winter

[predator55]

Reading all these posts and now it's Dec 1st. The canoe put away and all the gear stowed. Last year was my first year of getting out of the waders (somewhat) and livin in my canoe! Halfway thru summer I even bought a marine battery for my rig. Oh sorry, this is NE Ohio i'm reffering to so you know where i'm coming from. I've never fished for crappie like I did this past summer...parkin the canoe in a hold where I was sure to catch something. but being a sucky fly fisherman/ace canoeist I had a great year. I was able to rig my boat to fish on the fly only. It may be great to have a 100 ponds where you can throw a canoe in and catch 75 crappie, but the real world puts us in public waters where we have to seek solace and find holds.
My canoe is built for days on the water...I can't afford to hit a new farmers pond every day. But I find lakes, get into the thicket and fish crappie. I love it....I bought a fish finder and use it mainly to fish in 3' of water in a cove where its useless. I've waded all the rivers in Ohio for steelhead but my fly skills have never been tested as much as close short cast fishing on the fly for crappie/gills.
Fly fishing from a canoe is an art...a skill...a thrill...........Once you spent a season dedicated to the canoe/crappie/strictly fly/life......it's great.....I can't wait for spring....in the mean time....I'm huntin browns on the MAD in southern OH...wearin waders....but lovin it

[Old #art]

Great read predator. Been fishing out of a canoe since I was 15. Never rigged it for fishing. Just threw the vest and rod in and went at it. Kept a big sponge in the bottom so the vest wouldnt get too wet. Some of the best memories I have is sitting behind my son and watching him bring in one smallmouth after another until his arms got tired. I envy you being able to do that and wish I still could. Buuuuuuttttt, I bet I have more menories than you do. LOL You will catch up with me on that one of these days I'm sure.

George

[Stede]

Old canoe man myself! Last few years it's been a 15' aluminum, but I've been fishing from a canoe of one sort or another for some 30 years now. You can add any number of inexpensive mods to help out- but the one indispensible mod you SHOULD make- add padded seats with folding backrests. You can get these cheap at WalMart, the ones that have threaded holes in the base. I drilled matching holes in the aluminum canoe benches and fitted the seats with short bits of allthread rod. Place the seats over the holes and use butterfly nuts to quickly secure the seats and VOILA! You can fish all day in comfort with that ALL important back support. The canoe has other simple and cheap mods- plastic drink holders and gear holders made from fanny packs etc but the seats are IT. Try 'em- it makes all the difference.
Tight lines and heavy nets! Steve

[bonefishwhisperer]

I fish and also guide saltwater gamefish from a 14ft canoe...I fish in Miami...mine is not set up like yours though...I am a minimalist but thats just my style...I use flat bottom tunnel hull Indian River and a 15ft push pole and 6lb anchor....my customers (when not standing) sit on a small still I bought with a soft floaty cushion and I stand full time...I have the time of my life in that thing and believe that it is the most efficent way to fish...keep fishing hard predator55 and post those slabs for us

[jeffnles1]

No canoe, but I did pick up a pontoon this summer and went out after gills and crappie. Like your story, it took a few times out on the water to get the hand of this fly fishing from a boat thing and to get my boat set upo where things were within reach but not in the way. The whole process was a lot of fun.

Unfortunately, this morning the outside air temp was 17. Here in Kentucky, that means no fishing for several months.

Thanks for sharing your canoe story.

Jeff

[Big Bad Wulff]

For me it's: Kayak, blue gill and a fly rod. Lots of fun.

[Bass_Bug]

Predator,
I'm about 40 miles from the Mad River where it goes through Springfield. I canoed down it years ago but have never fished it. I do however put my canoe in the State Park lakes here in South Central Ohio. On a lake filled with souped up bass boats in the summer it's nice to paddle up the shallow headwaters or the outlying finger of the lake where the bigger boats can't go.

Bonefishwisperer here is being modest. I've seen pics of sharks, tarpon and sawfish he's caught that are half the size of his boat. Rock on Cordell!!!!!

[Stan Wright]

Met up with my first canoe at Scout Camp... it was love. Got an old 2nd hand, 18 ft. flatbottom Grummon and fished all over East Texas through high school and college. Fished the Boundry Waters up in Canada. Floated the Rio Grande through Big Bend. Even strapped it to the top of the VW and drove deep into Mexico to camp and fish beside those Mexican bass lakes. After I left for the Navy my mom gave my canoe to my old Scout Troop. That was 40 years ago. I understand that old canoe is still making memories for a whole new generation of fishermen.'61 VW.jpg

[predator55]

Sorry about the delayed response...Been steelhead fishing in the rivers in Northern OH. What kind of sport is this. One day the rivers low, the next day day it's blown out. The only good thing out of all of it was meeting up with a dozen or so guys I had been talking with on others sites for a long time.....We're snowed in (BassBug you gotta have a few good inches now, I got a house in Bellefontaine too.)
All these responses put the canoe as the perfect partner to the flyrod. The Zen moment of everything around you being peaceful yet so busy. I was an iron worker all my life and led lt at a fast pace. It's hard to slow things down unless some chemistry affects you to do so. I find those days on the water coming back this winter and allowing me to actually sit and read a book without my mind racing away. No real memories now other than the peacefulness of yesterday and the promise of it tomorrow. At this point to take anything but a flyrod on the canoe is unacceptable. Thanks for all the responses and your stories all say the same thing in the end, the love and dedication keeps us coming back.