a canoe in the bay

[TDLewis]

I grew up fishing the bay and even running crab pots with a 17' coleman canoe. I remember surfing the canoe in on breaking waves after loading the canoe up with 5 crab pots (a storm was blowing in and we wanted to yank them before they washed away). Granted, this canoe was much more stable than one of those round bottomed aluminum ones. If you know what you are doing, and you have the right canoe, then I think you can safely fish from a canoe but I would not advise using one in a) cold water or b) areas with a lot of googans (i.e. clueless powerboaters). I would advise staying away from the BB in all seasons in a canoe.

Trev

[FishingRod]

Be prepared for the worst case scenario. How long does it take you to do a self rescue like in this video?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FHNu4q1Bsy4

What water temperatures do you plan on using the canoe? If you have to do a self-rescue in 40 degree water temps and you are not wearing a drysuit then you probably won't last long before you lose movement in your arms and legs and eventually die.

[Wild Bill]

Why not just forget the canoe and take up skishing? That way you are already in the water instead of being tossed there.

[NachoLibre]

While I agree that a canoe in the bay is not a great idea, I also think it's funny how some people here act like the bay is the Bering Sea.

BTW, the main reason I would never try a canoe out on the bay is because of so many clueless boaters. I've had people not see me in a 27' WA and can't imagine how dicey it would get in a canoe.

[dogbig]

Canoe...NO WAY. Ive got a 17' tiller steer carolina skiff and wont go out to the bridge. Even though that skiff is as stable as a boat can be, she stays in the rivers. i also have a canoe, and it stays in the creeks.

[Tom Hughes]

NO.

[TDLewis]

I think the real point is to know your limits and to know the limitations of your boat. If you even have a question, then you shouldn't attempt it, particularly in cold weather.

For what it is worth, the only canoe I ever flipped was when we were going down a waterfall at Harper's Ferry! I can honestly say I've never had a close call in a canoe other than that, but I grew up canoeing and definitely knew my way around them. My brother and I would practice "rolling" the canoe while treading water to empty it just in case we ever had to do it.

One last comment - my current canoe & kayak are both more seaworthy than a 16' Lowe semi-V I had...that thing just did not have enough freeboard. I took water over the bow (due to large wake here on the Severn) on that before. I since got rid of it and bought a 19' walk around so that I don't have to worry about wakes...!

[flycatcher]

In addition to all the good advice above, don't forget that the current can run pretty good, combine that with a stiff wind and you may have trouble getting where you want to go. Kayaks are generally paddled by a two bladed paddle with the occupant in the middle. Canoes have a single bladed paddle, often paddled from the stern. The canoe has a higher profile and the bow is more easily pushed around by the wind, especially if you paddle in the rear. Bottom line canoes require more work than kayaks to move through the water. If you've got one of those old plastic Coleman's with the aluminum tube framing, the bottom flexes with the wave action making them even less efficient to paddle. Save the Coast Guard and DNR a search and rescue mission.

[TomGlenBurnie]

Sir, with all due respect, twenty guys have said that you are taking your life, and that of your passenger, into danger.

Just to practice, you should put on a pfd, and try to swim in this frigid water, do it
someplace safe, where you can walk back to shore.

The cold is absolutely debilitating. There was a video on the maryland angler, about 3
weeks ago on this subject. Please, go find it, the gist of the video was that
the average guy is disabled in 15 minutes , and dead in 45 minutes.

I am not being disrespectful, listen to the other guys who said it was
too much risk, for too little payback...
tom granger

[TomGlenBurnie]

I went and looked up the video: it was posted on 1 -17 -2012, by j keeler the title was

" A must see, Your life could depend on this " best regards, tom granger