Don't recall what the thread was but I recently read a post by Swamp Girl that spoke about the simplicity of her fishing with her canoe. It got me thinking about getting a canoe or kayak for fishing small ponds, but I would not be using electronics or any other gear beyond two rods and extra lures in my pockets.

I don't need a tricked-out fishing machine but something simple and light that I can lift by hand onto and off the roof rack of my SUV. I have experience in both kind of craft but not as fishing platforms. This will be shallow, still water with no waves or rapids to deal with,

though the occasional bump by a gator is a possibility.

I would appreciate comments on the merits of one type of boat over the other for this kind of fishing.

Kayaks gonna be lighter. But man I loved my aluminum canoe I fished from for years. I paddled and later added a trolling motor. I had that thing all over pond and lakes and the intercoastal waters of Florida. Was like a baby aluminum boat.

I prefer Canoe over Kayak for the option to have more space and stand up. They both draw very little water. The kayak is way easier to transport. However, dependent upon the kayak, they tend to feel quite cramped. If you have to drive back and forth to your fishing destinations, the kayak is much easier to transport. If the craft is staying next to the water, then the canoe would def be my first choice.

Also, a canoe enables you the option to have someone join you - unless you get a two=person kayak, which becomes almost as large as a canoe.

A plastic kayak or an aluminum canoe are as trouble free as you can get. The old Grumman canoes have been beaten up, sunk, burried, and still keep going. I assume you’re only looking at sit on top kayaks. Regardless of your specific choice, look at primary and secondary stability of the models you’re considering. The old town sportsman series have really high secondary stability. That means that while they will start to tip when you lean, they will ‘lock up’ when they get to a point. On my autopilot I could stand on the gunwales on either side and couldn’t flip the boat. The opposite is a boat that doesn’t tilt at all, until it flips. If you’re standing to fish it makes a big difference.

Check out the weights on the 2 in a setup that you might want. I’d be unable to hoist up a real fishing yak onto a roof rack, a short plastic cheap one no problem. You can get a decent size canoe in lightweight layups down to 30 lbs, an aluminum can get up near 100, just takes $$. Aluminum is pretty much indestructible, very lightweight not so much.

I’ve never tried a yak, got into canoes before they came out with mainstream plastic kayaks. A canoe works fine for me, I like the tracking, ease of paddling, carrying capacity, and sitting upright. The only downside for me is they catch the wind.

After 25+ years and maybe 4 recoats of varnish my solo 15’er weighs 60 lbs, at 70 it’s getting a little heavy putting it up on the trucks roof rack.

For either, when paddling, longer boats track better than short. A rigid shell glides better than one that flexes. Wider boats generally have better stability, thinner glide better and are easier to paddle. Do pay attention to the load range on boats.

It’s hard to fish out of a canoe for a variety of reasons, including the high sidewalls and the need to stay centered. But canoes are awesome for hauling stuff and for carrying. I would love a $3000+ solo canoe to carry to small ponds, and would fish with it. But I think for your use a paddle kayak is the best choice. I like the Jackson Bite; crescent has really nice paddle kayaks including the ultralight if you have to carry it to the water; otherwise I would go slightly bigger so you can stand and fish.

I’ve never fished out of a canoe before.

My first vessel I ever used on the water was a 10 foot Pelican sit on top kayak I bought for about 100 bucks. I had that yak for a few years and I loved it. Simple to load up in the back of the truck, easy to carry it as it was light and you could literally launch it anywhere you want. Never had any issues with it and only got rid of it to upgrade to a larger kayak. All of the kayaks I owned were pretty stable and I felt relatively comfortable in them for long periods.

What I do know about canoes is generally they are pricier and there may not be a whole ton of options to choose from as compared to fishing kayaks.

On 5/3/2026 at 9:28 PM, Joedodge said:

Kayaks gonna be lighter.

On 5/3/2026 at 9:34 PM, Hartwood71 said:

stand up.

