Fly Fishing From A Canoe
Ian Anderson
Carmel, IN
I recently had the pleasure of traveling down some
waters I have not been to for over nineteen years.
A place I used to fish all the time in my youth but with
family and careers in my adult life I have not had the
time. The place was the Quetico Provincial park
in Ontario Canada. Located about 40 miles North
of Ely Minnesota the Quetico is best know as the "Canoe
Country". There are an unimaginable amount of
lakes throughout the Quetico. More than most
people could travel in a life time. Add to that the
lakes in the Boundary Water Canoe Area (the adjoining
land on our side of the border) and you have more than
enough water to keep any fisherman happy.
Quetico Canoe Country
This area gets it name, Canoe Country, from the French
Voyagers who used to travel this land bringing furs and
goods to and from Hudson Bay, Duluth, Winnipeg and
beyond. Fortunately, the Canadian government had the
foresight years ago to make the Quetico a canoe only
area. All primitive camping and no motors make
this area a pristine wilderness that is much like it was
in the days of the Voyagers. It has also helped
limit the number of people traveling these waters and
thus helped keep health populations of fish in most of
the lakes.
My quest was for big Smallmouth Bass
and Northern Pike.
The trip was planned for this time of year because of
the availability and aggressiveness of these fish due to
spawning. So we knew the fish would be there and
hungry. The Quetico is well know for its' Northern
Pike, Walleye and Smallmouth fishing but most people
know it as a summer time fishery. This is because
most people are paddling this area in the warmer summer
months. However, fly fishing the Quetico can be a little
more challenging during the summer because the fish tend
to be deeper. In May the fish are in the shallows
and easier to get to with the long rod.
Our
greatest challenge fly fishing the Quetico, and the
point of this article, was effectively and comfortably
fly fishing from a canoe. Due to the fact we would
be sitting for 99% of our fishing and canoes can
get blown around pretty easily fly fishing is not most
peoples first choice when fishing from a canoe. But over
the course of the eight days that we were in the Quetico
we developed some very effective methods of managing all
factors and facets of fly fishing from a canoe.
And we even caught some nice fish.
Quetico Smallmouth
The Problems with a Canoe
There
are basically three problems when fly fishing from a
canoe. The first problem is that both people in
the canoe can not fish at the same time. One
person must be in control of the canoe while the other
person fishes. There are times when the water is
calm and you hit upon a "hole" that the person in the
back of the canoe can pick up a rod and do some fishing
at the same time as the person in the front.
However, two people slinging around 30 - 40 feet of fly
line at the same time can be a challenge. Tangles
do happen so timing becomes a factor. Another
reason usually the person in back just manages the
canoe.
The second problem has to do with managing
the canoe when there is wind or adverse conditions.
The person in the back has to maintain a certain
distance from the shore or the spot where the persons in
the bow is fishing in order for the spot to be
effectively fished. When you add in wind as a
factor it becomes more of a challenge for the person in
the back to maintain the proper position.
Problem
number two is also related and factored into problem
number three. Problem number three is putting it all
together so that the person fly fishing in the bow can
make an effective presentation while efficiently
covering the entire location they want to fish.
This means that the persons in the back of the canoe has
to factor in the wind, the weather, the drift of the
canoe, the location to be fished, and the abilities of
the caster when deciding on how to fish a certain area
and then fishing it.
The main focus on this
article will be on problems two and three. Problem
one is resolved by simply switching out who is in front,
and fishing, and who is in back, and paddling.
Weather the switch is every hour, every third fish,
every missed/caught fish, the next time you see a moose,
or when the wind shifts again is up to both people to
determine.
Quetico Sunset
Canoe
Management
When two people are paddling a
canoe it is not that difficult to manage the action of
the craft. Some steer by their strokes and some
simply by the bow and stern person changing sides ever
so many strokes. The difficulty comes when only
one person is propelling and managing the actions of the
canoe. The person in the back has to be able to propel
the canoe forward and steer it in the direction they
want to go at the same time. Not too difficult in
calm conditions. You are after all moving slow and
there is no hurry. Fortunately when moving this
slow if you bump a log or a rock nothing really gets
damaged.
But most fishermen and women know that
85% of your time fishing the weather is less than
"ideal". Wind is usually the biggest factor but if
you are near shore wave action from shore can compound
the problems. If you are on a stream you have the
added factor of the current of the water and how it is
effecting the canoe. Generally speak the idea is
to travel with the wind while keeping the canoe an
appropriate distance from shore. Usually this
means letting the wind actually be the force that
propels you along while the person in the back uses
forward and backward strokes to keep the canoe drifting
at a even pace and distance [figure 1]. Strokes of
the paddle might include side strokes (reaching out and
pulling into the side of the canoe) and back strokes.
Keep in mind you will also have to put in some effort in
steering in your stokes. You are not pushing forward but
you do want the front of the canoe drifting a certain
way therefore you might have to vary you strokes to move
the front of the canoe in or out and forward or
backwards to get the desired result.
Figure 1
If you are lucky enough to have the wind moving parallel
to the place you are wanting to fish it is not as
difficult to manage the canoe. Keep in mind you are
wanting to move slower than the wind while using the
wind to move you forward. But what happens if the
wind is coming in perpendicular to where you want to
fish. You can still fish the area but the canoe
will have to be perpendicular and the persons in the
back will be paddling backwards 99.99% of the time.
