Why not more canoeists?

[Swamp Girl]

I've owned v-hulls, including a 14' Lund with a 10 hp motor, which I used to fish big water like Lakes Superior and Michigan, and several 12-footers with a 6 hp engine, which were great Mississippi River boats. To be frank, I don't miss batteries and oil and gas and electronics and engine noise and yanking that pull cord, again and again and again, one bit.

 

Because I don't need a ramp to launch my canoes, I can fish quiet water where there are no engines, which matters a lot to me. I know for some of you who fish big water, you need a big engine, but if you fished a canoe, you could fish small water where you wouldn't need an engine. Maybe you don't have small water opportunities. In Maine, you don't have to drive far before you see a bog on the side of the road. 

 

So, have you ever considered fishing from a canoe? Do you already and if so, where do you use it? If you wouldn't even consider a canoe, why not? Too small? Too tippy? Too slow? Too uncomfy?

 

On the other hand, canoes have taken me to places like this, which is a lake in northwestern Ontario that will never see a bass boat:

 

 

I literally have caught tens of thousands of lmb, smb, muskies, walleyes, and pike out of canoes. They are fish-catching machines because they're quiet and go everywhere. I'm surprised more of you don't add one to your bag of tools. I know @A-Jay has both a bass boat and a canoe and has used both to outstanding and specific effect. Any others?

 

Lastly, look at the bass in my avatar. She was one of more than ten four-plus-pounders I caught that morning, at a place even a kayak would have been hard-put to reach, unless you're willing to carry your kayak down a steep slope of bowling ball-sized rocks and mud. I could do that with my 32-lb. canoe. 

 

#olswampylovesherthreecanoes

 

[MediumMouthBass]

Canoes are a thing of the past for most people.

Kayaks (majority) or float tubes and plastic jon boats (minority) have taken over for the modern day fisherman, regardless of what species is being targeted. (For those who dont want to deal with the hassle of gas powered metal boats).

Dont get me wrong a canoe is more than capable of being a great fishing machine, but most people think of canoes as something their family took them on the river for that camping trip 20 years ago. And they arent cool, trendy, or all over social media and youtube like fishing kayaks are.

People today value the things above more than they should....

 

Plus with the advancements in kayaks today, especially fishing kayaks for $500-2500 new or used you can get a kayak capable of doing more than most canoes can dream of, and go where no boat has gone before. All while being fast, stable, comfortable, and able to hold several to a dozen rods, and as many tackle trays as our hearts desire. The seats on some of these newer ones are so nice, and much higher up too, some even swivel 360 degrees. I will also add that a canoe is mostly an open area, lots of storage? Yes. But not much for organization, or spots that hold your gear (im sure you can add it though). Most kayaks today come molded (or however the other brands are built) with lots of thought out/well designed spots/areas/tankwells that hold our gear securely, neatly, and organized if we choose to be. For instance my #1 fishing kayak can hold 2 3700 sized trays locked in place on both sides of the seat. And has pieces that rise up to hold securely in place about 4 more under it. It takes me about 5 seconds to grab one and change a tray out. Cup holders that are also anchor wizzard mounts from the factory, a seat thats as comfortable as a recliner, and a seat thats high enough to get in and out of without feeling like im sitting on the floor. And most kayaks today have really great front tank wells, i can safely store up to 10 rods in kayak #2 (in the hull) and about 4-8 more on the kayak itself. But for camping i can also store tons of gear in that tankwell, thats safe as well as water proof. Not out in the open like it would be with a canoe. And add a YakAttack Black Pack and thats about 5-6 more rods, 4-10 trays, a coat, some water and food too. All secured down, neat/organized, efficient and easily used.

 

Now for me personally, i wouldnt think about getting a canoe, a kayak, or a boat for that matter.

Because theres nothing on this planet that will ever fit me or my needs better than my main fishing kayak i have now. And same can be said for anyone that fishes out of a canoe, maybe that fits them better than anything else. I would also like to add it would be nice if companies started offering modern fishing kayak alternatives for canoes. Even though they arent as popular, theres still a good amount of people that use them. Everything on this earth has a purpose, canoes, kayaks, and boats included.

[Swamp Girl]

That was a thorough, persuasive answer, @MediumMouthBass. Thank you.

 

I agree that each kind of boat has its ideal application and a tricked-out kayak is an attractive option. However, there's no way you could carry your kayak through the woods in northwestern Ontario. You could roll it, but I'm sure your cart would tip again and again as the wheels struck rocks and it would bog down in mud. A portaged canoe would clear the mud and rock. However, if you were willing to struggle mightly, you'd have a great fishing platform once you reached water. 

