I’ve seen flyfishing done by standing in a canoe while partner poles. My question is can one fly fish in a sitting position solo? I just got into flyfishing, although I’ve been fishing for years
and would really like to try it in my canoe on a trout stocked lake.
Yes…
But it does take practice. If you are used to standing, sitting will seem awkward at first. You also have the problem of your extra line being a bit more likely to get tangled up in the bottom of the canoe. But with some practice and some care in keeping stuff out from underfoot that will tangle your line, you’ll get it.
ff’ing
i fly fish from my 14ft solo in a kneeling position and have no poblem. go for it!! i prefer the canoe to a kayak.
Flyfish
I fly fish sitting in both a canoe and kayak. Don’t expect your casting distance to be as far. However, you can get closer to the fish. I find a longer rod to be beneficial while casting seated.
What they said, plus…
you could add pontoons for additional stability.
belly boats
people have been flyfishing sitting from belly boats for a long time. A canoe seems to be an easier place to cast from that from down in a belly boat. I have had trip and canoe partners fly fish on the last two trips with the “guys” with no problem. since most of your casting is arm motion, a canoe should be stable enough, unless you are trying to cast 70’+ of fly line.
canoe fishing
Sure it can be done. The proof…http://www.loup-garou.net/sitebuilder/images/elmersred-456x459.jpg
Kurt
Nice Fish!
thanks for the inspiration, What kind of fish? Red Fish?
redfish
You are correct. It is a redfish. A couple weekends ago, some guys I know were fishing the marsh and one of them caught a 42" redfish out of a canoe. See http://www.loup-garou.net/flyfishingtrips.html for some more pictures.
Kurt
flyrods/canoes
i’ve flyfished from my canoe and my kayaks for years. just use some common sense. use an 8 ft or longer flyrod will help also.
Canoe fly fisher
I fly fish from my Penobscot 16. If you find yourself most comfortable sitting or kneeling and want more cast, practice single and double hauling until it’s second nature and you will find yourself getting more line out there. I stand in my canoe all the time now that I am comfortable with it. I also have everything secured with a bit of line or a strap in case I do something silly and go over!
Have fun!
Not a Problem
I have been guiding and flyfishing from canoes for 20 years and have found that it is a bit challanging at first, but once you get used to it it is not a problem. The key is to have a good sternsmen to keep you in position.
Thanks
Thank all of you for your comments, I’m going to give it a try.
Kurt Loup
Awesome pics!!
canoes/kayaks with flyrods…
hi bugmannj,
As said…a canoe is a great platform, lots of initial stability…compared to a kayak, nothing against a kayak, super efficient. If the canoe hull is made of a light composite(kevlar…etc.), stability is best when kneeling on(firm foam) pads.($.01 opinion). In well designed hulls of more dense material(royalex…etc)…sitting is fine.
As mentioned, a 9’ rod is nice, particularly if the rod’s material is lower or medium modulus graphite, however my $.01 is that with the higher modulus rods (ie Sage’s XP…for example) one can go shorter…(8’). Once you get the kinks out of your casting stroke and develop some degree of loop control, the shorter & LIGHTER! rods are a blast, and will let you set a hook much quicker…with hardly any effort, as there isn’t much weight to lift to tighten the line.
Canoes are really for taking in the scenery & wildlife around a bog/pond/lake at a slower pace than kayaks…which ARE great (IMHO), they just don’t have the stability for freedom of movement…
Steve
pics
Thanks.
Kurt
long rod
I find a 10’ rod helps to keep the line up. A double paddle that you can lay across the gunwhale helps also. It cuts down the time necessary for repositioning.
Thanks
I didn’t think about a doule paddle, makes alot of sense thanks!