Why Fish From A Canoe?

Welcome to a site dedicated to Canoe Bass Fishing. I am by far an expert but wanted to share a lot of the things I have learned about Canoe fishing with others. It has been difficult at times to find info on things such as Canoe fishing tactics, and Canoe mods. I will be putting what I know on this blog in hopes that others can read it and share what they know on the subjects in the comments sections. If anyone actually reads this... Welcome and enjoy the first post.

Why canoe fishing?

Nature

It's 7am, mist is drifting across the glassy surface of the water. You are all alone on a secluded lake that has no cottages on it. A loon and it's chick are 20' away looking at you curiously. The calm is suddenly interrupted by a monster bass engulfing your topwater popper. As you lift the 5lb monstrosity out of the water you realize you are truly experiencing something special.

In short, you will experience and see more of nature while out on more secluded waterbodies and moving at a slower pace.

Fishing

Canoes have many pros and cons when it come to fishing. I will be covering ways to overcome some of these downfalls as the blog develops. Stealth is probably the best aspect of fishing from a canoe. You can silently drift into areas and over the thickest cover unnoticed. I fish topwater frogs a lot and a canoe can get through the nastiest cover without worrying about getting stuck.

The wind is your worst enemy when fishing from a canoe. Unfortunately wind is good when it comes to bass fishing. The canoes high sides act like sails and the wind can blow you around in circles. This makes it difficult at times to use finesse presentations and fish precise spots on structure. I will try not to go out fishing in a canoe when the wind exceeds 15 kmh. At this point it becomes very difficult and could become dangerous when on larger bodies of water.

Economic

With the price of gas and even a basic aluminum boat, a canoe can be one of the most economic ways to get off the shore. You can buy a Coleman or Pelican Ram-X canoe, on sale for 499$ at Canadian Tire. These canoes are some of the cheapest on the market and can be beaten to death without having to do repairs. After picking up a few paddles and life jackets you are ready to go fishing.

 
Your new fishing machine does not use gas and runs on manpower. The only fuel you will need is a few bottles of Gatorade, some trail mix (or your favorite snack) and beef jerky. If you are lucky enough to live on or near the water you can throw the canoe in and start catching fish. If your like me and enjoy getting away to more remote lakes it will cost gas to transport the canoe there. If you own a truck transport is easy but cars may require you to buy roof racks, and these can be $300+. Some of the lakes I fish are over 50 km away and I will use up half a tank of gas. The 20$ spent on the day is well worth the solitude and sometimes amazing fishing you can experience.

Remote access / portable

The best reason to fish from a canoe is to be able to get into lakes that have no boat access. Canoes can be put in at culverts, swamps, or any where there is water access regardless of launch facilities. There are a lot of lakes in Ontario that have no boat launches. These lakes receive very little fishing pressure and can hold monster bass. You would be surprised at the quality and numbers of bass a lake can have when fish aren't harvested as well. My number one lake has no cottages on it and has a long rough portage to get to it. You can catch 3-4 lb Largemouth and Smallmouth like it's going out of style.

Private property should be respected when launching at a lake. If private property is the only way make sure you ask permission before trespassing. Launching from public or crown land are your best bets.

Health

Now you can stay in shape while doing something you love! Paddling for up to eight hours in a day can really give you a good workout. This can be good when your gobbling down poptarts and chocolate bars in the back of the canoe.

The workout you get is mostly upper body but portages can put your legs to the test. My canoe weighs 80lbs so I try to avoid anything too long. Always use good form while paddling and lifting your canoe. A canoe can injure you in lifted wrong or if you fall while portaging.