Mike Creel

I want to thank everyone for their advice and I will put it all to good use. I did some intensive searches on google using the strings - rigging a canoe for fishing and -canoe modifications. I discovered several alternatives to adding comfort and usablity to the seats in the Wenonah Backwater I have ordered, and expect to arrive in the next few days. Initially we will just use some inexpensive cushions and then consider installation of two padded, foldable, removable seats. I found several good ways of adding sturdy seat mounts without adding much weight. It seems that the seat position may need to be lowered, so that the new seats are not higher than the gunwhales and that stabilillty is not compromised. We will also check into sitbacker seats, but I am not sure how sturdy the back is on them. I will make modifications slowly with much thought. The Backwater is said to be a very stable canoe with much carrying capacity.

Wildbillb, Have you had direct experience in the installing and use of bass type seats in a canoe? I am admittedly a novice to canoes but not to boating in general, river fishing in flat bottom and jon boats and resevoir fishing in a basstracker. I have read several accounts of rigging a canoe for smallmouth fishing and none of these folks addressed the problem of bass type seats changing the center of gravity (which would make the canoe less stable). If that is a serious problem, they should have mentioned it at least. Even the guy who is considered the master guru of smallmouth fishing (3 books, a video, guiding and classes) did not mention it. I am concerned about anything that adds too much weight to the canoe or decreases stability. The seats I am considering from NuCanoe each weigh 9 pounds in all (seat, swivel, releasable mount). The Wenonah Backwater weighs 79 pounds. These seats are used in their NuCanoes, kind of a kayak. I also plan to install a trolley anchor at bow and stern. Let me hear from you. I need all the sage advice I can get MikeC

I plan to transport the canoe on a TrackRack rack on my long bed 1989 Dodge D-100 pickup,upside down. I plan to install the two bass type seats with an easily removable detach mount that is below the level of the canoe gunwhales so the canoe will slide easily across the aluminum TrackRack. I will remove the seats each time before loading the canoe and replace them once the canoe is on Cabelas aluminum canoe/kayak carrier. I have two of the smallmouth bass fishing books and the video by Tim Holschlag in Minnesota and am trying to rig my canoe very much like he recommends in his books. I wish he had written more detail about product selection and installation in rigging a smallmouth canoe. I want to secure the seats as well as I can and with no canoe damage. I will probably cut a 7 inch deep of marine plywood to fit across and above the 6 inch webbed drop seats, secure the plywood to the existing seat with two ratchet straps and bolt the detach mount for the swivel seats to the plywood. I found several bits of useful information in a May 2007 discussion on this web site titled "bass seat in canoe." Here is some of the information: "On our jon boat, we have bass style seats, with swivel bases. The swivel base is bolted to a piece of 3/4 inch ply wood with countersunk tee nuts. Therefore, it doesn't scratch the main seat. Then, we attach to the bench seat via ratchet straps. 100% adjustable, and very sturdy, and doesn't drill holes in the boat. BassBoy1 in Cartersville, Georgia" I also want to install a kayak trolley anchor system to allow remote operation of anchors at both ends of the boat. I do not want to drill a hole in each end of the canoe for the anchor rope so I will use some type of line guide. I found one removable flush-mount one from Scotty. Somebody needs to write a detailed article on rigging a canoe for fishing, discussing the options and listing products. Mike Creel SC

I am getting ready to adapt a new 15 foot Wenonah Backwater (square back, Royalex) canoe for smallmouth river fishing and canoe comfort. I plan to rig it with front and rear remotely operated anchors, 55# electric trolling motor, oars and removable padded swivel seats. I want to make all these adaptations without undue damage to the canoe. The bass-type seats are my greatest concern. I don't want to add too much weight to the canoe. I want to secure them (7 inch base) to the 6 inch webbing canoe seats without drilling holes. There was a pretty good discussion of bass seats in a canoe on this forum in May 2007, but no photos. I am sure that some well cut pieces of 3/4 inch marine (?) plywood would be of use. Has anyone recently installed bass type removable seats in a canoe recently? I found some good, but pricey, complete seat units on the NuCanoe site. Mike Creel SC