Canoe Fishing 2024
JamesD reply :
I don't own a bass boat, or a john-boat. So I don't have the luxury of powering off into the depth of my local lake to go hunting for the biggest & finest bass....
I DO on the other hand, have an old Mohawk canoe.... She's a two seater fiberglass deal that holds everything I need for a full day of fishing, with room for more stuff, or another person and some of their stuff!
It's fun, I've enjoyed it these last few days but have found that the area of which I've been fishing is only 3-4' deep, max. And there are some areas that are 2-3' deep.
The exception to this is the boating channel.... That's 8-14' deep, I just really have no way of knowing.
anyway, Do any of you guys fish from canoes or kayaks? How do you like it?
I haven't hooked anything big enough to drag me around yet, not to mention that I'm using a home-made anchor so I doubt I'd be drug around anyway...
Goose52 reply :
On 6/26/2012 at 5:19 PM, JamesD said:Do any of you guys fish from canoes or kayaks? How do you like it?
Yes - it's great! 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 pimped-out 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... 
The canoe is 34 pounds. Modular - I nealy always run it fully rigged but can just run it bare and paddle it in the smaller ponds. Lots of cabability - outriggers for standing, TM, rod holders, anchor system, DI/SI sonar - mounted on a dashboard with the transponder also attached to the dashboard - complete package in one unit (powered by the TM battery). Only maintenance is to wipe the hull down when I pull it out of the water, check the TM battery water, and clean the sonar screen. I store it on a dolly on the floor of my garage but if room ever gets tight, I can hang it from the garage ceiling. I need to improve anchor line storage (some sort of reel), and perhaps someday figure out how to hook up a "bow thruster" so I have better boat control when fishing slow along a bank. Otherwise, it's exactly what I need.
JamesD reply :
And I thought I I was cool...
Wowee!! 0.0
JamesD reply :
As a side note, your comment about a a bow thruster and improved anchor made me think of something else entirely.
The powerpole: http://www.power-pole.com/
http://www.power-pol...<br /><br />I'm not sure if something like will actually work for you, or if the concept alone is enough to inspire you.
As a metal worker I am already working in cad to design something I can make at home that will fit/work with/on the canoe.
I will probably end up using either PVC or aluminum. If aluminum, I may end up using that spring loaded brass push buttons that are so commonly seen in medical equipment like walkers and crutches.
Anyway, just a thought.... I've noticed some slight movement, and rotation when anchored, this seems to be the best solution I could come up.
****Edit*** No sense in making one.... Apparently it's called the Wang Anchor, their slogan is 'Hang out with your Wang out'
www.wanganchor.com
Goose52 reply :
Yeah - there's quite a few "stake" anchoring systems out there. I haven't considered any of them since I usually anchor at 6 to 25 foot water depths, not to mention the occasional rock ledges that I anchor over.
I have an anchor and a Scotty anchor lock; I just need to figure out how to store the 50 feet of anchor line. Some sort of reel mechanism that I can clamp to the gunwale or thwart I expect. It has to be removable since I car-top the canoe. Right now, I coil the line and stuff it in a 3lb coffee can that I have bungeed to the inside of the hull. Not very elegant, but it sorta works. It does make paying out line a bit difficult if the line tangles or knots as I'm pulling it out of the can...
JamesD reply :
On 6/27/2012 at 6:42 AM, Goose52 said:Yeah - there's quite a few "stake" anchoring systems out there. I haven't considered any of them since I usually anchor at 6 to 25 foot water depths, not to mention the occasional rock ledges that I anchor over.
I have an anchor and a Scotty anchor lock; I just need to figure out how to store the 50 feet of anchor line. Some sort of reel mechanism that I can clamp to the gunwale or thwart I expect. It has to be removable since I car-top the canoe. Right now, I coil the line and stuff it in a 3lb coffee can that I have bungeed to the inside of the hull. Not very elegant, but it sorta works. It does make paying out line a bit difficult if the line tangles or knots as I'm pulling it out of the can...
Check this out, I found it after a quick google
http://www.innovativescuba.com/Product_Reels1.htm
Marty reply :
QuoteDo any of you guys fish from canoes or kayaks? How do you like it?
