Any Other Fishers Who Prefer Canoes?

[Swamp Girl]

I bought a 15.5 foot Mirrocraft last spring and figured I'd fish some prime smallmouth waters, like Sturgeon Bay in Lake Michigan and the upper Mississippi. I used it once and liked its speed and stability. Stepping onto its deck is like stepping onto the deck anchored to my house. Stepping into my canoe can be tricky and especially if it's a frosty morning and I'm stiffened by sleeping on granite. Nevertheless, I'm selling the big boat because I didn't like fishing that far from the water. I like being close to the fish and the water and most of all, I like that my canoe goes places no big boat can go. I also like how quiet my canoe is and that I don't have to fiddle with gasoline, launch ramps, a motor, and a battery. I fished from Old Town royalex canoes for years for their sturdiness, but as a concession to my 50s, I now fish from kevlar Bell boats. I have a solo and a tandem. Any others who prefer canoes? Of course, I have regrets with my choice of boats. I look at pics of your Lake Erie bass and understand it's unlikely I'll ever catch bass as big as you big water fishers catch, but lawdy, I sure do catch a lot of bass on those lovely, pristine lakes from my little boats.

[Darren.]

Plenty who do. I used to fish out of an old 16' aluminum Grumman, but the weight was more and more difficult to deal with over the years.

Changed over to kayak fishing, first year with an inexpensive yak and I realized how much I missed from my canoeing, so I upgraded to a hybrid, the Native Watercraft Ultimate 12. Sits low to the water like a kayak, but has the roominess of a canoe. It's the best of both worlds for me, and is by far more stable than either the canoe or the yak I used.

Love to fish out of the Ultimate. Awesome experience. And big plus that we can go places big boats cannot!

[A-Jay]

I fish from an Old Town Predator square back - I use a Minn Kota to get me around

Very stable and I stand to fish almost exclusively.

Clearly limited to smaller bodies of water - but that's how I like. (most of the time)

A-Jay

[Trackick9707]

I currently fish from a 1979 17ft alumacraft canoe. I get a lot of static from my buddies until I ask how much it costs to fill the gas tank on there big fishing rigs. The best party about a canoe is fishing non-motor lakes. No pleasure boater or jet skier's to ruin your spot. Being close to the water is really cool and when i fish from a big boat the intimacy of the experience is lost. Take pride knowing that you have to earn your fish when you have to paddle to get to them. Also, as far a trophy fishing i have caught my 3 biggest bass while canoe fishing. Small waters sometimes hold the largest fish.

[Swamp Girl]

Cool rig, A-Jay! I'm shocked that you stand.

Fry, I live in Eau Claire. That's sure a big bass in your profile pic. Did you catch that in Wisconsin?

DarrenM, your kayak sounds great. I've seen a couple guys who use them in Ontario and they had them all tricked out.

[flyfisher]

i have a hybrid boat, wilderness systems commander, which is basically a small canoe and i love it. I can stand and fish all day long and it paddles pretty well from the captains perch or even better down in the seat. Works very well for lakes and slow moving rivers. I have another boat for the rivers

The only problem is i want something i can fish some of hte larger lakes here that are electric only and paddling long distances can get old after a while.....i see a pedal powered kayak in my future

[5 Dollar Fishing Game]

17'4" Old Towne Penobscot was my last canoe. LOVED IT! Wanted a bigger vessel for my family. It was awesome getting right there on the shorelines. :-)

[Swamp Girl]

Whoever moved this thread, thank you. I didn't even know that there was this part of the website 'cause I never scrolled down!

@ jnatale3 Those Old Town royalex boats rock. When I had three, I would hit a rock and pity the rock.

@ flyfisher It's cool that you flyfish for bass. On an Ontario trip this fall, I had a flyfisher in the bow and it was cool to see that flicking fly. He was amazed that I was casting F13 Rapalas and I told him, "I do it for the distance and because these fish haven't seen a lure, so they'll whack a big bait." Three days into the trip, he was using my F13s.

