Jason,

If you are trying to get a away from the trees being in the canoe is certainly a good plan. I have flyfished from a canoe several times and found it to be a very productive and enjoyable experience. That being said, there are several things that you must consider. First, you should be able to cast sitting or kneeling. This shouldn't be much of a problem if you have a decent casting technique, but you will need to practice. I would personally reccomend that you practice while sitting on the most unstable chair that you can find. this will help you to learn to keep your body centered and stable as opposed to throwing your weight back and forth. It's easier to get up off the ground than it is to get out of the water. Second, I would suggest that you stop worrying about casting for distance and concentrate more on being able to cast accurately. If you can learn to cast 30 feet accurately from a canoe, then you have a very good shot at catching fish. Also, if you concentrate on accuracy and casting properly then distance will come on it's own. Finally, I would reccomend that you devise a method to secure all your gear so that if you should have the misfortune of tipping you can recover your gear without diving to the bottom of the pond.

Fish

P.S.- Always wear a PFD!