Poll: How often do your canoe trips include fishing?

[Glenn MacGrady]

As a general approximation, when you go on a canoe trip—whether an overnighter or even a day trip—how often do you take fishing tackle along and actually use it?

The idea of this poll is to tease out how many serious fishermen vs. occasional fishermen vs. non-fishermen we have on the site.

I'm a never. When I was a boy, my grandfather used to take me fishing almost every summer day in Maine on a lake that seemed to have no fish except a very occasional yellow perch. Hours of nothingness. Hence, my impressionable young brain concluded early on that fishing was one of the most boring activities imaginable. Worse, I could not tolerate eating/picking tasteless yellow perch bone bags, which turned me off from eating most fish for the rest of my life.

A different lake coulda made a different me, I suppose.

 

[Rippy]

Fishing from a canoe is a pain in the but.

 

[PaddlingPitt]

On rest days, I always fish for food.

 

[CaptainOllieWest]

I voted often.

 

[MrPoling]

Rarely. I never fished until the past 2 years. Not only were my original experiences boring, but I also lived in places like WV (mining pollution) and the Carolinas (industrial chemicals) where the fish were unappetizing.

I only fish now because my kids like it. I'm glad it gives them motivation to canoe. But to steal a golf expression, fishing is "a good paddle spoiled".

 

[Cheeseandbeans]

Sometimes I like to fish and just as often I like to focus on paddling. Depends on the day.

Bob

 

[Aslowhand]

Never on canoetrips at home in Switzerland...too many fishermen and too few fish.
Always on canoetrips in Canada...fishing for food but also for fun (catch and release).
That's why I voted 'sometimes'.

 

[Sweetfancymoses]

... fishing is "a good paddle spoiled".

Agreed.

 

[snapper]

I voted the "almost always" category but will be honest, when I'm out for an early morning work-out paddle, it's just me, the canoe and my paddle. If the trip is really a day trip or overnight, you will generally find me totting my fishing gear along. I love casting to a bed of lily pads to see if any bass are home. The largest bass I've ever caught was from the seat of my canoe.

That's all for now. Take care and until next time...be well.

snapper

 

[Robin]

I used to fish a lot more during canoe trips, but now I limit myself to just likely looking spots or some trolling during the day with a loaded canoe, evenings or rest days/base camp outings.
In LaVerendrye, Quebec fishing is expensive when you add in the daily fishing permit to the non-resident license. Years ago I'd buy a permit and license for my whole trip which was always over $125 USD, these days I buy 3 days of the reserve permits ($42 USD) and a 3 day non resident Quebec fishing license ($26 USD) I plan ahead and match the dates to when I'm in productive lakes, off the beaten track.


In Ontario, I just buy a 8 day nonresident conservation license for a little over $22 and fish whenever I feel like it. Fishing can be quite good in Ontario and worth the effort.


Here in Maine fishing from a canoe is a lot of fun and there are a lot of options, although I have given up on fly fishing (old dog, new tricks) and pretty much-cast worms with my grandsons for bass.

 

[jdeerfoot]

Unless I am soloing, my trips almost always include fishing by my trip mates. I don’t fish but I always want to travel with those who do. On a recent trip in Manitoba there was a couple who fished every day. They cooked up an enormous daily fish fry of walleye, to point where the rest of us got tired of eating fish twice a day.

 

[lowangle al]

I voted "almost always" because as long as I have a license for the area I'm going to and there are fish there I'll most likely bring my gear. Fishing isn't as big of a deal for me as it used to be though. I take less gear and spend less time at it, mostly because my wife doesn't fish. She didn't like when I would leave her alone in the tent and take off in the boat fishing in grizzly country, but a guy has to do what he has to do.

 

[Bob B.]

Always. My trips are planned around productive walleye water. I do not eat many but plan on catching a lot. Jake and explore the water and timber on a trip, and love finding new places to fish from … from canoe or shore it matters not.

 

[Chip]

Rarely.

There‘s the license issue. Out of state, it can be costly.

It’s hard to fish and paddle at the same time. I haven’t tried trolling, which others make work for them. If there’s any wind or current, the boat drifts, and I have to reach for the paddle and the rod goes where? Rod holders would help if I had them.

The hooks are troublesome in the boat. I routinely hook my painters and other gear in the boat.

And, I suck at fishing. I can use the same rod and tackle as a fisherman, cast to the same weed bed as does the fisherman and the fisherman will catch fish and I won’t.

Agree with the sentiment: good paddling trip ruined.

 

[BWCA66]

I love fishing out of a canoe vs any other way. If I'm paddling I usually am trolling.

 

[Simuliumvenustum]

As a general approximation, when you go on a canoe trip—whether an overnighter or even a day trip—how often do you take fishing tackle along and actually use it?

The idea of this poll is to tease out how many serious fishermen vs. occasional fishermen vs. non-fishermen we have on the site.

I'm a never. When I was a boy, my grandfather used to take me fishing almost every summer day in Maine on a lake that seemed to have no fish except a very occasional yellow perch. Hours of nothingness. Hence, my impressionable young brain concluded early on that fishing was one of the most boring activities imaginable. Worse, I could not tolerate eating/picking tasteless yellow perch bone bags, which turned me off from eating most fish for the rest of my life.

A different lake coulda made a different me, I suppose.

I enjoy fishing as much as paddling a canoe, so combining the two activities is the best of both worlds. I probably bring my fishing gear 90% of the time when doing a day or evening paddle on a local water near my home in Massachusetts. On my paddling and camping excursions to backcountry waters in NY, VT, NH, or ME, I always bring fishing gear if the fishing season is open on the waterbody I visit. Purchasing a fishing license in the state I am visiting is an additional means of supporting the conservation and management of natural resources.

I don't always get the skunk, but I am better at fishing than catching, and small fish seem to be my forte.

.

 

[Jmharrick]

If I’m out alone, I almost always have a rod and reel with me. If the wife is with me, I’d say it’s 50/50. If my wife and young girls are with me, it’s never. It’s enough work to keep the canoe from going over with a 3 yr old and twin 2 yr olds in the boat.

 

[Gamma1214]

I missed this thread because I was in Ontario (fishing on a canoe trip). If I'm on the water, I have a couple of rods. I usually only fish a little at high-percentage spots but I always fish.

I bought the 3 year conservation license for fishing in Ontario so I'll have to make a few more trips North to justify the cost. (seems like as good of an excuse as any, right?)

 

[DougK]

some of my trips are primarily to go fishing.. with the family along, my wife's patience for me fishing has diminished over the years ;-) so typically will have fishing gear but not use it until in camp.