How is the Bell Magic as a fly fishing craft if casting from the seat, not standing? I’ve paddled it before (liked it), but didn’t know if its’ initial stability is good enough to fly fish with it.
How is YOUR initial stability
Seriously if you get your head out of the boundaries of the rails, the body will follow unless you can brace…and I dont see free hands for a brace if you are flycasting.
I dont know your body mechanics but would guess that there is some head movement and with a higher CG sitting and a harrow station you might be at risk to get your head out of bounds.
What canoes have you tried fly fishing in?
The Magic has good secondary stability IMO, but I am not sure fly fishing would allow you to take advantage of that.
If you can land this fish in a Magic
you can fly fish out of one.
http://good-times.webshots.com/photo/2677796500048873972DSsmEC?vhost=good-times
Kinda depends
– Last Updated: Nov-05-09 10:26 AM EST –
On your balance, but Magic is considered quite stable for a sit down solo. You might slip your feet under the seat, knees into the chines on pads when fishing. More stable position and your stance in the boat will be higher.
Outriggers are for Nancys, and unacceptable on a performance oriented paddlecraft. You will hear the paddlesport community laughing in your sleep!
Now there’s Magic!
Muskies lunge!
Pikes will pitch your peak!
Northern Walleyes take ya south
when extendin’ your reach!
(note Randy’s firm grasp to Wes’s less fishy side gunnel)
And soner or later,
no matter the magic you’ve afloat,
when there’s three barrels down
you’re gonna need a bigger boat!
FOR SALE
Uberbot
Composite 16-footer
[composed of Royal-(Pain-In-The-Tookish)-Lex-Luthor-and-more-West-Systems-epoxy-patch-Slippedintite]
sturdy midst sudden schists
bottom puts the hogbacks into boulders
last seen squirting from toothless grin of disguisted two-ton porker
makes (somewhat) stable platform for the herniated flyfisher
will part-with for a song (heavy metal, excepted)
shipping will cost $6K
Wes has a Swift Shearwater, too. (hopefully reassembled by Dave Curtis) Having fished from that along with his Magic, he’s likely to have some salient points to your query.
But…
that’s not a fly pole. A little different mechanics involved.
Prism vs. Magic
– Last Updated: Nov-05-09 11:08 AM EST –
I have the Prism and it is a piece of cake to fish out of. I paddled a friends Magic some time back (didn't hve a chance to fish out of it) and think it is the better solo canoe, but would I loose the fly fishing option with the Magic as that is one of the core uses I would want. Will there be a markable difference sitting (getting a little old for kneeling) and fly casting between these two boats?
flycasting…
Never threw a flyline when in my Magic of the 90s, but will ditto CE’s… Get some comfortable kneepads, ankle-blocks, foot pads and kneel…it’ll be the most stable. Good length(16’+) will give you good contact. Trying to limit any upperbody movement to a more forward tilt(and return to vertical) on lengthy strokes(either backcast or forward cast) will work well with the boat’s length.
$.01…fwiw
I fly fish and would have no
problem with that action in that boat. My point was if you can catch a 25-pound pike, that jukes, jumps and runs, changing directions every 10 seconds, keeping a Magic upright while casting will be a breeze.
Now a caveat. The seats in both Wes and my Magics have been lowered to make them sit only boats. With the factory seat drops Bell used for a while, the higher seat position makes them a little touchy.
Randy
Depends
will raise your CG when sitting in a Magic. Just sayin, Charlie.
Jim