Looking to hear from those familiar with the Pere Marquette River in Michigan. I paddled this river last year on a friend’s canoe to do some salmon fishing. I’d like to buy a canoe to float this river with other friends. I’m looking for a two person canoe. What is a relatively cheap canoe that I can find used that will be suitable for this river? If you can’t think of a specific canoe, what characteristics should a canoe have to do well on the PM river?
Thank you!
You don’t need anything special in a canoe for the PM. For inexpensive I’d recommend looking for an older Royalex canoe or an Old town Discovery series canoe. Classic Aluminum canoes work as well as the liveries have shown over the years. You usually have some shoals to look out for and downed trees to maneuver around.
here is an excellent choice in East Lansing: https://lansing.craigslist.org/boa/d/east-lansing-canoe/7097496625.html
I don’t have any specific canoe advice, but wanted to share that my father grew up in Scottville, MI and spent his childhood running along the banks of the Pere Marquette in the late 1920’s until he joined the Army as young man for WWII. He once told me that he knew the river in that area better than just about anyone else there. If you hear a rustling - it might just be his spirit enjoying the area once again. Enjoy your time on the river!!!