I'm in my 6th year of canoe ownership and I like it. For various reasons a canoe was my only option for a boat and it gets me places where I couldn't otherwise fish.
It's not tricked out. There are some inconveniences, but I've been able to get out and catch some nice fish that I wouldn't have had another opportunity for.
I fish a few ponds and the shallow, weedy ends of some large lakes. If I had it to do over again I'd have made the same purchase.
WookieeJedi reply :
I fish out of a SOT kayak most of the time, and switch to a canoe sometimes. I will fish like this as long as I am able, it is good exercise, very quiet, and it has made me a better angler. It is less tempting to run a mile up the lake to try a different spot when you are the motor. I switch tactics first. It has worked more often than I would like to admit. I burned a lot of unnecessary fuel in my youth.
Goose52 reply :
On 6/27/2012 at 6:49 AM, JamesD said:Check this out, I found it after a quick google
http://www.innovativ...duct_Reels1.htm
Thanks - interesting stuff. I need to spend some time finding both a reel/crank assembly, and a way to clamp it to the gunwale.
jimmykm21 reply :
I fished out of a canoe for years and it was nice to be able to get into places bass boats couldn't..
It was an Oldtown 17 foot square stern . The only complaint I had was on windy days.
Even with a 50 pound thrust trolling motor I had to fight to stay straight when fishing a shore line.
I have a boat now but I have been looking at the small bass tenders they sell. They seen more comfortable than a canoe .
It would be nice to be able to throw it in back of my truck sometimes instead of hooking up and launching a boat.
WookieeJedi reply :
The SOT kayak's low profile helps reduce the impact of the wind. It's still an issue, but not as bad as the canoe. I keep the anchor in a ready position so I can drop it when I need. It's a minor hassle, but when the wind is up, it takes less effort than using the paddle. I have fished out of the larger bass tenders, and they were OK if you are a smaller person, but put 250 in there, and it just doesn't feel right. Folks under 200 probably wouldn't notice. Just something to consider.
rb56 reply :
hello everyone...a new noob here and i'll bite...i just bought a 15.5' pelican canoe to fish with along the banks near the landings and i am loving it. i've had flatbottoms, bass boats, bass/ski and now this. i bought a minn kots to help with the paddling, i have now added a humminbird locator and am each week customizing. being new to canoes, their instability and all, i am learnig a lot. personally as i said, i'm loving it and feel like a kid on a new adventure.
EDIT: after seeing goose's ride i'll post pics of mine later. that's a fine rig man!
rb56 reply :
On 6/26/2012 at 7:46 PM, Goose52 said:Yes - it's great! 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 pimped-out 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...
The canoe is 34 pounds. Modular - I nealy always run it fully rigged but can just run it bare and paddle it in the smaller ponds. Lots of cabability - outriggers for standing, TM, rod holders, anchor system, DI/SI sonar - mounted on a dashboard with the transponder also attached to the dashboard - complete package in one unit (powered by the TM battery). Only maintenance is to wipe the hull down when I pull it out of the water, check the TM battery water, and clean the sonar screen. I store it on a dolly on the floor of my garage but if room ever gets tight, I can hang it from the garage ceiling. I need to improve anchor line storage (some sort of reel), and perhaps someday figure out how to hook up a "bow thruster" so I have better boat control when fishing slow along a bank. Otherwise, it's exactly what I need.
awesome boat man! mind if i ask where you got the bumpers or did you do them yourself and is the front bow seam a reinforcement of some type or part of the boat? the front bottom of mine looks a little rough from pulling up too hard on a landing and it got scuffed badly. does anyone know of a way to protect that...shy of going slower?
Goose52 reply :
On 7/5/2012 at 5:23 PM, rb56 said:awesome boat man! mind if i ask where you got the bumpers or did you do them yourself and is the front bow seam a reinforcement of some type or part of the boat? the front bottom of mine looks a little rough from pulling up too hard on a landing and it got scuffed badly. does anyone know of a way to protect that...shy of going slower?
