Canoe for fly-fishing?

[Labrador]

Hi,
I wonder if any of the Canadian Canoe afficianados out there could help me out with a little advice!
I am thinking of buying (or building) a canoe, but it will need to be stable enough to cast a fly from as well as carrying camping equipment & maybe a wet labrador at times.
Can anyone offer advice as to the best type to buy or build?
Would I be better with a beamier boat?
Your advice will be gratefully received!

 

[KAE1]

We've had a 17ft4 Old Town since December and it is stable enough to lure cast sitting down. My inlaws have a waterquest 14ft, with a wide beam and last bank holiday were down the river with their Labrador dog, my 17 yr old son and themselves - no probs.

http://www.canoekayaktrader.co.uk/canoes/waterquest14.htm



A wider boat will be more stable but slower - narrower boat, faster less stable.
If you haven't canoed before they will all feel wobbly, but you will get used to it.

Have fun!!

 

[Eric_Methven]

I suppose it all depends on whether you'll be casting standing or sitting. Either way a flat bottomed canoe will feel less tippy than a rounded bottomed one.

Try asking over on SOTP.

Eric

 

[Grooveski]

For standing, a big ol' flat bottomed prospector or the likes as folk say. For sitting just about anything'll do except maybe a solo boat designed for speed.
I don't do much fishing but had a fun day up Loch Ard last year where the most important bit of kit turned out to be a drogue. Without one I was drifting at about four times the pace of Blutack.

 

[Rob]

I am slowly building up my open canoing, with a view to taiking it out fishing on some of the lakes and rivers that allow it.

I reckon that I would be ok sitting down, but I have been practicing standing up and poling. I think that with some more hours on the water, with my reasonably flat bottomed boat, that standing and fly fishing would be do-able.

Saying that, I am bound to fall in a few times to start with.

 

[Hoodoo]

One solution is to buy a nice, lightweight canoe for whatever application you want, say banging down rivers or running the flat waters of big lakes. Then for fishing, add on some pontoons. These work well and when properly adjusted, you can fish to your heart's content and there's no way you can flip the canoe.

These I mounted on my Bell Bucktail which was a very tippy canoe.

I've since sold the Bucktail but these fit my Bell Yellowstone and Merlin II just fine. They are very adjustable and can mount anywhere along the length of the canoe and be extended out. The height of the floats can be adjusted too. Takes a little bit of fine tuning depending on the application but they work well.

They can be purchased from Spring Creek Outfitters.

 

[w00dsmoke]

Yeagh there are a few of us around who fly fish and spin from a canoe, I think the trick is finding a water that will allow you to fly fish for trout from your own canoe!

To be fair I think you need to hire or borrow a few canoes first before commiting to any one design as all have their strengths and weakness somewhere. If I was you though I'd buy a fairly wide flat bottomed canoe with high sides, this will give you lots of initial stability, which is what you need when you are not paddling the thing and the high sides will allow you to paddle in fairly big waves without fear of swamping! I'd also recommend putting in a centre seat just behind the centre point of the canoe (may be a foot or two back), this will be better to cast from and you will have more control and comfort when paddling solo. Fit it out with homemade seat pads for comfort. Good luck.