difficult question to answer as it depends on the degree of competancy we are looking at.
What i meen by that is, anyone can pick up a pole and fish short range with litle or no tuition and catch.But to fish rod and line efectively will take a bit more practice/tuition.
But when you see how some of the top guys whiz 13+ meters of pole in and out with ease and grace and then try it yourself you realise theres a lot more to it.
What I would say, in my opinion, is that the best pole anglers have probably mastered the rod and line well before they picked a pole up.
I often see youngsters fishing who only own a pole, fair enough, at least they are fishing and enjoying the sport. But when my lad is old enough to fish (thats if he wants to!), I will make sure i teach him the basics of rod and line fishing before I let him near a pole.
As for landing fish, it depends on the size of fish. What I will say though is I reckon you loose a lot less small fish on the pole, elastic is wonderful stuff that reacts and cushions a lot better than a rod can.