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The pirogue's ability to maneuver in shallow, narrow waterways while carrying a considerable load makes it the perfect cram for waterfowlers hunting marshes and swamps for small-water anglers.

"IT LOOKS AS UNUSUAL AS ITS NAME -  This pointy-ended, flat-bottomed, low-gunwale is a cousin of the canoe. But for hunters and fishermen in the South, the strange craft called a pirogue can be the magic carpet that transports them to prime hunting and fishing sites.

The pirogue's ability to negotiate shallow, narrow waterways, coupled with the boat's light weight, load-carrying capacity, and ease of handling, makes it perfect for many outdoor situations an increasing numbers of outdoorsmen--waterfowlers and pond anglers in particular--are discovering just how useful these muscle-powered boats, used for centuries in the backwaters of southern Louisiana, can be.

Pirogue is a mutation of pirogua, the Carib Indian word for a dugout canoe. Today's pirogues trace their own origins back to those ancient dugouts fashioned from individual tree trunks. The pirogue--pronounced "PEE row" or "PIER ogg"--developed in the swamps and marshes of southern Louisiana, where resident Creoles and Cajuns improved on the Indian's dugout, first using lumber, then fiberglass.
A few Louisiana craftsmen continue to build wooden pirogues..

The pirogue's flat bottom means it draws little water, while the asymmetric shape, concave bottom design, and rocker fore and aft accentuate that characteristic by building a "bubble" of water beneath the moving boat. There's an old Cajun saying that goes, "A pirogue can float on a heavy dew," and that's not far from the truth Propelled by a paddle or pushpole, a prorogue can sip over water too shallow for a traditional canoe And because the boat has no keel, it can slide over logs and other obstacles that would cause a keeled, round-bottomed canoe to roll. Pirogues are amazingly stable for their size.

The pirogue's ability to traverse shallow water and narrow passages has made it a standard piece of equipment for Louisiana waterfowlers. Even when the boat is stuffed with decoys, guns, and other equipment, a pirogue can be paddled or poled to prime ponds isolated by expanses of marsh or swamp, inches-deep water, and narrow channels that would stymie other watercraft.

Though waterfowlers always have been the largest market for pirogues, increasing numbers of anglers are discovering the boat's usefulness on ponds, sloughs, bayous, and other protected waters.

A pirogue's light weight (a 14-foot one-man model weighs as little as 30 pounds and a two-man model only 15 pounds more) means they're a snap to handle and can easily be dragged to water not accessible by vehicle.  Purchase a little pull cart, (PULL CART)load your gear in the boat and take a hike to that little hidden lake.  That gives anglers a shot at using a boat to fish places otherwise off-limits, because of restricted bank access.

Those anglers discovering the advantages of the pirogue are simply the latest converts to this time tested craft.