Wild Northerner Magazine Fall 2018 | Page 16

Pushing the paddle for fish

BY SCOTT HADDOW

Wild Northerner staff

I’m no expert at anything, but I’m always learning. If there is one area in my outdoors skills set I feel I do have solid experience in, it is fishing from a canoe.

I’ve been doing it since I was a kid. It has been a massive passion of mine, especially the last decade or so, where I have spent a majority of my fishing time in a canoe.

I know a lot of people believe canoes are tippy. I see how they got that stigma. Not all canoes are created equal. With some research, one can find a good canoe for fishing. I researched and tried out canoes for 11 months before I pulled the trigger on a canoe.

I can recommend a Souris River Quetico 17. I have a carbon-tec version. It is light, tough and hands down the most balanced and stable canoe I have ever been in. (I have written about it before for the magazine.) I have used it since 2010 for fishing and it is one hell of a fishing machine. I’m not here to push one brand or the other on anyone. I would highly suggest doing extensive research on any boat before you buy it and test a bunch out. It takes time, but it is a wise move.

Here are a few other notes about canoe fishing from my observations which I find make it a thrilling experience every time out.