 

14 minutes ago, MediumMouthBass said:

And they arent cool, trendy, or all over social media and youtube like fishing kayaks are.

 

I'm too old to worry about what's cool, trendy, or all over social media, but I fear you're right.

 

15 minutes ago, MediumMouthBass said:

I would also like to add it would be nice if companies started offering modern fishing kayak alternatives for canoes.

 

Agreed!

 

Or it would be nice if someone built a Kevlar fishing kayak. 

 

I think I'd miss the 15' 6" of storage in my canoe. The one time I tried a fishing kayak, I found it to be short and cramped. 

 

I'm just glad that we have options. Canoes work for me and their Northwoods history also matters to me. I carry the tradition forward.

 

Anyway, thanks for the detailed response, MMB. It lessened my confusion.

[WRB]

Yep a good friend of my wife’s family in Lake of the Woods fished from a canoe and was an expert with his paddle, could make the canoe move at a good pace silently without taking the paddle out of the water. Chuck took me musky fishing a few times, it’s a quite wonderful world on the water in a canoe.

Tom

[MN Fisher]

I did the canoe thing up north but down here when I tried it, it was too much trouble given the high traffic volume on my lakes. So I went and built Bass Trek starting with an old 3-seat fishing boat.

 

My canoe was pretty tricked out too.

[gim]

Boat owner here.  Side note: I have fished out of a canoe and a small Jon boat many times though.

 

I enjoy taking my dog, son, Father, or friend with in my boat sometimes.  I would not feel comfortable doing that in a canoe.  Even though I think it would work, the back of the boat with a nice comfy folding chair for my 73 year old Father is a spot for him to fish how he wants to, and he has to do nothing but bring is his own gear.  I also like standing when I fish, not sitting.

 

The other advantage I find to my boat is speed.  Although it's not a speed demon, I can generally get to where I want to in a few minutes.  That would take 10 times as long in a canoe or a yak.  One particular big lake that I fish a few times per season would never handle a canoe.  It would be downright suicide because of the waves.

 

The small, shallow, rocky river I sometimes fish in midsummer would not handle a boat though, and this is where the canoe would shine.  I went to a Jon boat instead for stability and space, but I used a canoe before the Jon boat and when I do see someone else out there, they are in a canoe or a yak.

 

I grew up fishing in a boat with my family.  I also dreamed and thought about the day when I could own my own boat, rig it how I want, and use it when I want when I was a kid.  Now that I'm an adult, I was able to make that happen both from a storage and financial aspect.

 

That being said, I can certainly see the advantages of a canoe or a kayak.  The cost of buying and maintaining a boat is a lot more.  Not to mention the space required to store it and a bigger tow vehicle.  If I didn't have a boat, I would almost certainly have a tricked out fishing kayak.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Catt]

Growing up in the marshes/swamps of Southwest Louisiana I've spent many hours pushpoling a pirogue. 

 

Don't take long to figure out a Jon Boat fit in the bed of a pickup truck, a outboard laid in the bottom of the boat, could be launched anywhere, & was way more comfortable.

 

Got a trailer now, bigger outboard, & a trolling motor.

 

 

[Mobasser]

I have a canoe, and a 12 ft John boat. I fish from both. My canoe is a 17ft square back, made by Osagian Canoe, in Lebanon Mo.I have a trailer for it. It's called the Osagian river model, and is about 4ft wide in the center. Very stable to fish from.                                           I can launch and load by myself. I like it. Canoes are old school, and I like old school stuff.

The Missouri Ozarks also has a rich history of canoeing. My canoe came from this area.

[raydomz]

@Swamp GirlI would prefer less people considered canoes lol.

 

I’m either wading, canoeing, or kayaking, and for all the reasons you mentioned. Most people that see my kids and I have a kind of “oh, that’s novel!” look on their face and I hope that’s as far as the curiosity goes so it stays just us out there.

[padlin]

Kayaks were for fast water and the ocean when I built my canoes, I’ve had no reason to look at a kayak as what I have fits my style perfectly. As I recall kayaks took off when the first plastic one came out, now that they have as much electronics as a bass boat they are much cooler than a plain Jane canoe. I can see why folks get them, just not for me.

[GreenPig]

  Fished out of canoes alot growing up. Sadly a canoe or kayak is no longer an option with my almost 100 year old back. When sitting while fishing every movement(twisting/bending) is at the lower back. Tried a few fishing trips in a canoe and hurt for days. 

[Tennessee Boy]

I fishing out of an aluminum bass boat.  I've fished out of just about everything at some point in my life.  As far as small craft that can be launched anywhere I would rate them in this order in terms of fishability.