[Fishing Rhino]

I have two canoes, one with a trolling motor, and the other for paddling. I also have a Nitro Z-8. I enjoy all of them and prefer each for various applications. But, as far as the fishing goes, I really like fishing from the canoes. I'm closer to the water. Everything I need is within reach so I can do it all from my seat at command central. I can have more rods rigged and readily accessible in my canoes. I do not have to worry about them being stepped on or kicked overboard. Want to change rods, drop the one I'm using into my rod holder and pull out the one I want.

The downside of these rod racks is that you cannot use them when you are fishing two from the canoe. Nine rod rack in the paddlin' canoe. Eleven rod rack in the trolling motor canoe.

Here's a canoe my wife and I won in a raffle. Doubt I'll ever fish from it. It's a work of art.

[Marty]

Unfortunately, I didn't buy a canoe until about 15 years after I started thinking about one. I was in my 60s when I finally pulled the trigger. For various reasons, a trailered boat was not an option and it was a canoe or nothing. Because of my age, it had to be an ultralight and I got a Kevlar Wenonah.

It's been a pleasure to be be able to get out on the water without depending on an invitation from a boat-owning friend. Fortunately, I have access to some waters that hold big fish (big by New York standards) and I've caught many more big ones while fishing in the canoe than other boats.

I also fish a couple of large lakes at one end if the winds are right. In the area within a few hundred yards from shore it's pretty weedy and motorized boats are rarely in the area.

Kevlar canoes are expensive, but I don't regret it one iota and I'd buy the exact same boat if I had it to do over again.

[Goose52]

I'm part of the canoe crowd. I ended up with a canoe after studying all small watercraft from float tubes up to bass boats. The best solution for ME, was a heavily-accesorized canoe. I only fish my local, small (1 1/2 to 201 acres), no-wake lakes. Some of these lakes don't have boat ramps (like the lake in the photo below). I needed something car-topable without a special rack, modular, very light weight, with as much capability as possible. I wanted stability so I could stand and fish all day, lots of inboard storage, motorized, and little to no maintenance. I didn't want to have to buy a truck or other tow vehicle, I didn't want to consume a garage bay or driveway space with a boat and trailer, didn't want high expense and high maintenance, and didn't want to use gasoline. Taking everything into account, I ended up with my funky canoe.

Trolling motor, outriggers, DI/SI sonar, anchor system, rod racks, etc.; it's not really a traditional canoe...it's a bass boat that you can car top...

I've caught over 1,000 fish out of this canoe over the last three seasons. Try as I might, I still can't think of another watercraft that would meet my needs as well as this rig does.

[Swamp Girl]

@ Fishing Rhino Wow! Those are three beautiful boats. Say, why do you carry so many rods? I fish with three and sometimes think that's extravagant. Do you have a different lure on each one?

@ Marty You're my hero. 76 and still fishing from a canoe. I worry about the day when I'll no longer have the balance and strength to fish from a canoe. I sure hope still I'm fishing from my little boats at 76.

@ Goose52 Holy smokes! That's a command center, a floating fortress, and a bobbing base. Very cool.

[Christian M]

I absolutely love fishing out of my 14' Scanoe. it gets me into those streams, creeks, channels, & coves that you could'nt dream of taking a bass boat or even a small jon boat into. I ran wires up the gunwhales on both sides so all I have is about a foot of waterproofed wire with a quick disconnect in front for the battery & in back for my 55lb MK. I also have a swivel seat in the back so I can fish all day comfortably. I definitely notice when im on smaller, more shallow lakes, I catch more fish in my Scanoe vs. my boat. Its just so stealthy on the water. I can get right up on top of the fish and they don't spook. I have the swivel seat there for when im tying on a new lure or positioning myself, but honestly I spend most of my time standing and fishing, its that stable! The only thing that I dread is loading my Scanoe up. I primarily fish from it alone, and its back breaking work car- topping the boat, loading up the battery, motor & tackle, not to mention the scratches I have on the roof of my vehicle. Good news though, I found a canoe loader/carrier on Cabelas that is designed for 1 person to load their canoe alone! Most of the reviews were 4 stars, its $100 so I think I'm gonna get it. I would use my Scanoe A LOT more if it were just easier to load up.

