Hey Joe… great article. Thanks. Only problem is that I now have a desperate need to get out in my canoe and it’s all ice and snow up here for a while longer.
I’m a fellow solo canoe lover and I’m wondering… what canoe is that in the photo?
Diane
Life should not be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming-WOW—What A Ride!
Hi Diane,
My boat is a Wenonah Rendezvous. It’s 15’10" long, made of Tufweave (a fiberglass variant), aluminum trim and thwarts. Weighs 52 lbs. empty.
Good to hear from another solo canoeist!
What kind of solo do you paddle?
Joe
I also am a big canoe fan - can’t wait to get out there and do some bluegill fishing! Here’s a picture of my “float” - it’s a 12’ fiberglass Old Town Katahdin - very stable and a pleasure to fish from. Great article Joe - thanks! Tight lines, Alec
Hey Flytackle,
Cool, man! When I first scrolled down to your post the photo wasn’t there. Now it is there, and wow, what a beautiful photo!
It’s good to see that you are safety conscious (throwable floatation pad, plus an extra paddle in case your main one accidentally goes overboard).
That’s a really pretty landing net you’ve got. Mine is one of those cheapie aluminum types with a short handle, but it works okay. It would work better if I’d remember to PUT IT IN THE BOAT.
I’m also checking out your “cat’s paw” anchor drop extension unit, mounted on the bow. That’s the same kind of outfit I was thinking about building a couple of years ago, before I gave up and went instead with stainless steel U-bolts mounted on my end caps.
Yeah, Buddy…your boat is a testament to how pretty a canoe looks when its woodwork is varnished and well-maintained. Your whole system is one neat looking rig.
There appears to be a good weedline back there across the lake. So I hope this was a “Before” photo and your boat came back two hours later all wet and slimy from so many landed fish thrashing around inside it.
Joe
“Better small than not at all.”
Hey, Joe. I paddle a Hemlock Peregrine made by Dave Curtis. Weighs 34 pounds or so. It’s a great solo boat. I also paddle a canoe I rebuilt but it’s a bit tubby for solo work. Nice and stable though. And I had fun doing the woodwork. I’m in no hurry to do a big fiberglass repair again anytime soon. My favorite way to fish is from the solo on an Adirondack lake while I’m camping. Heaven.
Wow, a Hemlock Peregrine! I’ve never seen one on the hoof, but I know it’s got to be a beautiful canoe. My best buddy, Sam, who I’ve canoed with for almost 20 years, he owns not one but two Hemlocks – an SRT and a Kestrel.
You’re lucky to live so close to the Hemlock boatyard. That probably saved you a bunch on shipping costs: you could just drive to the factory, rack that baby and take her home from there.
In Sam’s case, both of his Hemlocks were badly damaged during truck shipping to Kansas. Fortunately he’s skilled at performing canoe repairs; still, he was furious that both these gorgeous boats got banged up by the shipper. Sam says if he ever buys another Hemlock new, he’ll drive to New York and pick it up personally.
If I ever get a Hemlock, I’ll go pick it up myself, too. And I’ve been looking for some time at getting a much lighter weight boat. My Wenonah Rendezvous is 52-lbs. Which doesn’t sound heavy, but it seems to get heavier ever year as I “mature”.
A lightweight Bell Merlin II, or a Hemlock like yours, quality boats like these are definitely pricey. But if a person fishes hard and often like we do they’re a sensible investment.
Can you post a photo of your canoe, like Flytackle did? Man, that’s a wonderful photo he posted.
Also…both you and Flytackle should write some stories for FAOL’s Panfish and Warm Water sections (or whatever section you think your activities fit best). Rick Zieger and I are NOT the only people in America fly fishing from canoes. He and I are always eager to read about the fun that other people are having.
Now quit reading this Bulletin Board and go polish your boat’s wood trim again; it’ll be spring soon!
Joe
“Better small than not at all.”
Hey Joe. Yeah, a Peregrine. I’m a lucky paddler. I bought it from Dave Curtis after going to a local lake to paddle one and spending some time with him, his wife, and a few other fans and friends. I had Dave drop the seat a bit since I’m heavy and I never kneel. For the same reason, I had him move the center thwart a little bit forward. I’ve got the heavier layup because that’s what he had in stock at this year’s price. Not cheap but it’s a once in a lifetime solo purchase. Here’s a photo I took on a solo trip in the Adirondacks the last weekend of September:
[This message has been edited by Diane (edited 10 February 2006).]
hey diane and joe, been kicking around the idea of a 2 seater canoe or tandem kayak to fish out of for a while now. any pros or cons that you could relate regarding fishing out of the canoe. have an 8 year old fishing fanatic and am looking to get out on the water more this year. joe, live in the k.c. area, but went to ku. you seem real familiar to me.
I’ve paddled solo and tandem canoes and kayaks and I’d choose a tandem canoe over a tandem kayak for your needs. Tandem kayaks require some majorly cooperative double-bladed paddling and they’re not called divorce boats for nothing.
The tradeoff in canoes is stability vs. weight and durability vs. weight. For your needs you’re going to want at least a 16 foot canoe that’s stable enough to resist twitching when you cast. There are a ton of canoes that fit that description, new and used, out there. The major downside is weight of the canoe and that’s only a problem when you’re putting it on and off the car/trailer and carrying it to/from the water. So I guess the short version of my advice would be to go for the tandem canoe and find one that’s stable and as lightweight as you need it to be so that you don’t dread getting it out in the water.
