It can be! Your question sparked an old memory of when I once used a rod and reel for a “tool” on a job I was doing, re-nailing a corrugated metal barn roof. The roof was too steep to stay/walk on, so....
I got my fishing rod out of my truck, tied on a large weight, and cast it over the barn roof, to the ground on the other side, where a tractor was parked in the barnyard. I tied one end of a long, heavy rope, securely to the tractor, and the other end to my fishing line. Then I walked back around the barn and started reeling till the rope got over the ridge and down to the roof eave.
I then set up an extension ladder against the roof, carried up a single section of ladder, and using the rope, climbed up the roof and tied the ladder securely to the rope with the top end of the ladder about 4-5’ down from the ridge. Then I was able to sit on the rungs and “pendulum” the ladder back and forth as I nailed the roof. I think I only had to re-tie once to cover the whole slope.

The only thing I failed to think about, were the cows that showed up and were curious about the rope tied to the tractor!
As soon as I saw them near the rope, I started screaming like a wild Banshee and waving my arms. They moseyed off after a little while and I went down and closed the gate.