Built by anglers, for anglers

Built by a lineman, not in a boardroom

I work as a lineman for the power company, which means precision, tough gear, and fixing things on the fly. Off the clock I am on the water in a boat or a kayak, and on the ice once it freezes. The First Mate pole came out of being tired of tangled, half working manual setups.

Founder of First Mate Fishing on the water, chest up, lake and shoreline behind him The founder, on the water
How we work

Made for boats, born on the ice

The first version was built for ice fishing, because that is where I needed something rugged that would still work in the cold. It did not stay a winter tool for long. Anglers started asking for mounts to put it on their trolling motors and rails, and that is where the XT lives now: bow decks, center consoles, aluminum boats and kayaks. Most of the poles we ship never see a frozen lake.

A bass boat, a center console, or a quiet creek in a kayak. The pole was built to solve the same problems in all three, and the ice in winter is a bonus. If your setup needs something unusual, get in touch, because collaborating on those is how half our mounts got designed.

Built and shipped from Oskaloosa, Iowa
Designed by someone who fishes it, from a boat, a kayak and the ice
Custom mounts and custom pole cuts on request
First Mate Fishing founder and his granddaughter holding a crappie on the bow of the boat Crappie on the bow, with a first mate along
Who fishes it

Fish it anywhere

Boats

Bass boats and consoles

Suspended crappie or roaming bass. Sweep with the pedal while you cast, and keep the trolling motor doing its own job.

Kayak

Small craft, tight space

Wireless controls matter most where there is no room. Nothing to reach around, and the clamp goes on without drilling the hull.

Ice

Over a fresh hole

The Ice Tripod sets the pole over the hole and lets you scan the whole flat without drilling again. The XT started here, and it still handles the cold.

Shore

Docks and piers

Clamp it to a dock rail or a homemade stand and put your fish finder anywhere you can reach the water.

Family

It is a family thing

Nothing on this page is staged. The grandkids ride along, the boat gets used hard, and every mount and pole length we sell got tested on a real trip before it went in the store. Taking the kids out is a big part of why the pole exists at all. When a four year old is casting off the front deck, you want both hands free and the transducer pointed where she is fishing.

Young girl in a life jacket holding up two crappie on a boat Two crappie, one grin
Two grandkids playing in the boat in the First Mate shop, one at the wheel and one holding a rod Rigging night in the shop
Angler holding a walleye on a spring day on an Iowa lake Spring walleye, Iowa
Warranty

One year warranty, 30 day returns

Every XT carries a one year limited warranty and a 30 day money back window. There is a warranty claim form on the site, and the same person who built your pole is the one reading it. Buyers bring up the after sale support in their reviews about as often as the pole.

Family evening ride on a pontoon boat with the founder at the helm Evening ride, the whole crew aboard