Wenonah Fusion 13' Foot Rudder

[Al Agnew]

Hmm...no doubt a bent shaft is more efficient at pure paddling, but when doing all the little course corrections and positioning, usually one handed, that you do while fishing, a bent shaft is much less efficient. It's the cat's meow for paddling from point A to point B, but I never saw a need for one float fishing.

A rudder would definitely help on a river when it's windy. It'll help the canoe resist turning in slower water in any kind of wind. On the other hand, it also definitely makes it more difficult to maneuver in faster water, and in some situations where there are current differentials, it makes things worse. For instance, you're drifting along in current and there is an eddy or just slower current to one side, and your front end drifts into that slower current, the canoe starts to turn, and the rudder sticking out there in the faster current makes it turn a LOT faster--when you don't want it to.

Overall...I wouldn't want a rudder for Ozark stream floating and fishing.

[MoSportsmen]

Al,

You are probably right about the rudder in OZ streams. The nice thing about a rudder though is they pop up in a flash if you do not want to use it. Pop it up when aproaching a riffel and drop it when entering a long streatch of frog water.

True also about a bent shaft for quick turning in an ozark stream. or positioning. I like a little one handed paddle for positioning while fishing, worth bringing IMHO.