Muskies and Canoes
By Patricia Strutz

I grew up fishing out of a canoe and never liked it. That may surprise some of you. Most folks think my row trolling boat is similar to a canoe. It’s not; it’s closer to a big deep-V than to a canoe. It’s long and wide, very stable, offers lots of storage and room for fishing, and can hold up to a 10-horsepower motor. Canoes are narrow and tippy. Canoes get blown around in the wind. One can not cast—and certainly not stand—in a canoe. One could fish for panfish and perhaps bass out of them...but not muskies, right? That’s what I always thought.

Obviously, my early experiences with canoes were not happy ones. In fact, they were often cold and wet. I’ve tipped over and dumped my gear one too many times in frigid springtime waters. So, when Bill Plantan, owner of River Ridge Custom Canoe, invited me to “go musky fishing in his canoe” I was skeptical. But, he was persistent.

In the end, I was more than pleasantly surprised. Working our way down the Flambeau River we enjoyed an incredibly comfortable, roomy, and dry ride, breathtaking scenery, and were able to reach spots I could never get my big craft into. Oh, we also ended up catching a bunch of pike and several muskies. Hmmm....maybe all canoes aren’t equal?

Biggest Advantages

Canoes make nearly inaccessible waters accessible. Of course one can fish out of a canoe on a wide open lake, but, where they really shine is on a small river. For purposes of this piece, that’s where we’ll concentrate.

Having access to a small rivers opens up several positive musky opportunities. On high pressure days, riverine fish seem less affected by atmospheric shifts than lake abiding fish. On windy days riverbanks provide a buffer zone. Rivers generally receive less fishing pressure and some good spots might only be hit once per boat. Fishing below dams can be very productive. If one doesn’t have shore access, canoes can meander up and take advantage of these locations.

Current dwelling river fish are muscular, superb fighters. Even smaller muskies puts up a big battle.

What Makes a Canoe “Muskie Fisheable?”

It must be stable. Width affects stability; wider being more stable. Some are so stable you can actually stand and cast out of them (or fight a fish from an upright position if needed.) Narrow canoes are faster which is irrelevant for our purposes. The shape of the hull also determines stability. A relatively flat-bottom is most stable for fishing purposes. If you are dealt a narrow canoe, consider adding outriggers/stabilizing pontoons and foam flotation. A hull with added floatation materials is a good idea for any canoe.

A stable canoe allows the angler to quickly step out and wade into a shallow area to throw a couple of casts into an otherwise unreachable spot. General purpose or sport canoes are better suited for fishing than touring, racing, or whitewater models.

What about length? Before fishing with Plantan, I would have said 15-18 feet. His canoe was only 13 feet yet we easily fit everything into it. I guess it depends on how the craft is set up. Length and beam will determine the carrying capacity, which is always a consideration. Rocker, the amount the hull curves from bow to stern, slows hull speed and decreases the accommodation of large payloads. It is not critical for river hulls to be fast but they should have a little rocker for maneuverability.

The amount of freeboard, how much of the hull sits above the waterline, determines how much the wind will catch the canoe. This is more of a consideration on lakes than rivers. A keel, an external fin running along the bottom of the craft, helps control and steer, but there are differing opinions. Some folks feel only lake canoes should have a keel.

Square sterns allow for easy addition of a trolling motor. Electric motors are of paramount importance because they allow the anglers to slip with the current, hold steady, or go upstream when needed to re-work a spot or follow a hooked musky.

Weight is an important consideration. Keep it lightweight, especially if you’ll be portaging or transporting it. Aluminum is durable but very heavy. Wood is gorgeous, but very heavy. Composites of kevlar, fiberglass, or carbon fibers are extremely light, but more fragile. Plastic is sturdy but heavier than composite.

If you’ll be transporting the canoe, consider a quality roof rack for your vehicle, bow and stern tie-down lines, and a set of wheels to make getting your canoe to the water easier. Canoes have been portaged for many years with the aid of a neck thwart. The canoe goes over your head and the thwart is rested on your shoulders. Modern lightweight materials make this task even easier.

Other considerations and features of a good canoe for musky fishing include:

• Roomy enough to store musky gear.
• Comfortable swivel seats.
• Deep cycle battery; best if placed in the bow to balance the load.
• Wiring harnesses run through gunwale or other out of the way place.
• Rod holders clamped on in casting or trolling positions.
• Dedicated area for pre-rigged rods.
• Dry bags for storing whatever you need.
• When choosing gear, think: portable, telescoping/break down ability, flotation ability, and double-duty. Your old, short rods (6’-6’10”) work well in these close quarters.
• Portable depthfinders really only necessary if fishing on a lake.

These hot spots include:

• Deep holes. They have the highest concentration of fish (both forage and predators).

• Dissect the whole pool from different angles.

• Under hanging limbs or the shade of an undercut bank.

• Tight against banks, along rocky shorelines or near rip rap, around bends.

• Moving water: in whirlpools, below riffles, near backwater eddies or in neck down areas with heavy current.

• In long, relatively flat runs muskies will hide in sand grass. They’re generally not very active there. However, it doesn’t hurt to throw a soft plastic by them to try to entice an instinctual strike.

• Near fallen trees, behind boulders, or around any other barriers.

• Opportunities come and go quickly. A couple of fast casts into a deep hole and then you are downstream. You must search ahead for potential spots and grab a pre-rigged rod that holds the correct lure to match the upcoming structure.

• Don’t cast overhead. You risk snagging your partner or branches. Practice low, flat punches.

• Practice proficiency. One must hit the spot on your first cast.

• River muskies face into a current. Place your cast upstream and bring the lure back with the current.

• A buoyant, shallow running twitch bait (shallow diver) is mandatory.

• Other pre-rigged combos include clothespin spinnerbait, fast moving topwater, and a lure with a resilient lip to bang rocky bottoms.

• Steady retrieves. River fish are used to small windows of opportunity but need to be able to hone in on their prey. Erratic retrieves aren’t as effective.

• If there’s a deep pool located behind water that is too shallow to enter, secure your canoe above the area and wade into the water to access the pool from all angles.

• PFDs should be worn at all times - especially while casting from a canoe or getting in and out of the craft mid-stream.

• Plantan uses the general guide of traveling about a mile an hour down the river. He recommends visiting www.topozone.com as a great resource for mapping rivers.

River Ridge Custom Canoes
5865 River Ridge Ct. NE
Rochester MN 55906
Phone: 507-288-2750
www.riverridgecustomcanoes.com

Happy paddling!

River Ridge Custom Canoes are available factory direct. To find out more about the utmost fishing-canoe, call (507) 288-2750 and ask for a free brochure. You can also learn more about the company and their products by visiting www.riverridgecustomcanoes.com