 

Bass Raider

Canoe

Small John Boat

Kayak

 

There are real advantage to being higher up.  You can see fish easier and other boats can see you.  Paddling clearly has its advantages and going places where bass boats cannot is appealing.  I'm just stuck in my ways. 

 

I think kayaks are cool and if I was younger I could see myself getting into the kayak craze because of the coolness not because of the fishability.

[J Francho]

I had a canoe until someone stole it. I went back to the 14' rowboat. Put an old motor on that eventually. Once I was 14 or so, I would take the Penn Yan woody out to the big lake from the bay for smallies. Next in my 20s was a 15' Sea Nymph tiller, shortly after moving up to a 17' tiller, which was my favorite all around platform. Once we sold the cottage and keeping the boat at the dock wasn't an option, I got into kayaks. That was almost 20 years ago. Still use them despite having been through a couple bass boats, and now a pontoon. My next boat will be a hybrid bay boat at 24-28', but will still use my kayaks as long as I can. I've often thought about a light pack canoe. My mother has one and it's fantastic. Weighs like 14 lbs.! I could see fishing from that. 

[Alex from GA]

I've always been a boat person until I moved to GA 25 years ago and wanted to fish rivers local to me so I bought a 35 lb 9' kayak to go along with my bass boat.  Almost every week I fished rivers mostly alone for the first 10 years until it became popular.  I see people in canoes often on my river trips in FL but they don't fish.  I do launch at places like you mentioned and dragged the kayak back up the bank but not so much anymore.  If I didn't catch over 30 fish I considered the day unproductive.

[casts_by_fly]

Like TN boy, I’ve fished out of just about everything except for a pond prowler type.  At various points my dad has owned (I have fished from) a glass boat, mod v, deep v, canoe. I’ve got the kayak myself. Each has its pluses and minuses but you asked about why not canoes. I think canoes, kayaks, and prowlers all fit the same bucket- smaller water type boats, limited range, gear carrying limitations to consider. So then comparing those, there is a ton of overlap for sure. A canoe can be a bit longer for a given weight which will give you tracking if you need it. A kayak can be more stable. A prowler needs a motor. The other can BE motorized but don’t have to be. A kayak can be pedaled so if you want non motorized but don’t want to pedal that’s a good option. A kayak will have more range. Most people won’t be able to paddle a canoe more than about 2 mph. A pedal kayak will do 4 sustainably. 
 

I see more advantages to a kayak.  A 12’ pedal kayak will be more stable than a comparable canoe length. It will be heavier but not that much. It will do just as skinny of water with the drive up. And it will have more range. 
 

also, kayaks are in vogue and canoes are not. 
 

 

2 hours ago, Tennessee Boy said:

I fishing out of an aluminum bass boat.  I've fished out of just about everything at some point in my life.  As far as small craft that can be launched anywhere I would rate them in this order in terms of fishability.

 

Bass Raider

Canoe

Small John Boat

Kayak

 

There are real advantage to being higher up.  You can see fish easier and other boats can see you.  Paddling clearly has its advantages and going places where bass boats cannot is appealing.  I'm just stuck in my ways. 

 

I think kayaks are cool and if I was younger I could see myself getting into the kayak craze because of the coolness not because of the fishability.

canoe vs kayak?  Kayak you can stand up and fish. Want to be higher on the water?  No questions. 

[Swamp Girl]

Thanks for all the thoughtful replies. I thought I'd convince a few to consider a canoe, but now I'm thinking about a kayak. I would like to stand here and there. And the kayak seat sure is attractive. What I can't see myself doing is tricking out a kayak. Here's a lightweight kayak I found:

 

https://www.crescentkayaks.com/product/ultralite-fishing-kayak/

 

However, it's still 17 pounds heavier than my Kevlar canoe and that's before adding any accessories. 17 more pounds is a lot for me, but I think I could manage it. Car topping it would be the real challenge. Anyway, I learned a lot about why you guys prefer kayaks and bass boat and I appreciate your taking the time to share.

[MediumMouthBass]

4 hours ago, Swamp Girl said:

Thanks for all the thoughtful replies. I thought I'd convince a few to consider a canoe, but now I'm thinking about a kayak. I would like to stand here and there. And the kayak seat sure is attractive. What I can't see myself doing is tricking out a kayak. Here's a lightweight kayak I found:

 

https://www.crescentkayaks.com/product/ultralite-fishing-kayak/

 

However, it's still 17 pounds heavier than my Kevlar canoe and that's before adding any accessories. 17 more pounds is a lot for me, but I think I could manage it. Car topping it would be the real challenge. Anyway, I learned a lot about why you guys prefer kayaks and bass boat and I appreciate your taking the time to share.

