Trying different fishing methods

If you are past the beginner stage as an Arkansas fisherman, chances are you have tried more than one venue, more than one method of angling.

This could be casting gear for largemouth bass, fly fishing equipment for trout, poles and minnows or jigs for crappie, even trotlines for catfish. Some items may be gathering dust now.

OK, do a bit of thinking, get the unused or little-used items out of storage and put them to work differently from what you originally intended, suggest some veteran anglers at the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission.

Crappie and bream fishing is not restricted to long cane poles or lengthy fiberglass rigs. Many Arkansans use these, though. A cane pole, bought or cut from a patch of cane, is a simple tool needing just fishing line attached to it. It is handy to have a line winder near the butt of the pole to store excess line. After all, those crappie or bream could be anywhere from 2 to 20 feet deep.

Even better for storing line is a fly reel. Yes, it's a strange mix, but it can work.

In fly fishing, the reel is for line storage, not for playing and landing a fish. The same principle applies to poles. You let out line to the desired distance then flip or swing a bait or a jig to the spot you think a fish is lurking. Get a hit, and you raise the rod then swing the fish to you or into the boat.

The reel or the line winder aren't in use during this process except to take up excess line.

Depending on the type, a fly fishing reel may easily be made to fit a cane pole. If not, some rigging with tape or even clamps could be needed. Consider small hose clamps if necessary to fasten the fly reel to the pole.

Why not just use the fly rod with the reel? OK, try it, but the fly rod may be too limber for the crappie and bream work you have in mind.

Another line of thinking applies to lures and cane poles. Sure they can be teamed.

A small crank bait can be tied on a line from a cane pole then tossed into position and worked with short jerks or in a figure eight pattern. You are focusing on an area of just a few feet, not a long retrieve like is used in bass fishing.

Jigs can be dropped into openings just a few inches wide with a cane pole. This is an ancient method that was modified into the California-birthed flippin' technique back in the 1970s.

Take a look at some of that gear gathering dust. You might find it handy beyond the plan for which you originally acquired it.