Fly fishing from a canoe?

I've been a spinner fisherman for a bit of a while, and would like to get
started in flyfishing. I will be moving back to NJ in about a month, and
will mostly be fishing medium to large sized lakes. I have a free canoe,
that was given to my dad. I believe it is about 14', but I'm not 100%
sure. I have experience spin fishing from a canoe, but wonder how
practical it is to flyfish from one. Do I need to go up/down in line
weight and/or rod length/action to accomodate sitting down? I do also plan
on doing some stream fishing for trout(where I'll wade) and was planning on
a 5 or 6 wt, 8.5 to 9' medium-fast action rod. I was hoping I could use
the same rod on the lake in the canoe - where I would go after trout,
smallmouth, and the occasional other species (if lucky ). Is that
possible? Will it be harder as a beginner to learn to cast from the boat?

Lots of questions, I know.

Thanks in advance,

Pete Knox

Pete Knox typed:
Do I need
to go up/down in line weight and/or rod length/action to accomodate
sitting down? I do also plan on doing some stream fishing for
trout(where I'll wade) and was planning on a 5 or 6 wt, 8.5 to 9'
medium-fast action rod. I was hoping I could use the same rod on the
lake in the canoe - where I would go after trout, smallmouth, and the
occasional other species (if lucky ). Is that possible? Will it
be harder as a beginner to learn to cast from the boat?

I didn't find the transition from stream to canoe too difficult at all, and
the same rod should work fine. Oh, and a word of advice - take some sort of
anchor with you to keep from being blown all over the lake. Another word -
lift the anchor before trying to paddle to another location. Trust me, I
know.
--
TL,
Tim
-------------------------
http://css.sbcma.com/timj

"Pete Knox" wrote in message
...
snip

I do also plan
on doing some stream fishing for trout(where I'll wade) and was planning
on
a 5 or 6 wt, 8.5 to 9' medium-fast action rod. I was hoping I could use
the same rod on the lake in the canoe - where I would go after trout,
smallmouth, and the occasional other species (if lucky ). Is that
possible? Will it be harder as a beginner to learn to cast from the boat?

Lots of questions, I know.

Thanks in advance,

Pete Knox

Your choice of tackle will be fine for what you have outlined as your target
use. But if you later decide to fish for species (e.g. Largemouth) that may
require casting larger more wind restant flies I would recommend a size 7 or
8. Yes, it will be more difficult to learn flycasting from a canoe. I
recommend that you first learn to fly cast while standing (further recommend
that you get lessons fm e.g. a fly shop) before attempting to cast from a
canoe.

Bob Weinberger

Tim J. wrote:
Pete Knox typed:

Do I need
to go up/down in line weight and/or rod length/action to accomodate
sitting down? I do also plan on doing some stream fishing for
trout(where I'll wade) and was planning on a 5 or 6 wt, 8.5 to 9'
medium-fast action rod. I was hoping I could use the same rod on the
lake in the canoe - where I would go after trout, smallmouth, and the
occasional other species (if lucky ). Is that possible? Will it
be harder as a beginner to learn to cast from the boat?


I didn't find the transition from stream to canoe too difficult at all, and
the same rod should work fine. Oh, and a word of advice - take some sort of
anchor with you to keep from being blown all over the lake. Another word -
lift the anchor before trying to paddle to another location. Trust me, I
know.

A kick boat is a far better choice than a canoe. You can use the oars
for speed and you can use fins to control the boat while fishing.

--
Cut "to the chase" for my email address.

"rw" wrote in message
m...

A kick boat is a far better choice than a canoe. You can use the oars for
speed and you can use fins to control the boat while fishing.

I take it you are kidding rw?
-tom

"Pete Knox" wrote in message
...

I've been a spinner fisherman for a bit of a while, and would like to get
started in flyfishing. I will be moving back to NJ in about a month, and
will mostly be fishing medium to large sized lakes. I have a free canoe,
that was given to my dad. I believe it is about 14', but I'm not 100%
sure. I have experience spin fishing from a canoe, but wonder how
practical it is to flyfish from one.

In any sort of a wind, a canoe requires a second person
to control it while the first person fishes. Only in a flat
calm and on still water is a canoe a pleasurable platform
for fly fishing.

This year get to know your fly tackle before you take
it out in a canoe. You will find rivers easier to learn on
than still water (because the current will sooner or later
straighten the line for you.) In the first months you will
get more fish with waders than with the canoe.

--
Don Phillipson
Carlsbad Springs
(Ottawa, Canada)

On 6/6/06 2:55 PM, in article
, "rw"
wrote:

Tom Nakashima wrote:
"rw" wrote in message
m...

A kick boat is a far better choice than a canoe. You can use the oars for
speed and you can use fins to control the boat while fishing.


I take it you are kidding rw?

I'm not kidding the least little bit. Kick boats are designed and built
for fishing. Canoes aren't.

That said, the guy HAS a canoe, (probably) doesn't have a kick boat, and
sounds like he is just getting started in fly fishing, potentially on a
limited budget. In which case, his canoe will do just fine. :-)

Pete, I fished from a canoe just two days ago, in a pretty steady wind. As
Tim suggested, you will find an anchor and/or another oarsman helpful in
this kind of condition.

The rod you mentioned will do fine, although some prefer a longer rod for
float tube, kick boat, or other water craft.

My canoe fishing is almost exclusively for warm water species, and at that
almost exclusively top water, popper* fishing**, for which a floating line
is fine. But, as such, I can't speak to line requirements that you might
want to think about (sinking, sink tip, etc.) that would likely be most
effective for still water trout fishing, but others will no doubt chime in.

Enjoy!
Bill

*or gurgler: fishing with Stan, though I've never fished with Stan! :-)

**A five weight "trout" rod with floating line and a handful of poppers and
an afternoon on a midwest farm pond in July is about as much fun as anyone
can ask for. Add a couple of youngsters doing the catching, and watch the
magic happen.

On 6/6/06 1:59 PM, in article , "Pete
Knox" wrote:

Will it be harder as a beginner to learn to cast from the boat?

One thing I did not address in my previous post. I am no casting or
casting-teaching expert, but I would think that you should practice casting
while standing before doing so from the boat. Get the dynamics of fly line
casting down first (and if you've looked at previous ROFF posts on this
topic, look for local fly shop/club/class settings where you can get
instruction), then go out on the canoe.

Oh, and watch JR's video on how to remove a hook from someone's skin. :-)

Bill

William Claspy typed:
snip
*or gurgler: fishing with Stan, though I've never fished with Stan!
:-)

Gurglers rock, and they're typically lighter than most poppers.
--
TL,
Tim
-------------------------
http://css.sbcma.com/timj

On 6/6/06 4:30 PM, in article , "Tim J."
wrote:

William Claspy typed:
snip
*or gurgler: fishing with Stan, though I've never fished with Stan!
:-)

Gurglers rock, and they're typically lighter than most poppers.

Yes they do.

But I gotta tell you, I had a BIG popper (#2) in a frog pattern on my leader
on Sunday and the bucket mouths were absolutely NAILING it. Better yet, it
was too big for the 'gills to get in their mouths (nothing against 'gills,
mind you, but I wanted bass.) And the extra weight actually seemed to carry
it through the wind a bit better than something light.

But what do I know? :-)

Bill
(who hopes to rectify that "never fished with Stan" thing sometime soon :-)

(and who, come to think of it, recalls that perhaps he and Stan were at
Penns together a few years back and may actually have been in the same
vicinity of Three Streamer (other)Stan's at one point....)