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

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
...
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

"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)

Don Phillipson wrote:
"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)


Well, yes and no.


Its all about trim. If you can somehow keep the stern and bow level the
wind will not push you around as much. If you are paddling solo in a
tandem canoe you should almost always be paddling from the bow seat but
facing back towards the stern. The main reason to paddle as close to
the middle of a canoe is that it keeps your canoe better in trim. The
bow seat is set closer to the center to give the bow paddler more leg
room. The canoe will be wider at that seat meaning it is more stable,
albeit somewhat harder to paddle due to the width there. The wind will
blow the high end of a canoe downwind, the higher it is the worse it
will be. This is called weathervaning. So that is your enemy. Get the
front of your canoe down as parralell to the water as possible. If you
have an anchor you can actually use the wind to help position your
canoe advantageously although Don is right, in a wind its much easier
to fish with two paddlers.

Here's a pic of Bill Mason paddling solo in a tandem boat:

http://www.canoemuseum.net/heritage/images/mason_lg.jpg


He is paddling the canoe "backwards" i.e. from the bow seat. He is also
kneeling on the bow seat which not only keeps his center of gravity
lower but puts him even closer to the center of the boat. He overcomes
the width between the gunnels by healing the canoe slighly to make it
easier to reach the water. In fact you could do no better than to buy
his instructional videos "Path of the Paddle". The Canadian Film Board
has just re-released all four parts of it in one DVD. For $30 its a
steal.


hth

g.c.

"George Cleveland" wrote in message
ups.com...

Here's a pic of Bill Mason paddling solo in a tandem boat:

http://www.canoemuseum.net/heritage/images/mason_lg.jpg


Nice photo!
-tom

"Tom Nakashima" wrote in news:e66jk1$qid$1
@news.Stanford.EDU:


"George Cleveland" wrote in message
ups.com...

Here's a pic of Bill Mason paddling solo in a tandem boat:

http://www.canoemuseum.net/heritage/images/mason_lg.jpg


Thanks for that link! The canoe museum seems pretty cool, and the next
time I'm up in the great white north, I'll have to try to stop by.

George Cleveland wrote:
Its all about trim. If you can somehow keep the stern and bow level
the wind will not push you around as much.

Exactly.

snip
The wind will blow the high end of a canoe downwind, the
higher it is the worse it will be. This is called weathervaning.
snip

I've been fishing from canoes for about 40 years and haven't really thought
it was a problem. What I like about it is the ability to quickly and
comfortably get where you're going and then having a nice stable (yes,
stable, despite what people who have experience in Coleman 'canoes' might
say) platform. That said, I sometimes envy my friends with their little
sport kayaks.

To add to what George says, you need to know how to handle weathervaning.
When I used to go tandem a lot this was an issue because, well, as the big
guy, I'm usually in the stern. That raises the bow and makes it weatervane.
This is good if you're running downwind, bad when facing into the wind. You
can solve the problem easily by using some moveable ballast, like a 5 gallon
water container. Move it fore or aft to adjust the balance and you can get
a nice even trim, or whatever kind of weathervaning is useful. In my solo
boat I can do trim adjustment with my little cooler.
--
Stan Gula
http://gula.org/roffswaps