Hello, Im new to this board and was wondering if the pelican explorer deluxe canoe sold at dick’s would work as a good fishing canoe. The specs it gives is that it is 15 foot, weighs 71 lbs., and has a ramx?? hull. New to this and was wondering if this is something i could use to make the switch from bank fishing to canoe fising and enjoy it. Thanks
depends
If you are going to mainly stay on small water it should work. I try to advise people to go with higher quality boats like wenonah or bell. However if you are not sure if you really want to be a canoeist or really just do not want to spend the money go for it. Honestly if it floats you can fish out of it. I see a number of them on the water. Mostly used by crappie fishermen tied up in creek arms of the lakes.
pelican…
I have seen them too, it looks like a OK boat, probably better than the Colemans. The thing I noticed about the boat was that the bow and stern seemed very shallow. It looks like it would perform poorly in waves and rapids. If your using it for lakes and calm rivers, it should be fine.
On the other hand, I have a Mad River explorer 14TT, $599 new. I’d say it performs poorly on lakes, but much better in moving water and small rapids.
Either will get you on the water, and your bound to have fun. Good luck!
heavy
Should be just fine if it gets you on the water. I would be a little more inclined to spend more money if I intended to go on big lakes or long trips. Also, 71 pounds is pretty heavy. Make sure you do a “test lift” to make sure you are up to the task or have help when you need to car top it.
Jim
Canoe or Kayak
Having experience fishing in both canoes and kayaks and owning both, would suggest looking into a tandem kayak like the Dagger Blackwater or such. There are even a number of large cockpit style kayaks that you can get specially equipped for fishing (i.e. rod holders, anchors, etc) right rom the factory. If you focus on this style, I think you will find them to be very stable and many of them are more comfortable than canoes since they now have seats with adjustable back rests and footbraces.
When I do fish from my canoe, I am usually on larger bodies of water and contending with motorboats etc. In these cases I find it advisable to place stabilizers on the sides.
Bottom line is to focus on what you are comfortable and confident in as well what fits your budget.