2004 Buyer’s Guide: Sporting
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anoeists can solo arrow-straight into a headwind, eddy out of class IV rapids, execute quick and efficient portages, and pull cheese soufflés from
reflector ovens. But ask us to catch a fish and we’re most often skunked. Our wilderness wanderings take us where brook trout,
walleye, char and grayling fin hungrily beneath the Kevlar. But clad in Gore-Tex and wielding bent shafts, canoeists see paddling as primary. Some flirt with fishing but their efforts are frivolous at best. It’s too often a case of fishing in the wrong place, at the wrong time, with inappropriate equipment. Adding fishing to the canoe tripping agenda is not dif-
ficult. On remote rivers or lakes, the right moves will pro- vide instant gratification. Afirst step is determining the type of fish to expect. Studying route descriptions and talking to outfitters or natural resources personnel help
Luring paddlers to FISH
sporting hunting
Your canoe is a ticket to angling paradise. Do you know what to do when you get there?
story & photo by James Smedley Acanoeist’s tackle box should include variety and still
slide easily into an outside pocket of a pack. Include a few diving minnow-shaped crank baits. Adjust the size to the fish you expect to catch—three to six inches in length will do for most situations. Include eigth-ounce to half-ounce jig heads and a fist
full of soft plastic twister tails. Scented tails in white, black, and chartreuse are effective with or without live bait. Throw in a selection of mid-sized spinners and a
couple silver and gold spoons. If pike are prevalent, a few steel leaders will prevent the loss of lures to these toothy predators. Remote systems often provide more fish than we
could possibly eat. Bending the barbs down on our hooks allows for gentle handling and quick release of most of what we catch. Organize the gear in a small plastic box, saving
A canoeist’s tackle box should slide easily into an outside pack pocket.
us to fine-tune our gear and ensure that the season is open and we’re properly licensed. Proven tackle will depend on the species holding in
our destination waters. Throughout Canada the most common choices oscillate between warm-water species like bass, pike, perch and walleye, and those who prefer colder water, like trout and char. Live bait is effective for both sets of species. Worms are
the lowest-maintenance, needing only to be kept cool in a small container of moss. Worms can be fished on their own, with a single hook weighted with split shot, or used to sweeten artificial lures.
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enough room for essentials like needle-nose pliers for unhooking fish, a fillet knife and Zip-loc bags for the fillets. Amedium-action five- or six-footer is a good all-pur-
pose rod for canoe tripping. Teamed with a mid-sized spinning reel holding about 100 metres of eight- to twelve-pound monofilament line, the unit should be able to handle most game fish encountered on inland lakes and rivers. Two-piece rods can be broken down and easi- ly stowed. Afew short lengths of small-diameter shock cord attach rods securely to thwarts and seats during portages or when running whitewater. Even in the most prolific waters, fish are not every-
where and we must learn to recognize where to concen- trate our efforts. In rivers, the base of falls and rapids point to the most obvious haunts. Oxygen-rich waters churn in deep holes and most species will hold some- where within the pool. Bends in the river can also mean
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