Just bought an Old Town Pack solo canoe and want to rig it for fishing. Is a gunnel mount rod holder best or is there a better way to go? If gunnel, where can I buy it or how should I build it? Is any trolling motor mount best? Plus how should I stow battery and what about a seatback? Pictures if possible.
Thanks much
Stow the battery as much toward the
center, or even in the bow of the craft if possible. Center if anyone is going with you, bow if solo. Batteries are heavy, full of lead. Old Town makes a decent mount. Most are similar. Big D and others may have advice on mounting rod holders, I’ve gone over to the dark side of kayask
Pack for fishing
I use one all the time. I have not found a gunwale mounted rod holder that works. I carry a milk crate in mine with 2 pvc pipes mounted at a 45 degree angle and use them. Essex industries makes some fine canoe accessories like motor mounts and exceptional seat backs. Google them. I highly recommend a seat back for all day fishing excursions. A motor on a Pack is not for me. I’ve considered it on my Penobscot, but the Pack is too small and tender to my mind. A decent double bladed canoe paddle will work wonders with this canoe.
motor is a problem…
Problem with trying to use a trolling motor on a Pack is that it isn’t easy to figure out where to put the trolling motor mount so that you can easily reach the motor to raise it out of the water. Motor mounts for canoes are meant to be used somewhere like just behind the rear seat, where the guy in the rear can easily reach them. Alternatively you can mount one in front of the front seat and run it easily. But on a Pack, the only place you can mount it within easy reach is just behind the single seat, or in front of it near the middle of the canoe. The middle of the canoe doesn’t work because the motor wants to torque the canoe around. Behind the seat doesn’t work very well because the motor is still too close to the center of the canoe. It’s just highly inefficient. And, if you use a seat back, twisting around to run a motor mounted behind you, or especially to lift it up out of the water when you come to a shallow spot or want to beach the craft, is very awkward.
I rigged up a trolling motor rig when I owned a Pack, but it took a LOT of jury-rigging and although it worked well, it was ultimately way too much trouble to mount it, run it, carry the battery around, etc.
Seat backs…I have used a Sitbacker for a couple of years, and have no complaints about it so far. You can find one at Piragis Northwoods Company if you can’t find one locally.
I don’t use rod holders.