Could someone please explain to me what difference the rod makes if you are trolling?  :question    I'm not a big fisherman, but I would at least like to grasp the thrust of what you guys are saying.  I mean, either way you got a lot of line out behind you and you hope some fish thinks it all looks like lunch shortly after you go paddling by.  Your rod is just sittling there passive while you are paddling.  I always thought trolling was less of an art form than the others--you are simply hoping something is there and is hungry enough to be fooled by what you guessed might look like lunch.  Trolling seems like a lot of guessing to this novice, comparing to the presentation skills required by the other methods.  So go ahead, enlighten me.  I admit I have zero knowledge in this area.

Also, I assume fishing from a canoe is not a good idea if you are a novice at both canoeing and fishing?  (Unless your gear and dry clothes are in camp and not in the boat, the weather/water are not too cold,  you stay fairly close to shore, and you were starting to stink anyhow!)  ;)