Thanks. By "bumpers" - do you mean the closed-cell foam sponsons along both sides? If so, that comes with the boat on Radisson and Sportspal canoes. Some say it helps prevent rollover - I don't believe that at all. If you've listed over that far, and have any speed to the list...you're going all the way over. (Ask me how I know! ) I think all the foam sponsons add is some flotation if the boat is swamped. All of the interior surfaces are also lined with foam which also adds some flotation if you swamp the boat - the biggest benefit of the interior foam is to mostly eliminate the noise you usually have with an aluminum boat.
The front bow seam isn't reinforced - what looks like a big ugly weld is actually a lot of ugly caulking! You see it at the bow and stern, as well as three places amidships where they joined panels. This assembly method, as well as the thin gauge aluminum, is what gets the light weight.
BTW - what we're calling the "bow" in the photo...is actually the legal stern (you can see the hull number plate on the outer gunwale, right above the orange decal). I actually drive the boat backwards...
rb56 reply :
On 7/5/2012 at 11:43 PM, Goose52 said:Thanks. By "bumpers" - do you mean the closed-cell foam sponsons along both sides? If so, that comes with the boat on Radisson and Sportspal canoes. Some say it helps prevent rollover - I don't believe that at all. If you've listed over that far, and have any speed to the list...you're going all the way over. (Ask me how I know!
The front bow seam isn't reinforced - what looks like a big ugly weld is actually a lot of ugly caulking! You see it at the bow and stern, as well as three places amidships where they joined panels. This assembly method, as well as the thin gauge aluminum, is what gets the light weight.
BTW - what we're calling the "bow" in the photo...is actually the legal stern (you can see the hull number plate on the outer gunwale, right above the orange decal). I actually drive the boat backwards...
thanks man...i didn't know what those were on the sides but they look awesome and hey, maybe they don't do as they say, but maybe that one time they will. maybe they stop you from going over so fast and slows you down to prepare...ahem, ok. they do look cool as does the entire boat. my pelican is a smooth material called ramx and needs some quietness about the floor...maybe indoor outdoor. i did use spray on liner to keep from slipping and right when i finished...it pours. i blotted any excess and put it on my truck and the next morning my inside was zebra striped. made me sick but i think most will come off. yes about the bow, i actually should have asked if it was a type of skid plate. thanks again and great boat.
shootermcbob reply :
Sweet ride Goose52, Everytime I see a pic of your canoe rigged up I just think "d**n, that is so cool".
Goose52 reply :
On 7/6/2012 at 2:10 PM, rb56 said:
thanks again and great boat.
On 7/7/2012 at 2:31 AM, shootermcbob said:
Sweet ride Goose52, Everytime I see a pic of your canoe rigged up I just think "d**n, that is so cool".
Thanks guys! I get mixed reactions when I'm on the water. The canoe purists hate it. The kayakers don't understand it. The bass boat guys think I can't afford a "real" boat (I can indeed afford a bass boat but don't want one). I look at it not as a "pure" canoe, but as a modular bass boat that I can car top. The idea is to get the capability I need to fish the water I have, with reduced cost, minimal maintenance, and easy storage.
When I'm on the water, I get lots of reactions. Some slow down their boats to check it out, then either take notes, or laugh and motor on. People driving by the lake sometimes stop their car and stare - from the bank, it probably looks like I'm standing on a cork when they see me standing and casting. Sometimes I get a thumbs-up from other anglers. Pontoon boat drivers don't respect it at all and seem to want to try to swamp me...
Some of the locals have given the boat nicknames - "flagship of the lower slobovian navy", the "war canoe", and the "attack canoe" - all those are sorta cool.
Anyway - it makes for an interesting time on the water!
rb56 reply :
ok i'm gonna share just how lazy i am...actually i had shoulder surgery a few years ago on a torn rc that makes my right shoulder moveable but limited, my left shoulder is feeling the pain i had in my right as a result of arthritic bone spur and i don't want to hurry it along to surgery. my trolling motor on my canoe was a simple mount...but a long reach. i simply bolted a 2x4 across the rear handle on the canoe so it stuck out the left side but even with an extension to turn right i can hardly turn all the way. the thing about it is to turn right i have to reach so that i'm almost tilting the boat. i am looking at and have bought a few items to install a stick steering on the trolling motor. it's a simple thing i have a 5 in. pulley to attach a handle to which and run a cable from one side of the pulley through a smaller pulley i will mount on the 2x4 across from the motor. then adapt something to the motor to attach the cable to and the cable then return to the 5 in. pulley and it be attached 180 degrees from where it started. thus turning the 5 in. one way pulls the motor one way and then it works the same going the other way. has anyone ever seen a scheme for doing this? anyone? i'll hang up and listen.
