I have been lurking in these threads off and on for a few months trying to decide whether or not I wanted to get a float tube. Today I broke down and bought a White River Lost Lake Open Front Tube from BPS. They were on sale for $89.99
http://www.basspro.com/webapp/wcs/stores...5005000_175-5-0I read the BPS buyer reviews and thought it sounded like a decent buy for the $$. They also had the fatcat tube for $195 but I just couldn't bring myself to let go of that much $$ for my first tube. Especially since I had to also buy a pump and fins.
THAT SEEMS LIKE A LOT FOR THE FINS, MORE THAN HALF THE PRICE OF THE TUBE, BUT WORTH IT IF THEY WORK PERFECTLY FOR YOU. EXCHANGE THEM OUT IF NOT. THEY HAVE TO BE CONTINUOUSLY COMFORTABLE FOR MANY CONTINUOUS HOURS AND FLOAT OR TIED SOME WAY SO THEY DON'T GET LOST. NO FINS WILL NOT HAVE ENOUGH POWER TO GO AGAINST STRONG WIND, BUT THEY DO ALLOW POSITIONING WITH BOTH HANDS FREE. BEST TO STUDY WIND AND LOCATION CAREFULLY FOR WHAT HAPPENS IN WORST CASE, LOOK FOR ROUTES THAT DON'T FIGHT WIND WHILE FISHING OR THAT BLOCK WIND (USUALLY CLOSE TO BANKS IF THEY ARE DEEP) FOR YOUR RETURN. ANCHORING OUT OF THE WIND IN COMBINATION WITH FINS FOR POSITIONING MAY BE A POSSIBILITY, IF THE WIND IS NOT TOO STRONG. IF YOU ARE FF, YOU MUST HAVE SOMEPLACE SPOTTED WHERE WIND IS NOT A PROBLEM.
I bought the upgraded turbo thruster float tube fins since I read they were better than the basic ones.
http://www.basspro.com/webapp/wcs/stores...OSSSELL_PRODUCTAll together I laid out a little over $200.
I have an Ocean Kayak Drifter I use for fishing with conventional spinning gear and it works fine for that, but I haven't had much luck using it for fly fishing. Especially where I'll be this weekend. It's a man made lake on the Nueces river. Most of the lake is 20-25' deep with steep banks and has quite a bit of vegetation along the edges (lilly pads and overhanging trees). I tried fly fishing out of the kayak there before but with winds blowing me around and needing both hands to cast I was really getting frustrated trying to keep the kayak in place. I wound up catching several tree limbs on my backcast since the kayak would change positions constantly. If the water was shallower I would just beach the kayak and wade but it's not possible in this area. I'm hoping this float tube will allow me to use my feet(fins) to keep the tube in position and leave both hands free to cast. KAYAKS ARE NOT REALLY FISHING MACHINES, BUT CAN SOMETIMES BE USED FOR FISHING IF THINGS ARE JUST RIGHT. THE FLOAT TUBE SHOULD BE BETTER, UNLESS THE WIND IS VERY STRONG AND YOU CAN'T PADDLE HARD ENOUGH TO HOLD POSITION OR GET HOME. YOU SHOULD BE ABLE TO DO A CONTROLLED DRIFT WITH A FLOAT TUBE EVEN IN HIGH WINDS AND MAYBE STILL FF, WHICH IS BETTER THAN A KAYAK.
Any opinions on the tube I selected and/or my plan in general?
Any tips will also be appreciated! THE SQUARE BACK ON THE U TUBES WILL HAVE MORE RESISTANCE MAKING HEADWAY AGAINST WAVES AND WIND, SO TRY ROUTES THAT STAY OUT OF THE MIDDLE OF THE LAKE, AND ALLOW YOURSELF EXTRA TIME TO GET HOME.
JUST MY EXPERIENCE, MEANT TO HELP. OTHERS MAY DISAGREE OR BE OF GREATER HELP.
Thanks ahead for your help,
Steve