[Fishing Rhino]

Each rod is rigged with a different lure. Two may be rigged with my preference of the day. That picture was taken in 2008. Most of the time I fish with three or four rods at the ready, even on the bass boat. I wanted to fish as efficiently as possible.

I had just started fishing again, and was trying to make the learning curve as easy as possible.

[Swamp Girl]

@ Christian M A canoe is amazingly stealthy. This summer, I was fishing in about 4 feet of very clear water. There was a shallow stream that ran along a cliffside and right where the stream emptied into the lake, smallmouth bunched. I caught a few on the surface, but figured there were more there, so I paddled upstream, let the current catch my canoe and slid over that particular, small spot, leading with my rod and leech. I caught five more in a row that way and those fish could see my canoe, but they didn't care.

@ Fishing Rhino I agree with efficiency, which is why I like three rods with three lures. If my canoe were bigger, I'd be tempted to take a few more.

[Fishes in trees]

Those boats look like fun,but I'm pretty clumsy and I've had balance issues for a long time. I'll stick to my 18' Lowe. Even when I was in my 20's, small tippy boats & canoes weren't comfortable for me to fish in.

[Swamp Girl]

They can be tippy, Fishes in Trees. I slipped getting into one last June and carried the shin cut through the summer. I've still got the scar and likely always will. They're tippiest in the morning, when the day is still gray and I'm as supple as a two-by-four.

[WDinarte]

Great topic, I'm on the process of an application approval ( from the wife ) for a canoe. I'm looking for the square canoe, we are running in a tight-budget and I don't have any space for abig boat or trailer, so a 3-400$ canoe will be a great option.

Probable santa is good to Me this year.

[Christian M]

I have the green Scanoe and I think the fish just look at it as a log floating overhead. Not a far fetched idea, it's moss colored, has little to no hull slap, and like you said if you can find where they're schooled up, you can easily use your motor or paddle to circle around and drift back over a spot, all without ever spooking a single fish. With smallies you also have the added advantage of them being naturally curious, sometimes one gets hooked or sees your lure, and the rest of the school gets excited. I plan on buying the foot pedal for transom mount trolling motors for mine. Also the Scanoe takes up to a 5hp motor, so you can fish bays, and rivers with no worries.

[Goose52]

@ Goose52 Holy smokes! That's a command center, a floating fortress, and a bobbing base. Very cool.

Funny you should mention "floating fortress"...some of the locals have given my canoe several nicknames: flagship of the Lower Slobovian navy, the attack canoe, and the war canoe...

[J Francho]

I did the canoe thing for years. They're great if you get a light one. Now when I fish sans bass boat, I use a sit on top fishing kayak. Much more stable, better storage and, laid out specifically for fishing.

[Swamp Girl]

Funny you should mention "floating fortress"...some of the locals have given my canoe several nicknames: flagship of the Lower Slobovian navy, the attack canoe, and the war canoe...

I have a carved, antique prow from a New Guinea war canoe. I should give it to you!

[Swamp Girl]

I did the canoe thing for years. They're great if you get a light one. Now when I fish sans bass boat, I use a sit on top fishing kayak. Much more stable, better storage and, laid out specifically for fishing.

That's an awesome boat. I wish I were strong enough to carry it through the woods. My canoe weighs 33 pounds, is 15 and a half feet long, and even then, it's a load for me.

[J Francho]

I use these: http://www.c-tug.com/

[Ratherbfishing]

God no! Hated it!