On Sun, 14 Oct 2007 14:02:31 -0000, mdk77
wrote:

I'm saving my nickels for a canoe to fly fish from. I'm hoping, God-
willing, to be able to buy one over the Winter, or early Spring. Do
many of you fish from canoes? I'm thinking a canoe would be a simple
way to get onto the many ponds, rivers and lakes around here, without
the hassle of having to trailer a bigger boat. My brother-in-law in
Oregon has had a canoe for years, and it sure seems peaceful and
hassle-free.

I'm looking at a 17 footer that is stable, light and capable of being
a tandem OR a solo canoe. Have any of you had experience (or heard
good or bad) about the Souris River Canoes? I'm looking at the
"Quetico 17". Here's a link to what I'm considering:

http://www.redrockstore.com/quetico17.html

I think this canoe would be great for the places I fish around here in
Central Illinois -- and be easy to take on trips out-of-state.

Let me know if there is something else worth considering in a fly
fishing canoe. Thanks.

- Dave K.

You've been given some good advice thus far. I'd add/paraphrase that if
the marketing for any canoe you are considering contains the word
"fast(er)" or anything else touting the speed of the boat, it's gonna be
that much less suitable for use as a FFing platform. Like most of
boating, there ain't no such thing as a free lunch - you want holeshot
from a outboard prop, you're giving up topend, you want more cockpit
room in an X ft. boat, you're taking a smaller house, you want more HP
from a particular diesel, it'll reduce TBOH, etc. HOWEVER....many
canoes that aren't particularly stable (for FFing or otherwise) can be
made much more so with sponsons, and if the craft is fairly stable "au
natural," it can be made damned near untippable with them (you can
actually FF standing from a sit_IN_ kayak with a proper set...not my cup
of tea, but...). They range from permanent types "'glassed" (or
whatever material'ed) on/in to "airbags/tubes" that strap to the side,
with the middle ground being the bolt-on removable type. I've fished
(FFing and otherwise) from canoes with the permanent type and the "bag"
type and they work. We have a hard-moulded dink with accessory tubes
that are much like sponsons (they turn it into a sort of quasi RBI) and
the damned thing is just about like a sheet of cork tile with them on -
you can fall down or out and you can swamp it, but you and 5 friends
ain't sinking or flipping it.

That said, if you're looking for (only) a "fishing boat" (platform)
rather than transport, etc., there are lots of choices, including
light(er)weight jonboats, rigid-bottom inflatables, hybrids (ala
"gheenoes"), pirogues, etc. that are probably better choices for pure
fishing (only) platforms than a canoe. However, what a makes a canoe
effective as longer-distance self-powered transport makes it weaker as a
stable FFing platform and vice-versa - a wide, flat (particularly
stable) bottom on a boat is going to make it harder to paddle/row. And
many of the options are heavier than a canoe in a similar size. If you
have a fairly healthy fishing partner or are physically capable of
putting a small jon boat into a pickup, you're pretty much good to go,
but if you plan on nothing but solo'ing and cannot lift 75-plus lbs.
over your head, you'll need to really study your options, canoe or
otherwise. And a tip on loading a canoe damage-free onto a standard
factory "SUV" - many such racks are not tall enough (from the roof) and
the crossmembers aren't stiff enough to in-line load a canoe from the
rear without the bow scraping the roof, so I'd recommend loading first
with assistance to see what's what. And I don't care what _anyone_
says, those off-the-shelf foam-block "racks" that fit over the gunwales
aren't worth a bag of wet cow****...in fact, if it were large enough,
the bag of wet cow**** would probably make a better "rack"...do yourself
and your vehicle a favor and get a real rack. With the right rack and a
little instruction, a moderately healthy 12 y.o can load a 12-14 ft.
aluminum jonboat onto a tall "SUV" with nary a wince from the owner.

Finally, whatever you decide to get, if you wish the craft to remain
stationary or only move short distances (under 100-200 ft.) while
fishing, use two anchors/anchorpoints. For example, if you are in a
river and wish to remain in one spot, bring the bow (or if you've
swapped positions, what is the apparent bow) into the current, set a
Danforth off the bow, drift back past the desired spot (how far depends
on depth), drop a river anchor off the stern, and use the bow rode to
reposition. You can do a similar thing, with one anchor ashore from the
bow relative to the land and one off the stern relative to the land to
hold position and distance off of a bank, island, etc. in lake.
Obviously, if the water has motorized traffic, keep that in mind with
regard to anchorage, rode angle, etc.

Good, lightweight rode is pretty cheap (well under 20 bucks US for a 100
ft. 3/8 if you shop, about 20 bucks if you just go buy it) and if you
can use such techniques, get at least 100 ft. for each anchor. An
anchor rode has a thimble and the anchor is shackled to the rode - a
length of chain may be needed between the rope and the anchor, depending
on bottom conditions (unless the bottom is particularly abrasive or the
anchorage failing can endanger people or property, you probably don't
need the chain for your purposes). An anchor rode _is not_ a hunk of
clothesline granny-knotted hard to the anchor eye. The dirt cheap poly
rope (places like Home Depot and Harbor Freight sell hanks of it for
under $5.00 for 100 ft.) IS NOT ANCHOR ROPE - granted, you're not
anchoring the QE2 in a hurricane, but it's not it's lack of strength
that'll screw you - it'll kink, you've got to take care with knot types,
it's hard to properly coil, it isn't UV resistant, etc., and you'll
generally regret the alleged "savings." Lastly, never drop an anchor
unless you have _at hand_ a way to _instantly_ cut the rode - IOW, a 1"
rode and a pair of safety scissors somewhere in the salon can be a
deadly combination...a 3/8" line and a good sheath knife on your belt is
a safe combo.

Remember that boats are subject to not only the "water current" but wind
and wind currents, and while you don't need to know a bunch of ground
tackle theory and application, a general knowledge of basic anchoring
techniques and equipment will serve a fisher in a small boat well.

TC,
R