Great tips on canoe fishing, with Perk Perkins

I did a podcast a few weeks ago that was billed as a canoe and kayak podcast but my guest and I spent a lot of time on Kayaks and not much on canoes. Some of you took me to task and asked for more information on fly fishing from canoes, so I asked retired president and CEO of Orvis, Perk Perkins [49:06], to share his tips with us. Perk fishes from a canoe more than anyone else I know, and has been using these craft all his life. He gives us some great tips on making fly fishing from a canoe more fun and productive.

In the fly box this week, we have some fascinating questions from listeners, including:

Should l I use a double taper or weight forward line on my small stream rod?

If you fish barbless dry flies with a dry/dropper rig, won't the knot slip off the hook?

What can I do to lessen my shoulder involvement in casting?

I have severe arthritis in my right shoulder. Should I learn to cast left-handed?

Do tippet rings make tying on a dropper less fussy? Won't the fish see a tippet ring?

What is your opinion on attractor patterns?

What do you think of UV resins and tying materials?

If I want to fish a leader with a light butt section, what diameter should the permanent loop be on my fly line? The permanent loop on my fly line got damaged.

My fly line says "cold to moderate temperatures". Can I also use this line for fishing for bass during the summer?

Do flies need to be perfect and symmetrical? I

s road kill of any use in fly tying?

We were catching hickory shad on spoons we made using Krystal Flash and UV resin. People told us we weren't fly fishing.

What's your take on flies that aren't really "flies"?

How are fly rods most often broken?

What rod do I need to make my mono rig work better?

I see many color variations in pre-made dubbing blends, for instance one March Brown dubbing is brown and another one is light tan. Do insects vary in color? Does color even make a difference?