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| Push pole component kit from Mangrove |
OK, it wasn't really mine. It belonged to my fishing buddy, but Steve let me keep it since all our fishing was from my boat. And it worked pretty well, all things considered. My tin boat had no poling platform, so the 12-foot pole was perfectly adequate, and I learned to pity the fellows with those expensive glass poles like they used down in Florida.
I pitied them until I finally got my flats skiff, which came equipped with a platform and 18-foot glass pole. Having that extra length was a revelation, and I soon learned to use the pole's flex to my advantage. I began to wonder how much better life would have been had I upgraded sooner. And I soon began fantasizing about getting a graphite pole.I was very slow to transition to graphite, because graphite poles were ... and are ... painfully expensive. Double the cost of glass. But when I finally forked over the cash, I was in heaven. Even with a 22-foot pole, the graphite was still lighter than glass. And after a day of slugging it out in the mud on the Louisiana flats, graphite becomes truly beautiful.
If only graphite weren't so damn pricey!
Turns out, graphite doesn't have to cause a bankruptcy, thanks to the good folks at Mangrove. If you're willing to do a bit of assembly, Mangrove has graphite poles at fiberglass prices.
How is this possible?
Instead of selling finished poles, Mangrove lets you buy components, eliminating the exorbitant costs associated with shipping standard one-piece poles. If you don't understand my point, run down to your local UPS or Fed-Ex office and ask the price for shipping a 10-pound box. Then ask how much it costs to ship a 10-pound box that's 20-feet long. Trust me, it ain't cheap.
Mangrove gets around that problem by limiting its push pole sections to 56 inches. At 56 inches, shipping prices are still reasonable, and Mangrove is happy to pass the savings to you.
Let's assume you want a 19-foot pole. You're going to need four 56-inch sections at $49.95 each. The foot-and-tip set is $59.95, and you will also need three ferrules, which cost $9.95 each. That puts you just a few coins short of $290.
How do you go about assembling a Mangrove pole? Capt. Scot Graham has posted a great set of instructions over at Microskiff.com.
To find Mangrove products, contact any Temple Fork Outfitters fly rod dealer or TFO spinning rod/casting rod dealer. And enjoy your new push pole, now that graphite has become affordable.
