Hey there- I have done a lot of flyfishing and in the past a lot of spinfishing out of a canoe, but never flyfished from a canoe. This week I purchased a wenonah fisherman canoe (ultralight kevlar- getting too old for the heavy stuff).
I plan on flyfishing out of this canoe for smallies and trout. I will probably stop and wade on some of the rivers. Anyway, I was wondering if anyone had tips for flycasting from a canoe. It doesn’t take much to throw a spinning line, but I am wondering if I need to alter my flycast? Any help will be appreciated. Thanks.
what i’ve been doing for the last couple of week since i bought a used yak,is. going out on the lawn and sitting my butt on the ground and practice casting from that low.
like JC says keep the backcast up
Here’s a tip if you don’t want a lot of line coils down around your feet on the canoe floor. A small towel in your lap will collect the fly line sort of like a stripping apron except its a stripping towel.
I had some trouble with my distance of cast.Read somewhere else about float tubers using 9’ rods.Tried a friends 9’6 and fell in love.acording to the article the 9 ft rod gets your tip higher more like standing.sounded reasonable so now 9’ 5 wt takes a lot less umph in my cast so less wobble in the canoe.
I also added outrigger to my rig now I can stand and dbe stable when sideways in the canoe.Working on an anchor set up soon.
Dennis
Use the longer rod for certain. I have three 9 footers myself. Does your canoe have a center seat? Sitting in the center of the canoe will keep the boat stable and provide better control of the track. If you don’t have a center seat Old Towne makes a snap in seat and Cabela’s sells a folding one. I have the Cabela’s folding canoe seat and it’s very comfortable. If your canoe has a pointed stern you can sit in the front seat, face the stern, and fish with relative ease.
Can I cast as far or as well while seated in a kayak? Nope, not even.
However, it has not been a problem for me at all. With the stealth of the
kayak, I am getting closer to the fish and I don’t need to aerialize a lot
of line to catch fish. At least that has been my experience. Mileage
may vary depending on how often you bang the boat and how clean
your paddle stroke is. Warm regards, Jim
P.S. Not only did I not opt to go for a longer rod, but actually have
started using rods as short as 5 foot. I really can cover the water
with them and I can slide them in my sit inside yak while travelling.
Works for me.
I place a stadium seat in front of the back thwart. Also, before heading out check into Joe Hyde’s dual anchoring system in the forum. The rest of the advise is right on, especially the towel over the lap. And toes. Always find myself fishing barefooted. Casting has not been an issue, at least not that I remember. I’ve been fly fishing out of a cedar strip canoe for over 16 years so my memory of problems have perhaps faded. If you put a lot of body motion into your casting I could see that being a bit scary. I use mainly an arm and wrist motion and my canoe doens’t even rock. Sometimes there are two of us in the canoe and still not an issue. We always cast sitting down, and practice that way. JGW
Thanks everyone. Great advice. I will definitely use the towel for line coils (had visions of line everywhere).
I initially was thinking that a shorter rod would be easier from the canoe. I guess it will take a little practice with both the long and short to see which feels better to me.
I definitely appreciate the help and can’t wait to get out in the new canoe. I have family obligations so it’s going to be two weeks before I can test it out. Thanks again for the great advice and for the great new forum.
I often fly fish from a canoe. On busy water, I float from spot to spot and then wade fish. I easier water, I am comfortable fishing while the canoe drifts. Trick number one is to pay attention to weight distribution. The heavy end of the boat will naturally tend to go downstream first. If you are by yourself, sit backwards on the front seat and pack your heaviest gear in front of the center thwart. Weighted that way, the canoe might still tend to spin as you drift down stream. When I am by myself on the river and fishing while I float, I don’t try to fight the spin. I just let the canoe do it’s thing and move back and forth between sitting backwards on the front seat or facing forward while sitting on the center thwart. It’s all great fun except when you have to try to land a fish and paddle at the same time.
Get a copy of Bill Mason’s “Path of the Paddle”. It is an excellent primer on using all of the traditional paddle strokes and on reading running water.
I use canoes as my primary means for hitting the water. I have an Old Town Canadienne and a Swift Shearwater. I collect canoes almost like fly rods, they take up a lot more room. Anyways, I am a kneeler for the most part and use a Bell kneeling pad. Kneeling may take a bit of getting used to and you may need to play with the seat position. I raised my seed a couple of inches so I could ge my size 12 4E gun boats under the seat easily. Kneeling also gives you more stability in the canoe by lowering your cg, and a better position for casting, almost as if you are standing. I actually sit and kneel both, changing your seating position is lessens fatigue, or it does for me anyways. Try changing you the seat positions to your comfort level, it may take a bit of playing around, but in the end, it will be a custom fit to your rear.
I only suggest that you keep a cleared area in front and behind you for your line. I sometimes want my line behind me if I’m casting perpendicular on the port side or behind me. Nothing else should change in your casting style. Y ou might loose some distance, but you can make that up by canoe/kayak placement.
flywag,
First, welcome to the best ff site on the net. Secondly, you own my DREAM canoe! The Wenonah Fisherman in kevlar just MAY be the best fishing canoe made, especially when you consider weight, width, stability, etc. I WILL own one someday, but for now I will simply envy you!
As JC says, keep the backcast up, & take advantage of the stealthy approach your canoe provides. There is something very special about flyfishing from a canoe!
Please post a report soon.
Mike
I was interested in reading about the towel in the lap trick. About 90% of the time I use floating lines and always leave the line in the water - just like I was wading. The line is outside of the boat and does not get tangled with anything. I suppose that it might get in the way with a particularly energetic fish, but I have used the method for 25 years and have had no problem on still water. I do a little fishing out of a kayak for stripers with a sinking line and as a rule do not enjoy it. The sinking line is nearly impossible to use the same method. Maybe the towel trick will make my stiper time more enjoyable if not more productive.
