C.E. Smith Gen3 Center Rigger Pole 12' 2-Section Black

The C.E. Smith Gen3 Center Rigger Pole gives you a 12-foot carbon fiber pole that runs your center line or kite well clear of the wake. It mounts off the middle of your hardtop or T-top, and the integrated dual stainless eyes let you run more than one halyard at a time. If you fish spread baits off a center console and want that middle line up and away from your flat lines, this is the pole that does it.

A center rigger does a different job than your side outriggers. The outriggers spread your outside lines wide, and the center rigger lifts the middle line high and back so it isn't fighting with them. Run a kite off it on a light day, or a shotgun line straight down the middle of the spread. Because the halyard runs up and over the tip, your bait rides higher and cleaner off the water, and the drop-back stays consistent when a fish knocks the pin.

Carbon fiber is light and stiff, which is exactly what you want in a rigger. But carbon on the water has one weak spot, and that's galvanic corrosion where the fibers meet stainless hardware. The Gen3 is built to prevent those galvanic reactions, so the pole keeps looking good and performing season after season instead of pitting and staining at the fittings. C.E. Smith builds this line for daily salt-water use, and that corrosion protection is a big part of why.

The base is solid fiberglass, not hollow. That gives you real strength and stability down low where the pole takes the most load, so it doesn't whip around at the mount when you're running or when a fish loads up the line.

What sets these poles apart is the Taper-Lok joint. Instead of a sloppy slip fit, the sections wedge tightly together into a single rigid pole. It runs much straighter than a typical fiberglass or aluminum rigger, and it holds that line under load. When you're done for the day, you unscrew and pull the locking pin from each collar, and the rigid sections slide right inside one another and collapse down for storage. You get the stiffness of a one-piece pole with the packability of a telescoping one.

Up top there's an extra-long nonconductive tip. That length keeps your halyard and clips from tangling around the pole tip, which is the little detail that saves you a headache when you're trying to clear a line in a hurry. The dual 316 stainless halyard eyes are integrated right into the pole, so you can run two halyards for a center line and a kite, or a main and a backup.

Fitment is straightforward. The Gen3 drops into a 1-1/2 inch rigger holder with no adapter. If your hardtop is set up with 1-5/8 inch holders, the pole fits those too with the aluminum fitment sleeve. Seat it fully and snug the base hardware evenly. Don't crank the set screws down hard. Even, moderate tension holds the pole fine, and overtightening is how you crack a collar. A dab of removable thread locker on the set screws keeps everything from backing out after a few trips in chop.

Salt is salt, so rinse the pole and the base collar with fresh water after a day out, especially if you run in heavier seas. Keep the collar clean and the joints seated, and the Gen3 stays tight and straight. Store it in the included mesh bag between trips to keep the finish from rubbing.

This is a center rigger for anglers running center consoles and walkarounds who want a clean, stiff pole for a middle line or kite. It's a 2-section design, so it flexes a bit more than a one-piece pole when you really load it up, but for the vast majority of trolling and kite work it gives you the reach and the storage convenience most boats actually need. One 12-foot pole, dual stainless eyes, and a mesh storage bag come in the box.