explain yay or nay.

[Mark]

A stakeout pole is not an attractive option for me for the following reasons:

1. I rarely anchor while fishing here in MD/DE. I don't bottom fish so I never sit stationary for long. I'm usually on the move casting to likely spots or trolling.

2. When I do need to stop or slow my drift, I either use my pedals in my Hobie (I carry no anchor on that boat) or I toss out a 1.5 pound anchor in my Native Ultimate which came equipped with an anchor trolley. In extremely shallow water, I have actually put my foot overboard and touched bottom to stop my drift in my Hobie.

3. A stakeout pole seems like a large object to carry. I believe an anchor is more compact and easier to store onboard when not in use.

4. I like clear casting lanes. I want nothing sticking up high between me and the bow that may inhibit my casting.

[J.A. Veil]

When fishing in local waters, I use an anchoring system from 0 to 2 times each year. Typically I prefer a length of galvanized chain attached to an anchor rope. On my recent trip south, the guide in coastal NC gave me two stakeout poles to use hold position. The kayak he provided did not have an anchor trolley. I had to shove the poles through two scupper holes. This got in my way and way hard to recover the rear pole.

My guide in the Everglades backcountry used a push pole to help him scout where fish were sitting. As the wind built that day, he used the long push pole like a stakeout pole for his kayak, then tied me off to the back of his kayak. It worked, but I would have preferred a more traditional kayak anchor, which he did not provide.

[ronaultmtd]

I made one..used it a few times..it was a 7’ 3/4” inch solid fiberglass rod with a metal point and a Tee handle...tried using it in an outgoing tide across a flat that was three feet deep..it held fine for a while, but as the flow increased to max the stakeout pole bent over and finally broke loose...now I use a traditional kayak anchor with 2 feet of chain...easier all the way around...I mainly anchor only when fishing with natural bait- not lures...so 90% of the time I do not anchor...

[silasvirus82]

For the bay I say forget it, but for snakehead fishing, especially places like Blackwater I’d say highly effective. In static water less than 5’ on a windy day I find mine to be the perfect solution. I haven’t done much bass fishing recently, that’s about to change, but I’m sure it will be valuable there as well. Like others have mentioned, they don’t work well in current or water greater than 5’ in my experience. They are useless in rivers or anywhere with gravel/rocky bottoms.


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[moc]

I use a traditional bruce anchor. I did use a stake out pole that a friend made and let me try out. I was in 4 feet of water casting into a deep 17 foot channel. The chain was much safer and easier for me in the particular river/creek I was in.

First I found that I did not like the pole sticking up in my vision where I maybe casting.

Second, in this creek, when the current started to move, it pushed my kayak around the stakeout pole for the point I felt like it wanted to flip me.

Third, in a creek with a muddy bottom, it made it hard to pull the stakeout pole from the mud. At times, I could not even use the stakeout pole, because the area that I was fishing was too hard to insert the pole into the ground to hold me in position.

[dhawk]

If you fish a lot of skinny water they are great I use mine in the swamps and behind the outer banks but most of the fishing I do in the bay and local rivers they are useless

[nhunter344]

I barely use mine for its intended purpose. Its just a lot easier for me to toss the anchor out. I do however use it as a push pole for shallow muddy launches and areas where I may be pushing through reeds or spatterdock. It also works well to retrieve lures from snags.