Why not more canoeists?

[TnRiver46]

Counts doubly 

[Swamp Girl]

20 minutes ago, Glenn said:

 

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?

 

It does. Even when I'm having a great morning on a local pond or bog, I still ache for wild places. 

[Susky River Rat]

There is an older couple that I see canoeing on the susky from time to time. Every time I see them I think of @Swamp Girl. just enjoying the basics of life. 

[Darren.]

Fished out of an old aluminum Grumman in the 90s and early 2ks.

Put lobster pot boueys on it for a more stable experience. Sold it

and changed to a hybrid kayak/canoe now, the Native Ultimate 12,

rigged with for controlled steering for a 30lb thrust Minn Kota, and

is more stable than the canoe, not to mention lighter.

 

Best of both worlds, IMO.

 

 

[12poundbass]

On 12/21/2024 at 10:21 AM, MediumMouthBass said:

And they arent cool, trendy,

This guy begs to differ! 😂

 

 

[Cuivre]

My first "fishing vessel" was a used Ram-X 15 canoe I bought in 1990 out of grad school.  I ended up tricking it out with a Trolling motor and a shoot through the hull Eagle depthfinder.  I got lots of comments when I was on the water with that-had lots of fun with it and never flipped.  Graduated through a Tracker, Aluma-Weld (pre-XPress brand) and now an HP180 G3.  But I did get back into the small vessel bassin in 2015 and bought a Perception Pescador Pro120, then a Jackson Coosa FD....then added a Torqueedo motor.  I think it depends on what your goal is.  I got heavily involved in kayak fishing tournaments and traveled the mid west and south fishing them, so that made me see other folk's kayaks and the rigging chase becomes a real deal.  Kayak fishing/tournaments are still a 'brotherhood' type of activity, and people are much friendlier than those you run across in bass boat tournaments (been there, done that).  We have camp-outs, campfires, feasts, tip sessions and other BS sessions the weekend of our tournaments-it is something to take away regardless of your tournament performance.  It is worth checking out if you want to meet like minded folks.  Most clubs allow canoes in tournaments as well, but double check first and find a mentor to help you get familiar with the rules and process of measuring and submitting fish.

[TnRiver46]

3 hours ago, 12poundbass said:

This guy begs to differ! 😂

 

 

There was a GIF of that guy that popped up in my Google photos when I searched “canoe” to get my pics for this post 😂 

 

I love that video 

[J Francho]

That guy is somewhat local. Honeoye Falls is a quick drive from here. 

[king fisher]

When I was a kid I had a canoe.  It was an aluminum white water canoe with no seats.  My friends and I had to kneel to paddle, and it was impossible to make it track straight.  Most of the time we would use it to get from one shore to the next where we would then get out and fish for bass from shore.  Every time we tried bass fishing from canoe we spent our whole time paddling and no time fishing.  It worked great for drifting in the middle of the lake for crappie, but for bass I always preferred to fish from shore.

       When I was older I got a 12 foot row boat.  It made for a much better bass fishing platform.  When fishing with a friend one person would row, and the other would fish.  When fishing by myself I  could position the boat with the oars, and make a few casts before I needed to reposition.

       I gave my canoe to a friend for his kids.  It still gets used, and I'm sure they have sore knees, and tangled lines, but are accumulating great memories.

       I now have a peddle kayak, and I can cast and position at the same time.  I know there are many that love to fish in a canoe, and are more successful at catching bass than I am.  All I can say is if a canoe is what you like than have at it, but I will never own another canoe and no one will convince me they are a better bass fishing platform than a modern peddle kayak.

[Swamp Girl]

36 minutes ago, king fisher said:

no one will convince me they are a better bass fishing platform than a modern peddle kayak.

 

What if I gave you a buck-fifty to change your mind?

 

#fingerscrossedyou'recheap

 

36 minutes ago, king fisher said:

My friends and I had to kneel to paddle, and it was impossible to make it track straight.

 

Seriously, I remember zig-zagging canoe down rivers as a kid. It was probably half due to paddling crummy canoes and half due to my being a lousy paddler. Thousands of miles later, I bend it like Beckham. 

[padlin]

I always get a kick out of scenes on tv where a couple long time canoe paddlers are crossing a body of water flipping the paddles side to side to keep the boat straight .

[TheSwearingAngler]

Best. Fishing. Platform. Ever.

[Johnbt]

I'm about 35 years past being able to sit or kneel in a canoe. I liked them when I was younger/middle aged, all before I had back surgery in 2003.

 

I know why fewer and fewer people are buying new jon boats like I did in 2012.

 

A 2025 Grizzly 1648 bare hull is now $5195, which includes the $200 freight.

In 2012 mine was $2699 including freight.

 

Mine is small enough to load over banks on lakes with no ramp, even with a 24v motor on the front and a 34 ft.lb. motor on the back. And carpet, rear deck extension and bass boat seats. 