I hate to disagree with you guys, but my Bell Rockstar canoe is by far my lightest boat at 32 pounds and it's 15' 6" long. Plus, my Old Town Predator kayak is by far my most stable boat. I stand on it and I'm nearly 70 years old.

On 5/3/2026 at 10:20 PM, padlin said:

thinner glide better and are easier to paddle.

This is a good point. My Bell Rockstar canoe is a thin, FAST boat. My Old Town Predator is a barge. However, I do love its stability and its elevated seat.

Consider a hybrid like my Old Town NEXT, with a kayak seat in a canoe hull with low sides. I love this boat. It's not as stable as my Old Town Predator kayak and not as fast as my Bell Rockstar canoe, but it's a comfortable compromise.

Buy a NEXT and launch where the trailered boats can't. I paid $500 for mine USED. Being used doesn't matter. It's so sturdy that time and use don't really affect it.

If you want something lighter and IF you can find it, the Bell Magic is a dream boat for many backwoods paddlers. It's light and fast, but it will buck you like a bronco. So will my Rockstar. Both boats have something called secondary stability, which means they're hard to tip AND sink, but they will chuck just you into the water.

CAVEAT: The Bell Rockstar and Bell Magic haven't been made for years, but a used one should be just fine, albeit a couple decades old because they're like Packards to canoeists. If you own one, you're gentle with it.

I feel like I’ve found the cheat code.. Sportspal is light, stable, and almost indestructible.

To Swamp Girl’s point canoe/kayak hybrids are a good choice as well.. I just picked up another Old Town 119 Solo Sportsman.. it was a deal that could not be ignored given how good a boat it is for what I use it for.

2 hours ago, TheSwearingAngler said:

I feel like I’ve found the cheat code.. Sportspal is light, stable, and almost indestructible.

To Swamp Girl’s point canoe/kayak hybrids are a good choice as well.. I just picked up another Old Town 119 Solo Sportsman.. it was a deal that could not be ignored given how good a boat it is for what I use it for.

I’d like your review of the 119 once you have had an opportunity to use it some. My main ride, Sportspal 13’ square stern is absolutely my favorite but considering a simple “throw ‘n go” canoe for when we take the camper and travel.

But at 57# the stripped down SP is hard to beat with a 3” draft and a double paddle!

Does anyone want to take a guess where I stand on this one? 😃

I love the versatility of my kayak. I use my motor and spot lock all of the time, but when needed I can pull up the motor and paddle to fish really skinny water or navigate through heavy weeds and pads. I can either sit and fish or stand and fish.

Since I trailer my kayak and use a winch I can load and unload in 2 minutes if I want to jump from ramp to ramp.

I'm definitely not knocking canoes, but I really love my kayak.

Are you going to fish alone all the time? I have a FeelFree Lure 11.5 and an Old Town PDL Pro 120. They're both very stable and hold the gear I need. I can lift the FeelFree's hull on my ladder rack if I transport two kayaks, which takes a fair amount of time to remove/install the seat, pedal drive, Lowrance, and gear every time it comes on and off the truck.

I used to fish with @Fishing Rhino a lot in his canoe. I don't remember what brand he has, but fully rigged with TM/battery it weighed more than my kayaks. He transported his in the bed of his truck with a bed extender.

I prefer my pedal drive kayaks, but a canoe takes less time to load and unload in a truck bed. Where you're transporting with an SUV, I suppose the lightest of the two is your best choice.

11 hours ago, TheSwearingAngler said:

I just picked up another Old Town 119 Solo Sportsman.. it was a deal that could not be ignored given how good a boat it is for what I use it for.

I'd also be happy to own an Old Town Sportsman. It has a different hull than my NEXT. It's flatter, shorter, turns quicker, and more stable. However, my NEXT is pretty stable and it's faster than a Sportsman. The NEXT also tracks better and I use every inch of its extra length.

