Canoe Fishing Tips

Canoe Fishing Tips

Me fishing in my canoe.

With the latest craze being kayak fishing why bother with a canoe? I am not going to get into comparing the two or list pros and cons of each. Every person and situation are different. If you are fishing alone a fishing kayak is the way to go. I often bring my wife or a kid fishing with me and we also use the canoe for duck hunting to haul lots of gear. We investigated buying a two-person fishing kayak that would offer us a little more room and ability to stand up and fish, but for the price you can buy a small boat with an outboard. So, we did get a boat. Our canoe is still used for fishing, hunting, scouting and site seeing.

Here are a few tips for Fishing out of your canoe.

Fishing from a canoe allows you to have mobility. No need to charge batteries or mix fuel, just load up and head to the water. You can gain access to waters boats can’t get into. One river we often fish has a low railroad crossing. Most boats cannot pass under it during the times the water is high. This allows us to have access to some of the best fishing spots all to ourselves.

Two fish one hook.

Fishing in the canoe is quiet, you can sneak up to your favorite honey hole. You can pass through shallow and narrow spots boats can’t get to. It cost less than running an outboard. I have never been stranded or broke down in my canoe.

Master the techniques of paddling and balance. Having two people in the canoe is better than one. You must stay centered at all times. Wind can make it difficult to maneuver the canoe especially when paddling solo.

Secure items to your canoe. I have never flipped or fallen out the canoe while fishing. We still secure items to the canoe just in case. While duck hunting I fell out once and flipped once.  And yes, I have fallen out of the boat while fishing and so has my wife.

Solo Paddling

When paddling solo with all your weight in the back the front end will be raised up out of the water and wind will push you around. Paddling in a straight line can be challenging. Here are a few tips

The canoe always veers to one side. Use a forward stuck and cross forward struck to get going. Switch to the J-stroke to maintain a straight line. The J-stroke counteracts the canoes tendency to steer away from the side of the stern man’s paddle side.

Here is a link to a WIKI on Canoe paddle strokes

J Stoke

                                                                How to do a J-Stoke

More solo paddling tips.

 When I am paddling alone I sit in the bow seat facing the stern. This moves your weight and center of gravity closer to the center of the boat, keeping the bow down. Also place all my gear in the bow, the additionally weight helps keep me moving in a straight line.

Also using a kayak paddle when paddling solo helps to keep you going in a straight line.

Anchor or tie off

We use a small mushroom anchor 10-15 pounds, to hold us in position.  When approaching a location determine which way the current and or wind will push the canoe. From the rear drop the anchor so the current will keep you facing downstream. You can fish from you right or left side this way. Another option is to tie off to a tree, stump, bridge or whatever you can tie off to. We often tie a loop around a bridge to fish under the pilings. 

A canoe doesn’t provide all the conveniences of a boat, but with a few modifications you can make it better.

Adding cup holders to the rails. Here is how we did it thanks to this YouTube video.