What do you recommend for a quiet fishing paddle?
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Happy Midnight Ride of Paul Revere (1775)! ⛪🕯️🕛🏇🏼
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- Thread starter Black_Fly
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Nessmuk used a ‘pudding stick’ basically a short one handed paddle. A little search and you should be able to find a little bit about it.
Jim
Jim
On calm waters, I have often used an old wooden ping pong paddle to skull with. I have a short piece of cord attached from the end of the handle up to my seat frame. I just make small skulling strokes and then let the paddle go without ever lifting it from the water. Silent, but effective. It's always floating right within reach, usually without even looking, as the line from the seat is easily located where it goes over the gunnel. I am always amazed at how efficient a ping pong paddle can be for boat control, regardless of how skinny the water. Best of all, it's a one handed paddle, so I never have to set a rod down. Silent.
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Not a paddle recommendation, but a stroke recommendation: a palm-rolled Indian stroke, wherein the paddle never leaves the water on the pull, correction or return. This can be done with any paddle, but most easily with a short, straight, narrow paddle.
Don't Google search "pudding stick".
Wow, people can destroy everything. Yes be sure to include Nessmuk if you search. Sorry about that.
Jim
Jim
I think a good ottertail will get the job done, it's quiet and lends itself to stealthy operation.
Brian
Brian
This search turns up the "Boys' Book of Canoeing and Sailing: Building and Rigging Sailcraft, Canoe Handling and Motor Boat Management" (1917 -- Nessmuk pudding sticks on p. 181). Sweet. And I definitely need one of these paddles.
Look for a finely made or custom paddle that has been crafted with very thin edges in the blade. The above mentioned "Indian stroke" is easily mastered with a palm roll, rotating the blade a half turn on each stroke, slicing the thin blade forward through the water during the underwater recovery before turning the blade into the power stroke. All smoothly done throughout and quiet without any splash, drip, or gurgle.
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Saw these in Ely Minnesota, don't know if they are any good or not, always thought I could make one.
No financial interest in Piragis, I always feel great if I can come out of their store without having bought anything. They do have a good bookstore upstairs. My friends in Ely call the place "Piranhas" they of course were born in Ely so,if you weren't you will always be a outsider no matter how long you have lived there.
No financial interest in Piragis, I always feel great if I can come out of their store without having bought anything. They do have a good bookstore upstairs. My friends in Ely call the place "Piranhas" they of course were born in Ely so,if you weren't you will always be a outsider no matter how long you have lived there.
Those scullers look like they could be rather easily home made
I'm not a fisherman so I don't know if there's something special about sculling with one arm while fishing, but sculling with one hand is quite easy with the paddle crooked in one's elbow and held at the paddle throat/blade transition -- especially, again, a short and light paddle with a narrow blade.
Can't resist a challenge. Honestly sorry I am so weak willed now. Curiosity killed the cat, blah, blah, blech!
You were warned.
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Thanks Mem, I'll take your word for it.
BF, I'd go with the indian stroke and whatever paddle you already own that allows you to do it well. Spend the money on more terminal tackle, rods, reels or just gas money to get to & from...
Hmmm. I have questions about this activity.
Like most things, technique is the answer. Skill and paddle more slowly. Eliminate the turbulence on the back side of the paddle. Trolling in a canoe is a highly successful technique for fishing everywhere. It works better than it should.
The Indian stroke is a great stroke and you will sneak up on more stuff when you use it, but it is not that relevant for fishing for me. When I'm trolling I don't think the sound of my paddle is affecting the fishing. When I'm not trolling I'm either fishing or paddling, I can't do both at the same time. While I'm fishing I usually just need one or two strokes, typically a sweep, to put my bow where I want it, or a couple forward strokes to move ahead a little. You can do a couple Indian strokes to move ahead but I don't think it is much better than some ordinary forward stokes done with some care to be quiet. The noises that concern me are the clunking from hitting a gunnel or just laying the paddle down in the boat.
When I'm fishing I try to take as few paddle strokes as possible, instead I let the breeze dictate where I fish. In fact lately my goal has been to push off from shore and lay my paddle down still dry and try to catch one without ever taking a stroke. I don't always get to fish the spots that I "think" hold the most fish, but I have caught a lot of fish in places that I wouldn't ordinarily target. When I fish I'm more motivated by "easy" than pressuring myself to catch something. I try not to let the fishing experience negatively affect the joy of the paddle.
When I'm fishing I try to take as few paddle strokes as possible, instead I let the breeze dictate where I fish. In fact lately my goal has been to push off from shore and lay my paddle down still dry and try to catch one without ever taking a stroke. I don't always get to fish the spots that I "think" hold the most fish, but I have caught a lot of fish in places that I wouldn't ordinarily target. When I fish I'm more motivated by "easy" than pressuring myself to catch something. I try not to let the fishing experience negatively affect the joy of the paddle.
I like to troll a line when traveling. Larger fish like good sized walleyes will hit a faster moving lure.
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