I interviewed a lot of aeronautical engineers (Lockheed, Boeing, Cessna, etc.) and I realized that planes are a lot like boats. There's no plane that does everything well. Same with boats. You just have to decide what you value most.

If you're deciding between a Sportsman and a NEXT and you're going to paddle MILES every trip, buy the NEXT. If you're going to do some river fishing or need a more stable boat, buy the Sportsman.

I used to have a 9' sit-in kayak that weighed 35 lbs that I fished in N GA rivers. I could throw it in my PU and go in a very short time. An ice chest fit between my feet and I'd wear a vest with all my tackle. Some low life wanted it more than me and I bought a 10' sot that I still have. It weighs 55 lbs which is way too much for a 130 lb 85 year old man to handle.

I fish a lot of smaller still waters. I've had a canoe and 3 kayaks. I still have 2 kayaks. I just settled on it because it's smaller, lighter and easy to handle in wind. I can throw it in the truck and load up everything and be ready to go in 10 minutes. I wore myself out paddling the canoe alone. Of course, if you're taking someone else, the canoe is the ticket. I don't use any electronics either.

If you go with the kayak, the best piece of advice I can give is get one with a good, comfortable seat. This is a bare minimum requirement in my opinion. Even a good one will become uncomfortable after a while because you can't get up and stretch as easily unless you get a very stable one. Even when I had a stable one, I didn't feel comfortable standing. If you do decide to add electronics, they make smaller batteries that weight less than 5 lbs.

There are alternatives.

I wanted either, but storage was the issue. With two cars in the garage, I would have had to store either a canoe or yak outside, in the backyard. So I decided to buy a small inflatable. Like 7’ small. It was a nice boat for years but it was too small and I was too heavy for it (not obese- just that the boat really wasn’t able to handle me and all my gear). Plus it was oars-only, which was ok, but I had this old trolling motor staring at me saying “Do something!!!” So I upgraded to a larger pontoon-type inflatable. It’s 9’, extremely stable, lightweight, has a wood floor you can stand on, and it’s capable of using trolling motors or small outboards up to 2.5 hp. I keep mine inflated, but it’s easily deflated/inflated if storage and transport are an issue. It will navigate waters 1’ in depth and get into places many boats can’t go. And before you ask, I also fish waters with gators lol. So far, so good!

Sea Eagle 285fpb

Nice alternative @BrianMDTX

22 hours ago, Motoboss said:

I’d like your review of the 119 once you have had an opportunity to use it some. My main ride, Sportspal 13’ square stern is absolutely my favorite but considering a simple “throw ‘n go” canoe for when we take the camper and travel.

But at 57# the stripped down SP is hard to beat with a 3” draft and a double paddle!

Well I bought a second one, it’s not in as good of condition as the one I’m the original owner of but it was pretty wildly inexpensive. I’m going to sell my original one and use the profit to make some mods to my Sportspal/maybe add another Sportspal to the fleet. I’ll lose my lifetime hull warranty but after a couple years I’ve realized it’s pretty indestructible so the warranty is mostly moot.

For a throw and go the Sportsman is incredible, I bought it late 2023 and have dropped it in the water at least 200 times. It lives on the roof of my car Monday-Friday from March until November. Weekends belong to my Sportspal. With the 119 I can go from parked to paddling in under 5 minutes. Up early and have an hour to kill before work, I’m fishing… coworker ticks me off I’m hitting the pond down the street on my lunch break… wife’s cooking dinner and clears me to come home a little late after work… you get the idea.

Swamp Girl knows a lot more than I do about the design but it’s very stable and I always thought it was fast but if she says a NEXT is faster I believe her. The NEXT seat is definitely better.. but I use a memory foam cushion on the 119 and it’s pretty good.

Another vote for the Okd Town Sportsman kayak. I love it. Very stable, comfortable to fish from, and durable as can be.