I'm not trying to bash but I have always wondered why you fish a tube around here instead of a kayak? Any advantages? I just don't think I would want my body in some of that who knows what in the water in some these ponds.

Just wondering
Mutt

Lots of reasons why I'd rather tube than kayak, and these are just my personal preferences...

1) Cost, you can get a decent tube starting around $50-$60, hard to find a good yak for under $200
2) Ease of transport, tubes can easily be tossed in the bed of a truck, in the rear of an SUV, or even a car trunk, yaks require more tying down or a carry rack.
3) Stability, yaks are fast and fun but tipsy. Tubes are almost impossible to flip.
4) Ease of fishing, your feet keep your position while your hands do the fishing. In yaks, you've always got be switching from oar to rod (except in the foot powered hobie outback yak)
5) Lack of coordination of certain tubers, again this is my problem but I bought a yak last summer and could not stand the feeling...it was like I was fishing while riding a bicycle. Always trying to maintain my balance and keep from tipping made the experience very unenjoyable.
6) The critters are part of the fun. I've tubed for more than ten years now and have never had a close encounter with a dangerous critter, but just knowing that you are in such close proximity to mother nature adds something more to the experience.
7) Tubes are just comfortable all around, everything you need is at your fingertips and it's really nice to be in cool water during the summer.

Probably more than you wanted to know, and to be honest I spend most of my time in a bass buster now (which I consider the ultimate small water platform), but for me it's tubes over yaks hands down.

I've never been in a yak. But, I will have to go with what BigLeslie mentioned. All good points.

Maybe the yak would be a little better in the winter when we have to bulk up to keep our legs/feet warm.

not all kayaks are unstable. there are quite a few that you can stand up in. sounds like you might not of had the correct kayak for you BigL. i don't mean this in a bad way! i just bought a Malibu X-factor and even though i have yet to stand in it, (this weekend will be the first) many people who have this yak do. along with the ocena kayaks big game, prowler & the trident, just to mention a few.

to make my post even longer, i have a tube (selling it this weekend) but one of the main things i like the yak is it's easier to paddle into the wind than kicking a tube into it.

I agree, the yak I had was not exactly for the "big and tall" size. But since you've had both, would you say your yak is more stable than your tube?

i'd like to say yes but i think it's comparing apples to oranges (sorry for the old cliche). i've only had the yak out once, but i had no problem with it being tipsy. i did rent a tarpon 140 kayak last year and the x-factor is more stable than the tarpon. the tarpon was like my tube, my a$$ was always wet! (not so with the x).

i did like fishing out of my tube, but i have a lot more range with my yak.

I own both a hobie and a tube and I can say without hesitation that there are only two kinds of kayakers-
1. Those who have gone turtle (rolled their yak).
2. Those that will someday go turtle.

Tube- Limited range but great control when fishing, almost impossible to roll, can be a real son-of-a-gun to move very far against a strong wind.
Yak- Much greater range (3-4x the range, at least), less control when fishing, far easier to move against the wind, very possible to roll so if you like and want to keep your gear always lash it to the yak in some manner.

Both have their time and place and my choice of which to use is usually determined by how big a body of water I'm fishing and how far I feel I am going to travel, but I have to admit it feels really good to tube in swim trunks during the heat of summer.

All good points, the only thing I would add is I fish slower in a tube. That is a personal thing I know, but for me the tube is the way to go. I tend to get in too much of a hurry when I have the oppurtunity to do so ie . . . a boat or a yak. My tube won't allow me to do that.

Really though it all comes down to personal preference. I've had some great fishing trips in yaks, but I prefer the tube for all the reasons mentioned above and the speed thing.

If your soul belongs to the outdoors...it's like church

...plus if you're after the reaction bite; you can work the areas from lots of angles - I like to TX rig, with 20 lb Berkley and #5 gamakatsu - I like to displace the water with thick grubs,thick bodied worms with swimming tails, or critter type plastic baits.

I drop it right in their Living room and make it look available.

Not planning on going far in a Tube; Windy conditions ain't squat with the right flippers, holding steady, ridin' waves,

My $.02.

Issalllgoood.

