Henry Rifle Forums

I went fishing yesterday. Of course the biggest slob bass got off of the hook just a mere foot from "landing" him in the canoe. The wounded one's went back in as soon as possible to give them the best chance of survival. Some hung around for photos and then went back home. It was a very successful outing.

My canoe is a 12 foot Radisson wide transom. I have a new 55 lbs thrust Endura Max MinnKota with a 36" shaft. The longer shaft allows me to stand and steer. Standing in a canoe is not a good idea, unless it's a Radisson or Sportspal. They are very stable once you get the hang of it. Standing allowed me to see much better and cast a lot better. The water needs to be fairly calm too. It was a mill pond yesterday.

The scenery was nice.









I know these are not the biggest, but they were fun to catch. Next time, after the season is open, they will be delicious.







I only used two lures yesterday. On a lighter action pole, I used a #2 silver Blue Fox. That got all three different types of fish. I used a medium heavy action with a larger "critter" soft plastic to get the larger bass. The critter took a good beating and finally had to be replaced. They have two tentacles that make it look like it swims. Rigged weedless is the way to go in the snag-o-matic ponds of our north country. I enjoyed the day. My new prescription Ray Ban's lenses are polarized, so I could really see down into the water when standing. It was about 80 - 85 f and the water temperature was just right. I even have a portable fish finder that tells me temp and depth. I didn't use it this time. Didn't need it because I knew it would be perfect and I had already used it to cover this pond before. The relaxation combined with the solitude was enough to recharge some tired batteries of mine.

Looks like a nice peaceful fishing experience, glad that you caught some fish and maybe next time you can catch the big one. Thank you for the nice photos.

Glad you got to reset and recharge. Looks like you had the whole pond to yourself. Great self portraits of the left hand. Nice of the fish to pose with you.

I tried standing up in a canoe once......tried is the key word. How about some pictures of the canoe out of the water?

nice .... beautiful setting .... in past years I've fished from a canoe but I'm not steady enough to do so now .... thanks for the pictures

That's my kind of R&R. In peaceful, quiet waters with a fishing pole on a beautiful spring day. Thanks for the pictures, Dave.

Awesome! A bad day of fishing is better than a good day at work! I too am a fisherman. Rivers mainly for smallmouth. Right now my solo canoe is sitting on the front porch waiting for me. I sold my tandem last fall. I want to replace it with a square back for my 4hp motor. I can tow this behind my camper.
I have a 17' outboard jet bassboat that I normally use but my little truck won't pull that with the camper on it.





I've got a 4 day float planned for next month. I can't wait.

Sir Henry wrote:I tried standing up in a canoe once......tried is the key word. How about some pictures of the canoe out of the water?

Here is the only one I could find on photobucket. I thought I had more. They must be on my hard drive. I'll keep looking.

This shows my night time nav lights.

Dave, you should check out a Kipawa prop for your trolling motor. I use a Gheenoe with a Minn Kota and a Kipawa prop. It gave me more speed and battery run time. Thanks for the great bass photos. With bass it's catch and release. With pan-fish it's catch and grease.

Travlin,

I had no idea what a Gheenoe was. I just spent about 20 blissful minutes looking into them. Wow, that is a great boat. Thanks for the heads up on the Kipawa prop too. I'll probably get one on your recommendation alone. I had never thought there was an after market for these things.
I looked at a propane powered outboard for my Radisson last fall. I didn't have the money then and don't now, but..................

Gheenoe = Canoe on steroids!

Nice Boat Dave!

Nice thread! Thank you.

Cate

DD, you are the man! A few years ago, my fishing buddy and I rolled our canoe and neither of us was even standing in it. All our gear, tackle boxes and wallets went to the bottom of a forty foot deep lake. Not to mention it was early April and the water was COLD! Guess our problem was we didn't have a nice canoe like yours. We just had a lousy 16-foot Alumacraft.

Dave, I bought my Gheenoe about 35 years ago. The ads for it used to show a guy standing up facing a-beam and shooting a shotgun. The boat is almost impossible to capsize. Mine is rated for a ten Hp. outboard but I like the quite of the electric motor.I have seen many deer and wild turkey while fishing within just a few miles of Tampa Fl. As you may have found out it was invented by a man that was tired of his canoe tipping and dumping all his gear.

I originally wanted my Radisson because it was as close as I could get to an Adirondack guide boat. I need to be able to load and unload it myself. I usually fish alone while the fiance hikes and climbs big mountains.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adirondack_guideboat

Then, I found it was so stable, lots of guys stand in it. It's rated for a 2 hp motor. I have a 2 hp motor based on a four cycle "weedwhacker" power head. It only has one speed, but is pretty good to get you there.

I wear a life vest if I plan to stand. I will only stand if it's pretty much a mill pond. It adds so much to the experience. I pack lots of gear, even if its just a few hours on a pond.

I have seen a lot of these AuSable River boats when fly fishing near Mio, Michigan. They are simply beautiful and seem to be a stable platform.

https://www.google.com/search?q=ausable ... s95CERM%3A

I've fished the Ausable but I've never seen anyone use one of those boats on it.

daytime dave wrote:I've fished the Ausable but I've never seen anyone use one of those boats on it.

We had a group of six guys who went up there every year for 30 years. At one time, two of our guys hired a guide and floated the main branch in one of those. They said it was a nice trip, but they didn't catch anything. I can usually accomplish the same thing just wading.

That's what I usually catch in the Ausable, nothing. lol

Yeah, I hear that. The number of trout we took out of that stream in all the years we fished there were not many. We went more for the get-away time. Fishing was just a by-product of the trip.

We started this because we had all been friends and several of the guys moved away due to job changes. One of the group used to live in Cadillac, Michigan and he knew a guy who owned a cabin on a lake between Mio and Greyling. No phone, no electricity, propane stove, refrigerator, and lights. We would spend a week up there every spring just to catch up and enjoy each other's company. After 30 years, we have not gone the last two years. I was the "baby" of the group and I am 63. Most of the guys are in their 70s and one has passed away. But, it sure was fun while it lasted.