What kind of watercraft for flyfishing.

[Bear742]

"Craft would be used for small lakes as well as some narrow streams."

That is a kayak.

PS It will be more stable than a canoe because you sit only a few inches above the deck.

IMHO forget standing to fly fish in a kayak or canoe. Just get out and wade.

[bowfin47]

The key part of your question was that you didn't have any experince with either type of craft.

Well, then go try them out. Go to paddling demo's... borrow craft from friends... hang out where people utilize these craft and ask to "try out" their craft for a few minutes... rent different craft for a day or weekend... or ask dealers to demo their boats.

Actually getting in various types and models is the only way top know if that is the right model for you

[starfish]

Right now I'm bouncing back and fourth between kayak and canoe but I'm open to any suggestions.
Which one is more stable? I have boating experience but not with any of the above.

How about a Canoe AND a Kayak:

http://www.nativewatercraft.net

I have the Ultimate 12. It's stable like a Kayak (you can stand in it) and it's shaped like a canoe. It's a very nice boat.

Regards,
Starfish

[SkipS]

Another vote for the Oldtown Pack canoe.Only 12ft and 33 lbs,its easy to throw in the back of my pu and hit the ponds.Pretty stable for a small boat also.

[rrhyne56]

There are quite a few different "flavors" of both kayaks and canoes with their own characteristics. So its a bit more involved than "kayak or canoe".

Might I suggest, find a dealer who would allow you to test paddle the various types of craft. The best data source for such a choice would be your own personal experience.

[Bill in VA]

I have a Wenonah Kingfisher 16ft canoe.

It is about 4 inches wider than a "standard" 16ft canoe, its stable enough to stand in while casting.

It has plenty of room for camping gear for you and a buddy. Mine has been in lakes and rivers, scraped across rocks and gone through rapids - and it is still as strong as ever.

[CM_Stewart]

Might I suggest, find a dealer who would allow you to test paddle the various types of craft.

For kayak info and demos, take a look at http://www.kayakfishingstuff.com
Their preference is clearly sit-on-top kayaks, but there's lots of info and discussion on sit-on-top kayaks vs. sit-inside kayaks and also kayaks vs. canoes.

[Joe Hyde]

Lots of good comments and advice here.

Truth is, no matter what kind of solo watercraft you pick it will deliver advantages as well as disadvantages. You see so many different hull designs in kayaks and canoes nowadays. This is because boat designing has always been a deliberate trade-off: a shape change made here delivers one useful benefit, but does so at the expense of losing or diminishing another useful benefit there.

I have never paddled a kayak, but expect to do so sometime this spring or summer. (As soon as I stop hyperventilating at the thought of doing a half-Eskimo roll...)

What canoes and kayaks offer fly fishers that is so wonderful is SILENCE ON APPROACH, so long as the paddler does his part by employing careful paddling strokes in combination with not rattling his or her on-board gear.

Kayaks have it all over canoes in the category of minimum wind resistance, a definite advantage if the wind kicks up. I use a solo canoe and paddle it from the kneeling position. Kneeling elevates my eyes higher above the lake surface and that increases my view angle down into the surrounding water, helping me spot underwater cover at distances farther away than would be possible if I were seated closer to water level in a kayak.

In a canoe or kayak, you should fish from the standing position only if you have safeguarded your family's future financial comfort by making them the beneficiary of a high-dollar life insurance policy.

I suspect that a person's fishing gear is better protected and kept more accessible if you use a canoe rather than a kayak. (But I could be wrong; again, I've never paddled a kayak much less fished from one.)

I've never rowed a pontoon boat. A lot of people like 'em. They look too tall to me, like they'd be better employed on quiet water, places with minimum wind and wave action.

If you'd rather not buy new right off the bat, a web site you can check for USED canoes and kayaks is:

www.paddler.net/Classifieds/

You can find some good boats and good deals there.


Joe
"Better small than not at all."

[hoboflyfisher]

I also vote for a Sports Pal Canoe but mine was made here in the USA by Myers boat works. Very stable and I many times use a electric trolling motor to propel it. A very fun craft and I'm over 60 years old.
Hobo

[MikieFinn]

Wow. Must've touched a nerve or something.
Thank you very much for all of the advice. I have decided to start with a used kayak and take it from there. If I do not like it or if I would like to upgrade down the road I'm sure I can "trade it" sor something different in the future.

There is a Dagger Zydeco 9 foot for slae localy and I have begun negotiations.

With temperatures dropping below 0 in my neck of the woods seems like a "perfect" time to look for a paddling boat :-).