Yes, it took quite the effort. If the pliers had not worked for me I was going to soak the pole with screw till attached and soak it in DW40 or something.
I would not give up on it and was at the point of not caring if I had messed it up because it was going to be useless to me UNLESS I got the screw off. I just made sure that the pole was held tight in the pliers so it would not move and after a few choice words, it finally gave way.
I finally gave it another go and had success. I am loving this tank now. It provides excellent flavor. I'll get more of them, for sure.