 

I have a 10 hp Merc for restricted reservoirs and the river, although it will only go 11 or 12 mph with two 200-pounders and a load of tackle, 2 anchors, etc.

[GreenPig]

On 12/22/2024 at 2:40 PM, 12poundbass said:

This guy begs to differ! 😂

 

 

Impressive! But he didn’t even make one cast, which I think is illegal around here.😁

[the reel ess]

I went from a fish n ski to a canoe to a kayak, to a better kayak. The canoe is OK with two people. I didn't have a trolling motor and a stiff breeze could turn the canoe unless I sat in the middle seat. It's just so much easier to handle my kayak alone either in or out of the water. I do kind of wish I'd kept the canoe though. Every tool has its purpose.

[Swamp Girl]

6 minutes ago, the reel ess said:

Every tool has its purpose.

 

Amen, brother. 

[jbmaine]

I spent many years fishing out of my Radisson canoe. Loved everything about it. Only reason I'm not still in it is my back told me it was time for a change.

[Swamp Girl]

1 hour ago, jbmaine said:

I spent many years fishing out of my Radisson canoe. Loved everything about it. Only reason I'm not still in it is my back told me it was time for a change.

 

We Mainers belong in canoes! They're our heritage. 

[Functional]

Granted, I have limited experience with a canoe but here is my take.

 

With modern kayaks a canoe is really a "multi-person kayak". I feel modern kayaks are more suited for fishing with most of the same benefits as a canoe but excel in a lot of areas a canoe doesnt while keeping it's benefits. The benefit is primarily weight for a canoe, once you start getting bigger, wider, etc. to match the stability of some kayaks you start bumping up the weight and in a lot of cases in a larger profile than a kayak capable of the same stability. Clearly, once you add a second or potentially 3rd person you are better off in a canoe. 

 

Anywhere I've dragged a canoe (again from my experiences) I could drag a kayak just as easily. Maybe if the canoe we had at the time was super light like Katie's I may feel different but the weight difference was never enough to matter in my case. 

 

Since 95% of what I do has a boat launch my 3 weapons are Kayak, v bottom boat or bass boat. If I was regularly dragging something through the woods it would be kayak and likely some form of canoe for a guest coming along. 

 

As mentioned, right tool for the job. To me canoes still have a place, just less of a need for me personally. 

[Swamp Girl]

Thanks, @Functional. You might remember that I bought a NEXT canoe:

 

It's made by Old Town and they market it as a canoe/kayak hybrid. It has the lower profile of a kayak, foot braces like a kayak, and a comfy kayak seat. I bought two Yak mounts with rod holders so that I can troll easily. If I come to love those, I might mount something else on it. So, we'll see if I come to prefer it to a traditional canoe hull. 

 

However, for the one pond I fish wherever I have to cross a field and then make my way down through a rocky woods, I can't imagine ever preferring any boat over my 32 lb. solo canoe. If I were still 48 or 58, then maybe, but at 68 and anemic, I just don't have the energy and strength to lug a heavier boat. 

[Motoboss]

I’ve posted my canoe story here on BR and after fishing from near every type of reasonable vessel I find my Sportspal to be the best fit yet. For me

 

 

[Swamp Girl]

@Motoboss: I've owned two Grumman Sportscanoes and really loved them. They were heavy, but sturdy and stable. 

[detroit1]

I've been in a canoe 5 times in my life (i'm 67) and have no desire to climb back in one. Kayak? never on one, and never will. Maybe 30 or 40 yrs. ago i might. But i have had a boat since i was 22, and with the waters i fish they are perfect for me. I applaud those that canoe or kayak, it gets you out there enjoying nature and cathing fish, but it just aint for me.

[Choporoz]

On 1/7/2025 at 4:37 PM, the reel ess said:

I went from a fish n ski to a canoe to a kayak, to a better kayak. The canoe is OK with two people. I didn't have a trolling motor and a stiff breeze could turn the canoe unless I sat in the middle seat. It's just so much easier to handle my kayak alone either in or out of the water. I do kind of wish I'd kept the canoe though. Every tool has its purpose.

This.  A couple windy days fishing alone in a canoe is what tilted the balance for me to kayaks.  Now that my boat is tied up outside my back door, the kayaks aren't getting as much use.  I will still kayak small waters away from the house, but most of the time now, I'm in a boat.

[Swamp Girl]

33 minutes ago, Choporoz said:

A couple windy days fishing alone in a canoe is what tilted the balance for me to kayaks.

 

No doubt. If you've read my trip reports, you know that the wind forecast determines when I fish and the wind chases me off the water some days too. 

 

34 minutes ago, Choporoz said:

most of the time now, I'm in a boat.

 

Some day, I'd like to dock a boat that's not a canoe at my pond. A boat with a motor and an anchor so that I could fish when I wanted, not just when the wind lets me.