Here the idea is to let the wind push you along while
you back paddle to keep the canoe the proper distance
from shore. Between back paddling, the wind and
occasional side paddle the canoe will drift down the
shore. This is not the best of situations because
the person in back has a lot of work to do and it can
get difficult keeping the bow an even distance from
shore. But if you can manage it the rewards can be
great.
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Big Quetico Northern Pike
Helping The Person In The Bow
So now you can
manage the canoe and keep it on course. Your arms
are now twice their normal size from this great workout
your getting and it is a smooth ride. Is all that
alone helping the persons up front effectively fish the
areas you sailing smooth through? To answer that
you have to look at the persons casting style and
abilities. You also have to factor in the type of
fly fishing they are wanting to do. Lastly you
have to factor in what happens when they hook a fish,
hopefully a big fish, and how will you help them land it
if help is needed?
Looking at the persons casting
style and abilities is the first thing to consider.
Are they a right handed caster or a left handed caster.
Can they cast 40 feet and less or can they get out 70
feet of line (from a seated position). The
obvious concern regarding casting length is how far away
from the target do you need to keep the canoe. If
the person in the bow can only cast their favorite HUGE
deer hair pattern 35 feet then you keeping the canoe 50
feet from the fish is not helping them fish effectively
no matter how smooth the ride. Keeping the canoe
within their casting comfort zone while moving down a
bank, around a weed bed or around logs/fallen trees is
very important. Also whether they are a right
handed caster or a left handed caster is a big factor.
The canoe has to be setup and drift in such a way as to
help their cast and retrieve.
The type of
fly fishing the persons in the bow wants to do is a
factor to consider when determining how best to fish and
area. Do they want to fish all topwater tight to
structure. Will they be fishing heavy streamers in
deeper water or around submerged structure? Will
they be using fast retrieves or slow quite retrieves?
Depending on how the canoe is setup (angled) and
drifting it can aide the caster or ruin their attempts
at fishing.
As an example, lets say you
have someone up front who is a right handed caster.
They are fishing shallow streamers with medium action
and retrieve. They want to fish fairly close to shore
but also want to have the fly come out over deeper water
some (enticing the big boys). They are an average
caster and with their outfit can get a 50 foot cast out
pretty well. You have a light wind (5 - 10 mph)
blowing from left to right parallel to the shore .
Most people would simply position the canoe about 50
feet from shore, parallel to the bank and let the wind
blow them on down the shore. The fisherman up
front would cast in front of the canoe towards shore and
retrieve their fly [figure 2].
Figure 2
This would not work out too well for the fisherman.
The first real problem is that they are casting in the
direction the canoe is heading. From the moment their
fly hits the water they are playing catch up in bringing
in the line to keep a tight line to the fly. In
doing so they are not getting the desired retrieve on
the fly (if any at all) but rather are drifting right up
to the fly. If the person up front chooses to cast
to their left, more perpendicular to the bank, they will
get a better retrieve but will be not only be sitting
twisted in the he seat but will actually be turning
farther back in order to manage the retrieve of the fly.
This problem is solved by positioning the canoe at about
a 45 - 50% angle to the shore, about 40 feet out from
shore and having the caster cast directly into shore.
With the canoe at this angle the caster is facing almost
directly forward when casting, the person in the back is
outside of their casting plane (always a concern) and
the person fishing can use the drift of the canoe in
timing their retrieve [figure 3]. The persons in
the stern of the canoe should manage the speed such that
if needed the canoe can be stopped to fish an area a
little more or turn around to unsnag a fly. You
could even angle the canoe more and have the caster
place their cast more to the left of the canoes position
if the rate of drift helps the desired retrieve of the
fly.
Figure 3
Another example would be
similar to the previous one but in this cast the wind is
blowing from right to left. Here the boat would be
positioned more parallel to the shore while the caster
casts to the shore off the end of the canoe. This
way the drift of the canoe is incorporated in the
casters retrieve [figure 4]. There are multiple
scenarios but these two should give you a clear
understanding of how to use the drift of the canoe to
help the person up front fish better and be more
comfortable.
Figure 4
The last thing to
consider is what if the person up front hooks into a big
enough fish that they need your help. You can not
simply put down you paddle, pick up the net and wait for
them to bring the fish in. While waiting you may
be pushed right into a fallen tree, over submerged rocks
or through a weed bed that the fish gets tangled and
lost in. Always be aware of what is around the
canoe (in the water and out) while you are drifting.
When the person up front hooks that big fish paddle the
canoe somewhere safe to land the fish. Safe may be
behind a small point out of the wind, behind a big rock
or even out in open water. Let the person up front
fight the fish. When you have the canoe in a good
location wait until the fish is near the boat to put
down your paddle and pick up the net. If the safe
location is somewhere you do not need to keep paddling
to maintain you position you can pick up the net sooner.
Even if the fish has to stay on the line a little longer
next to the boat while you secure the canoe before
picking up the net it is better to take it slow and
easy.
If you are lucky Enough
Hopefully you will be lucky enough to paddle
the Quetico or Boundary Waters some day. At least
somewhere quiet, slow and wild. It might be a
small pond near your home or somewhere far away.
If you do, don't forget your fly rod. Fly fishing
from a canoe is not as difficult as it may seem and with
a little forethought is even easier. The rewards
are worth the trouble to learn this skill.
Another Big Quetico Northern Pike
Be Well,
Ian
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