Im a huge Crescent fan, 2 out of my 3 kayaks are made by them.

The UltraLite is a fantastic option for a light weight, easy to carry, load/unload kayak,

but not the best option for standing, as its only 30" wide, compared to 34". And that small amount makes a huge difference. Even a 32 to 34 is a big difference.

Whereas Old Town kayaks (made right in Maine), specifically the Sportsman/Topwater 106 or something from Nucanoe will be the absolute best kayaks within any budget for stability. 

The downside for them is their weight, 77lbs at the low end, Nucanoes will be even more.

Nucanoe is practically a hybrid between kayaks and canoes with ultimate stability, storage, and comfort. But these would be almost double in weight, which is probably a deal breaker.

 

Now the UltraLight will still be stable, and more than enough to stand on. However it will have limitations the bigger kayaks wont. But it only weighs 49lbs, which for a quality sit on top kayak is insane. My local kayak dealer/tackle shop owner sells a bunch of them to people who are older, or arent as strong as they once were. After an injury years ago i thought about getting one just because of its weight, or lack there of. But i decided to splurge on a Shoalie which is perfect for me, its a bit heavy but paired with proper lifting form and a cart its been great so far. But down the road i hope they will still be making them. Since theres nothing else on the market (to my knowledge) that light. And for kayaks trying them before buying is key, my first Crescent was a LiteTackle, loved it from when we loaded in the truck. 2 months later it wasnt enough for me.

 

And one last thing in this already long write up, they have seats they sell that have extra padding, or extra height. This makes getting in/out or standing up so much easier.

[Swamp Girl]

@MediumMouthBass: I watched three YouTube reviews of the Ultralight and was irritated by the reviews. So many who make YouTube reviews are careless with the viewers' time.

 

Get to the point!

 

Like you did above.

 

Your review is far more informative than the ones I watched, so thanks for that. You might remember that I bought a NEXT canoe, which is kayak-y, so I'll fish from that and see if I want to edge into a full fishing kayak. 

[TnRiver46]

I’ve taken my canoe all across the map to go fishing, from the Atlantic Ocean in SC, the gulf of Mexico in FLA, lakes and rivers in northern Michigan, to class IV whitewater in TN and KY. 
 

Canoes aren’t just for small water, they are for any water. One of our favorite things to watch on TV is a YouTube channel called lost lakes, it’s a married couple that paddles a canoe all over Canada, including the north side of Lake Superior. You would love that channel @Swamp Girl

 

I don’t care what the trends are, I love my canoe. I have tons of boats but if I could only have one, it would be the canoe 

 

I can’t put my wife and dog and a full size cooler in any of our kayaks  

[VolFan]

@TnRiver46 probably needed the distraction this morning like I do… 

 

My only add is Native makes the Ultimate in various sizes. It is truly a hybrid canoe with kayak seat(s). They are great fish from and you can stand in them, with the larger sizes being more stable. 

[Susky River Rat]

I  went from bank fishing to a Coleman scanoe to a tracker to my G3. 
 

I like to stand to fish it was difficult and uncomfortable in the scanoe. I did it for years and caught a lot of musky doing it. I did end up putting a TM on it. I couldn’t afford a boat at that time. 
 

I would never use anything but a boat at thid point.  I like the room comfort and taking my dog or dad. 
 

people try making their kayak a small boat. Which is well we know where I stand on that. I think people shy away from canoes because they aren’t “cool”. They want to keep up with the fads.

 

Honestly the areas you fish the canoe is perfect. For me I feel like I have the best option for my area.

[TnRiver46]

I forgot to mention that I can stand and fish easily from my canoe, I often stand up while paddling and push poling

[Swamp Girl]

@TnRiver46: You're right about the versatility of canoes and their carrying capacity. I can't stand in my canoe and I don't think anyone could other than a balance beam gymnast. It is narrow. 

 

And @Susky River Rat is right about canoes being uncool, but I feel pretty cool when I glide over weeds and cast to thick bass.

 

@VolFan, I'll go look at the Native Ultimate right now. Thanks for the lead!

[A-Jay]

50 minutes ago, TnRiver46 said:

I forgot to mention that I can stand and fish easily from my canoe, I often stand up while paddling and push poling

Me too.

A-Jay 

[Glenn]

I've caught many a bass from a canoe.  I fished many undisturbed lakes as a result.

 

I also spent a week in the Yukon territory drifting a river in a canoe, living off the land by catching arctic greyling while dodging moose and grizzlies.  Does that count?