Was wondering if any of you guys who fish with kayaks or canoes have any tips for fishing big lakes? Meaning how you go about fishing them in your canoes or what you bring and safety concerns. I fish in a 12ft canoe most of the year and pop it in multiple different places around me, but this summer I would love to start fishing some of the big lakes around me such as Lake Winnipausakee in NH. Any tips would help me greatly. Also if it helps I paddle most of the time, but I do have a 30lb thrust trolling motor I use from time to time.

If it's windy, don't be out there in a canoe. Stay in pockets and creeks and try to avoid wake from boat traffic. All in all, it's not a good idea to take a canoe on a big lake.

Big lakes and canoes are not the best idea, especially when using just a paddle.  Kayaks, if you get the right one, are fine in big water.  It does take some time to get your skill level up to handle the rougher water and you always have to keep your head on a swivel too because you always have to be prepared for a boat wake from out of nowhere.

I fish some decent size florida lakes. Nothing huge, but I love my canoe. When by myself I sit backwards in the front seat and put a 5 gallon bucket with lid full of water in the front of the boat to add ballast and keep me from being blown around to bad. Always have a life vest and good organization in the boat makes the day easier. I've also fashioned some Rod holder to cut down on the clutter

Outriggers, stay close to shore, and always wear you PFD.

Lake Winni gets rough man. Not only from the wind but there is a lot of boat traffic on the weekends...however staying close to shore should be no problem, especially within the no-wake zones. The shoreline there is heavily populated so if you get into trouble you should be able to swim to shore and find help pretty easily. That being said, I would feel much better in a sit-on-top style kayak. 

 

As far as tips on Lake Winni, I would feel perfectly comfortable putting in somewhere around Weirs Beach area and fishing from there to Governor's Island, as well as the Paugus Bay area; a majority of those areas are no-wake zones. Take advantage of being able to get into tight spots where the big boats won't go.

 

Just stay within your limits and always have a plan if things go awry. 

Get good at predicting the weather.   Choose days that you know will be calm...  Don't go if it's anything but dead calm... if you choose your days wisely you will find there are more than you might imagine.

Pay attention to the wind, in particular the direction.  Check the weather before you go out.

 

Then, you can fish the sheltered shores and coves.

 

Do not, I repeat, do not get brave/foolish and bite off more than you and your canoe are capable of handling.

 

I have two canoes and a bass boat.  I prefer fishing from the canoe on small bodies of water.  However on larger lakes and ponds, a canoe, even one powered by a trolling motor seriously restricts your movements and range.

 

That may be a good thing.  A canoe, kayak, or any other small watercraft forces you to work an area thoroughly.  You are likely to find small patches and productive areas that a bass boat will zoom by, hardly making a blip on a fish finder.

 

But the number one priority should be caution.  Yes, as a previous poster said, always wear your pfd.

I fished Clarks hill for years, it has approx 1,200 miles of shoreline, with a 17' canoe. Treat it like a whole bunch of small lakes, and stay out of the big water. Big water can get dangerous before you realize it. Nice part about a canoe is you don't need a boat ramp so you can slide in, in a lot of different places if you have access. Anything more than a 1/4 mile across, I usually avoided.