If I could lash my tube to the yak and get where I wanna fish then get out and tube, I'd be ok. I feel the same about a boat, I'd use it to get to the place I wanted to fish and get out and tube.
I yak'd once and sure I could go far fast, but once I got there, I had to hang on to something with one hand and fish with the other. Didn't like that at all. I've been tubing for 15 or so years, and love it. I do it all year round. I've been in the water when it was single digits out.
There are plenty of places I can drive close enough to in order to get my tube out and fish. I catch some big fish by accident too. I caught a 40lb flathead in Nov from it, on a 10 ft noodle rod and 6lb test. Try that in a yak.

Sitting in our tubes at Gibbon's Creek, my pal and I would often catch a lot more crappie than the guys in their pricey bass boats. And it's nice and cool in the water.

When you get older you need to pee more often. In a tube no one will ever know what you're doing.

Sure is fun to nail a big one close enough to a $50k bass boat that they can see it, too!

been catching lots of fish @ grapevine...nuthin over 4, and several around 2, mornings till hot...buddies been fishing in the p.m.. with similar news.

I love my lifetime guarn'teed caddis round float tube -

I love #5 Gamakatsu worm hooks, yeah, I still use the Ugly stik
, my abu-garcia...

Hallelejeuh for the past 20 or so years of float tubn'.

bought a tube a few months ago. it feels nice and cool during a 100 degree day

hey Wylie Crappieman, where did you catch a 40lb flathead at?. here kitty kitty

Cheers
Mike

I too am a tube fisherman, but have been thinking of switching to a small inflatable pontoon, my thought is that I might get more speed than my tube but with the ability to have my feet still in the water I can keep the stability of the tube while in the wind.

Any thoughts?

Friends that have used both have always told me wind is a much bigger issue in a pontoon. Of course, you could use an anchor system much more easily in one if you chose to do so.

I recently picked up an inflatable canoe. I picked it up thinking it would be good for the kids when I was out in my tube. Later I got to thinkin' "Hmmmmmm. This thing covers a lot more water faster than I do with my flippers." I did a little experimentin' and discovered that I can indeed pull my beloved tube behind me and transfer easiy. Can leave extra gear in canoe and be footloose and fancy free in tube. Today I took a mental health day (ha ha) and went up to the grasslands and fished a smallish pond there. I had several goals one of which was to get to be friends with my canoe. I left the tube in the truck and took off in the canoe. With the cooler water temps I was curious how it would be to fish just from that. Did ok. (Actually it ROCKED!!!!! I caught a monster bass. Guess playin' hooky from work didn't mess up my fishing karma too bad) It was nice not to be wet all day. I just parked on moss beds when I wanted to stay put. I drifted along where the wind pushed me and really covered a lot of area that way. I guess an anchor would be helpful. Or a rope to tie onto snags or whatever. I paid forty bucks for the canoe and I am glad I got it. I've got waders for my tube and they're warm enough but there is something to be said for being on top of the water at times. By the way have any of you guys ever tubed the "lake" at Fort Richardson in Jacksboro? I know they won't let ya swim but I wasn't sure how tubing was classified. Good fishin'!

i have a fishcat pontoon for 200 if someone wants one. similar to this one for 599

http://www.outcastboats.com/outcastboats/boatpage.cfm?boatid=15

http://www.outcastboats.com/outcastboats/fishcatpontoons.shtml

Such a fine warm feeling when the water is a bit chilly.

My 8" inflatable pontoon has been sitting in the yard all summer from after a bad experience on a windy day at LOP. After watching a video of a pontoon with a small out board on it I am now entertaining ideas of trying to mount a battery and trolling motor on mine. Or, if I could possibley find one for a reasonable price, of of those old cruise n carry motors, which are basically a weed eater gas motor with a trolling motor prop.

On a windy day a pontoon is not worth a flip in the water. Trying to hold position with two oars even if you have a small anchor and handling a fishing pole is the pits. some people keep telling me to use flippers with a pontoon. I haven't tried it. One reason is that I try to keep my feet dry.

But if I can get some means of propulsion an still stay within the weight limit I think I will enjoy the boat more.

I've fished in both and I prefer the Kayak but the tube got me started. I have alot more range with a Kayak and I had trouble finding flippers that would fit my big feet. The one thing I did like about the tube is that when you hooked a fish you could fight it by peddling backwards and sometimes I say, "If I was only in my tube." The problem I had with a tube was that for some reason I kept getting leaks in it. It was fun while it lasted.

I had leaks in my tube also, what a pain. I made a styrafoam kick boat. No more leaks and I only get wet from the knee down.