Wow, Weeeee! A kindred spirit. Just stumbled into this post, but you sound like me. Nothing better than fly fishing out of a canoe. Mine is 13' home build more than 50 years ago. Transom on stern and is capable of carrying a 6 horse motor. I use trolling motor. Canoe is fiberglass with air pockets molded to sides for stability. Wife or I can stand up in it to free flies hung in low limbs. Love to fish the black water swamps/rivers in coastal SC, farm ponds, or creeks feeding lakes. (despise lake fishing for the traffic and lack of a nice shady place to sit back and enjoy fishing.

Nothing beats a fish fry with friends.

Here's a very old photo.

Bill

Couldn't agree more! Love to get out on a nice river, small lake or big pond.

Here's my grand daughter and myself trying to buck a headwind in my little 16' wood/canvas Cheeman. One of those windy days where we just got skunked.

Also have a 12' Raddison (real thin) aluminum transome canoe boat that I've managed to use a little 3hp motor on, but usually I use it for small, difficult places to get into and just paddle - it's an easy carry.

Unfortunately, mine is not an easy carry. It was the pattern for about ten others that were made, and was beefed up to insure it would be stable when the other hulls were molded around it. Lots of extra resin and fiberglass cloth.....solid as a rock, and about as heavy. But a great ride, and I can usually get into places and fish when the big boats are just looking at the nasty weather.

One thing I've learned to do over the course of my fly fishing years, is to fly cast setting down in the canoe. After a few "wet" experiences of trying to stand, something had to be done!

I can easily accurately cast 30' of line (+ leader) with ease, and since most fish I have ever caught (canoe or wading) have been within that range, sitting in the canoe is my style. Now I can cast further then the 30' sitting, but as you know the further the cast decreases the accuracy. What's more, with a long cast and a fish is on, a longer distance to bring him in.

I use two stadium seats on the canoe seats. They have spring loaded latches that fasten under the seat and hold them in place. I'm basically lazy, so sit unless I get a fly/lure hung in a tree, then will stand and hopefully be able to pull the limb down to untangle things. The back on the seat allows me to get a good deal of additional leverage on casting, be it fly rod or spinning rod. I have no idea how far I can cast, but usually just anchor a comfortable distance from the bank and work a section at a time along the bank. I'm getting anxious for some cooler weather so I can fish in comfort again.

Bill