Gear talk
	My new spruce canoe pole

My buddy Sean Carapella ascends the Deerfield River in Massachusetts. "Carp" is a champion poler. Pic by Matt Hopkinson

I have to tell you about my new pole, I'm so proud of it.

My new pole is just over 11 ft. long.

I have seen others use a pole with great skill, especially Scooter and Hal, in the Maine woods. They use their 12-foot aluminum rods to ascend the great rivers of Northern Maine, ferrying into the eddy pools behind the rocks to glide upstream against the current with remarkable skill.

I used one of their poles to go five miles up the Merrimack River at the 2005 rendezvous, and found it very efficient. But I never got used to the cold metal in my hands and the clanking of the end of the pole against the river bottom. I resisted the urge to acquire an aluminum rod, always hoping that I could make or score a spruce pole instead.

Then I met Scott Corbett, no relation, through a mutual friend. Scott is an accomplished paddler, and spends the winter making wanigans, canoe poles, and restoring Chestnut canoes. After a short jaunt down the lower Nashwaak from Nashwaak Bridge to Taymouth, he gave me a tour of his workshop, and presented me with an eleven-foot spruce pole, in exchange for a copy of my book.

The business end of my pole

Scott explained that he prowls lumber yards in search of the perfect long piece of spruce. Once he gets it home into his shop, he cuts it lengthwise to roughly one and a half inches wide. Then he planes the edges lengthwise to approximate a rounder grip.

For more information, email Scott Corbett.

At one end, the last six inches are rounded perfectly, and a narrow cross-wise cut is made into the butt. Here a small wedge of hardwood is inserted and fastened with a counter-sunk screw, to prevent brooming of the tip. Then a brass cuff is screwed around the last few inches. A coat of boiled linseed oil provides the finishing touch.

It's a great pleasure to stand up amidships, set the end of the pole at an angle against the bottom of the stream, and push the pole's length down and back to move upstream against it. I haven't used it in strong current yet, just in the quieter water at the mouth of the Nashwaak, but it feels so light and responsive as it bends just enough when I push and then springs back up into my hands.

With an aluminum pole, I have to make a conscious motion to throw a length of the pole up into my grip to set it into the stream again. By contrast, my wooden pole jumps up into the sweet spot on its own because it floats. I haven't weighed it, but I'm certain that it is lighter than an aluminum pole. I almost feel reluctant to let Scooter and Hal try it, it might just change their outlook on poling with aluminum altogether.

My first time out with my new pole on the Nashwaak

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