Have fun with that 8 year old fanatic!
the majority of my fishing is from a cedarstrip canoe I built myself back in 1991. It’s beat up but floats. It’s light, wieghing in at 50 lbs. And, yes, it seems to get heavier every year. I have the forms cut for a solo Merlin, a 15 ft’er. My Explorer, a design by the Minnesota Canoe Association, is just a tad over 17 ft. This past year I added a two anchor system to it, however I’m now going to Hyde’s sacked pellets rather than the plastic jugs I filled with sand. They’re great anchors, but not fun to have hanging while paddling. Too hard to track the canoe. Just thought I’d throw in my thoughts. JGW
diane, any particular make/models of canoes that stand out or ones that you would recommend? i will be fishing alot of smaller lakes and ponds, but there are also some smaller rivers and bigger lakes i’d like to get on as well.
Mad River canoe, its stable and easy to portage.
My .02
Philip
Excus my spelling and gramma, I hooked Mondays and Fridays so I could Hunt or fish.
dpenrod, hi again. It all depends on your budget and size/weight of load. I’d look at Royalex as a material unless you want to spend a lot of money. I’d also look at used canoes first. If at all possible, try before you buy. And I’d recommend that you be careful about online advice because a lot of paddlers tend to recommend equipment that is way more spendy, tippy, and sleek than what you’ll need. The best website to get a ton of paddling info are the bulletin boards and product reviews of [url=http://www.paddling.net:ac44e]www.paddling.net[/url:ac44e]
That said, here’s a short list to consider. I’ve probably missed at least a dozen good possibilities.
Wenonah Adirondack
Wenonah Aurora
Wenonah Kingfisher
Old Town Osprey 155
Old Town Predator C160
Old Town Discovery 169
Old Town Guide 160
Mad River Explorer 16 rx
Novacraft Angler 15 (probably too short)
Alumacraft Quetico 17
Souris River Quetico 16
Hope this helps.
Diane
Do you or anyone you know have experience with a Wenonah Fisherman? I’ve been fishing out of a yak but hip problems may casue me to get a canoe. Went out to their site and that canoe looked interesting.
Dave
Hey Dave,
I feel your pain buddy. For me it’s my
knees. They are going south on me in a big
hurry. I may have to shift from the kayaks
to a canoe before much longer. Unfortionatly
the lighter the boat, the more it costs.G
Normally, weight isn’t a factor except when
it comes to putting it on the truck. If you
have a good system of loading, it may not be
much of a problem for you. My favorite
canoe is the Old Town Guide 14.7. At 74
pounds, it’s far from a light weight. But
singlehanding it just one time into a
quartering wind will sell you on it. It’s
also very comfortable if you have a buddy
along and of course then the weight issue
becomes a non-issue.G I also use it for
camping and it will tote everything you
might need for a long weekend. Good luck
finding that canoe. Warm regards, Jim
hey evil dave. sorry, no, i don’t know anyone who’s paddled the fisherman but Jim’s recommendation is a good one. I’d much rather paddle that Guide into the wind than a Fisherman. I think anything over about 35" wide gets piggish. good luck finding the right canoe.
Diane
Did Micus put you up to calling me evildave? Too funny! Well piggish I certainly don’t want.
Jim
My knees are not the best either but it’s in my hips that I really hurt. Makes me kind of wish I still had my old Monark bass boat.
Man, ya’ll are making me miss my old Sawyer Summersong. It was a nice 14’ solo, white gel over Kevlar. Fast. It was my training boat when I was on a four man canoe racing team in Texas. That was several years ago and before I learned about fly fishing.
Joe, since I am now practically a neighbor, over hear in O.P., any recommendations for good fishing holes?
sodajones: I scouted Hillsdale Lake last weekend, and you better believe I’ll be hitting that place for crappie this spring. What happened to your Summersong, did you sell it? I had a Sawyer Autumn Mist, and recently gave it to my youngest son so he’d have a good solo boat.
dpenrod: Diane’s recommended boats are all good ones; check each one out in websites, catalogs, etc. AND if you can, paddle as many as possible before deciding. And if I seem familiar, it’s because you’ve probably seen me on I-35 during morning and afternoon commutes. I’m that slow-moving gray pickup truck with RIVERAT personalized tags and (often) a canoe carried on my Yakima racks.
Diane: Me and my big mouth. I should have known you would torture me with a beautiful deep blue water/pine-bordered lake photograph that looks like a Hamm’s beer bar sign. Can Dave Curtis put together a sweet boat or WHAT.
Joe
“Better small than not at all.”
Dpenrod,
I can give a good thumbs up to the Old Town Discovery 16 that Diane listed.
I had bought one and used it heavily for 4 or 5 seasons…Still po’d at myself for selling it…I’ll never find a deal like that again…
The Bro in-law and I used to both stand and cast outta that thing…and I stand 6’ and am not a light weight…
That is one very stable platfourm…
Got mine after Old Town used it as a demo model at the Eastern Sports and outdoors show…they dropped it off of one of the higher buildings in Harrisburg PA…If you did not know where it contacted the concrete…you’d never find the tiny ding…awesome boat…