BrianSnat reply :
I have a Mad River Explorer that I fish from sometimes. There is a local lake with great fishing that doesn't have a ramp and the carry to the water is about 100 yards so a regular boat is out. I fish on the Explorer there. I also go canoe camping several times a year in the Adirondacks and fish out of the canoe.
There are pluses and minuses. If there is a breeze I can get blown around quite a bit and I need to put down the rod and use the paddle to reposition myself. It's all a bit awkward and a PITA. It's also not very good for trolling. Standing up and casting is not a good idea either. But I like that it's quiet and I can go places I can't get to in my regular fishing boat.
I wouldn't mind a tricked out canoe like Goose52's for that lake near my house, but there isn't much room for camping gear there so I still need to use the Explorer when I'm camping and fishing.
bigdawg74 reply :
after years of wanting one i finally got a 15.5 canoe for the family, i get up at 5 on sat and sun and hit the lake for 3 or 4 hours of much needed alone fishing time then i take the family out in the afternoon, just got a minn kota at a yardsale for 50$ also. i love it , i could spend days on that thing. one of the best things after my motorcycle i have purchased in a long time.
Jig Meister reply :
I am in the process of saving for a kayak now, this has almost made me rethink my future purchase!
We will see, still have a year before I will be buying it
Nice Rig, and I feel personally more intimate with fishing when I am on the water in a smaller craft, makes me feel a lot more into it.
rb56 reply :
i have come across a question someone can maybe answer. i mounted a minnkota on my canoe and started with a temporary mount by bolting a 2x4 on it's side to the rear handle which is about 10 inches from the end of the boat. it was temporary until i devised a better mount for it, plus it turned out to be way too far away. i devised a transom from a 2x4 and mounted it right behind my seat. hopefully my picture will post showing it, if not there's a pic in my album. since moving it forward, turning the canoe has a drastic change to it. if i cut it sharp it doesn't want to turn at all. it just seems to push the canoe sideways. normal steering, straight ahead and turning normally work ok. it's when i need to make a hard cut that bothers me. i can see where the motor would push the boat to the side as it is further forward on the boat. did i move it too far? should i back it off maybe 8-12 inches? any help is a big thanks.
The one that got away reply :
I haven't hit this section of the site lately, and came across this thread.
Here's my rig:
I've had it since 2008. One of the best things I've ever bought. I don't have the vehicle needed to tow a boat and don't really need one anyway to fish most of the relatively small bodies of water around me.
It's an Old Town Guide 147. It's 74 pounds and I can lift it myself and put it on the minivan, it's all in the technique and method.
I added the trolling motor two years ago. It's a MinnKota 45lb thrust and there's more than enough power to move it around, even on windy days. The trick is to put some kind of weight in the bow. If I'm going solo, I put 3 25lb weights to bring the front down a bit. Believe me, I learned that from experience, before I got the trolling motor.
rb56, I bought the mount for the trolling motor off Ebay for something like 25bucks. Solid as a rock, no problems and no worries about losing the motor.
This year I added a Garmin 300c fishfinder. Thr transducer is mounted on the trolling motor. The fishfinder unit itself could be mounted, but I just keep it on top of the tackle bag and I'm good to go.
Neonsnow78 reply :
i have a old town hunter 14 that works good for me, carries all my stuff shallow enough to get into small places. picking up a trolling motor soon for bigger spots.just the paddle out is relaxing in itself
Goose52 reply :
A recent shot of the "war canoe" - I just went over 1,000 fish caught from it in the last 3 seasons.
Dogface reply :
On 6/27/2012 at 10:31 PM, jimmykm21 said:The only complaint I had was on windy days.
Even with a 50 pound thrust trolling motor I had to fight to stay straight when fishing a shore line.
I extended the battery cable on my trolling motor so that I can keep the battery in the front of the canoe to hold the bow down in the wind. It makes a difference.
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