SESSION IN PROGRESS. PHOTO: BEN DUCHESNEY
CANOE HEALING GUIDING ON A DEEPER, MORE CONNECTED LEVEL
Last fall, I got the chance to tag along at a Heroes On The Wa- ter (HOW) event in upstate New York. While the veterans were out in the kayaks enjoying their day, one of the volunteers that had driven hundreds of miles to bring the veterans to the event mentioned she’d love to go fishing. There were no more kayaks, but there was a tandem canoe sitting idle. I said I’d be more than happy to take her out. I’ve enjoyed fishing from a canoe a handful of times; the way it
glides across the water without disturbing nearby fish is both serene and seriously effective. But while I geek out on the lastest and great- est fishing kayaks and their associated bells and whistles, I’ve tended to overlook the time-honored canoe. Sure, I’d rather paddle a canoe than stay on shore, but the craft wouldn’t cross my mind otherwise. I’ve guided a few friends and family members in the past, always
from kayaks. It was great for them to catch fish while I did my best to instruct them on both paddling and fishing technique, but I never thought much of how being in separate boats affected the teaching experience. That changed as I started paddling around the HOW volunteer.
I felt her weight shift with every cast as it ran through the hull, straight through me. Without looking, I could feel if she was casting
12 PADDLING MAGAZINE
too short or too long. I knew when she needed some help and when she could take care of herself. In the close confines the canoe offered, we were able to talk in hushed tones the whole time she fished; I was able to offer feed- back and she told me about fishing as a child. As the canoe glided through the backwaters of the pond, across lily pads and around rocks, the bright sun warmed the canoe under our bare feet and the wind finally laid down for the afternoon. Thankfully, the fish were also cooperative—I may not have gotten her into the biggest fish of the lake, but we caught a few nice ones. Back at the launch the other HOW volunteers thanked me for guiding her. “She never gets to relax,” they told me and, “She really needed some time for herself.” Time on the water turned out to be exactly what she needed and she thanked me for it. The Heroes On The Water back home in Massachusetts needs some
help, and I’ll be one of the many to lend a hand. And along with all the kayaks, there will be a canoe or two waiting on the shore, ready for any- one who’s looking for a truly connected student-guide fishing experience. Ben Duchesney is the web editor ofKayak Angler magazine. He’s cur-
rently flipping through Rapid Media’s 2014 Paddling Buyer’s Guide for a tandem canoe of his own.
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