The Weather Channel has it's Storm Stories and now we can share on Kelly's suggested Tube Fishing section, Tube Stories.

I lived in Keller when I fished Ray Bob alot from my 20-ft. center console but many times it was too wide to get into some of the best fishing areas (timbered) up lake, so I'd drag a tube along with me, tie the boat off and fish out of the tube.

This day it was lightly raining and I was in my tube with a rain pancho on that covered the tube. I had just landed a nice slot fish (7-lbs. est.) when a bass boat with two gentlemen in it rounded the corner and stopped. I turned around to face them and held the big bass up for them to see, then released it. The guy on the passenger side of the bass boat got up and grabbed his rod, said to his buddy "I gotta git me one o' those.", then stepped off the bow of the boat into about 12-feet of water.

I guess with my pancho covering the float tube, the guy thought I was wade fishing!

Biggest laugh I've had in a long, long time.

Moral of the story? Ask your buddy who is driving what the water depth is before making a move like that.

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[This message has been edited by redfin (edited 10-05-2003).]

First off...Redfin, you're trying to start trouble here, I can see that already! "Kelly's suggested Tube Section" LMAO....

My story is kind of the opposite, in that I was in the boat, and someone else was in the tube.

I was on J.Pool lake a few years back, when I had my 20 foot bass boat. I was cruising with the trolling motor out of Walnut Creek. I came to Lloyd Point, by the State Park area, and two guys are in tubes. I've got the big foot switches pegged, and am just steering the trolling motor when I see them.

They both look at me, and I give them a friendly wave. They ask if I'm catching any fish, and I comment, "Yeah, a few but the bites been tough". The first guy says 'Oh yeah? Did you catch any like this"? and he proceeds to lift his arm out of the water and has what looks to be an 8 or 9 lb. bass by the bottom lip.

I asked them if they wanted me to weigh it for them and they said yes, that they didn't have a scale.

In my haste to grap a scale and help them out, thinking the bass needed to be released as quickly as possible I head to the back of the boat and start looking thru the storage compartment for the scale. I'm in to my elbows in the compartment, when the boat suddenly stops, and I hear a solid CRACK! sound. I look up just in time to catch/grab/toss a big piece of timber and toss it off of me and over the side of the boat.

I'd forgotten to release the big foot switch, and when I went to the back of the boat, the boat just kept going straight ahead, until it his the timber and stopped. The tree broke, and came straight down on top of me! It was only about 3 inches in diameter, but it scared the bejezus outta me.

Moral of story: When moving to the back of the boat, ensure the trolling motor is not on "Constant"!

Well gentlemen, my most memorable moment in a tube and this is going to sound like bragging but would anybody expect anything less from a fisherman? I had an amazing day on Lake Nacogdoches a few years ago, not long after I got my first tube. I'd drifted a few yards from my buddy who was on a dock catfishing. I was on this point that is almost strait across the lake from the East side public boat ramp just a bit to the North of the swim area. (I don't get to Lake Nac much anymore so anybody who gets to fish it; I strongly encourage you to try this spot) I was throwing a black and blue lizard on a C-rigg one Friday afternoon, the jet skis were out in force and they were buzzing not 50 ft from my tube. I was just about to give up and join my buddy on the dock, when I got one of those solid thumps on my C-Rig I set the hook hard and almost right away my tube starting getting pulled the opposite direction, I cranked down harder, felt my drag slip a bit then the fish begrudgedly started heading in my direction. I didn't have any scales but when I measured her on the tube and she was just under 20� on the next cast same thing another bass about 18" inches, and then on then about two or three casts later another one close to 20� The jet ski jerks saw me catching these and I guess they couldn't resist coming in for an even closer look, they buzzed about 25 ft away, close enough to see my dirty look and the rattle trap I was pointing in their direction. I didn't catch anymore, but it sure was fun landing those in despite the jet skiers, I certainly don't get so worked up about the commotion in the water around me anymore, sometimes it might just "stir 'em up!"...Ron

Well, while we are telling fish stories let me tell you my best one. I was tube fishing a big bass tournament in 1980 at Lake Murvaul, and I saw a boat fisherman catch the winning fish that was 11 lbs. He won $40,000.00 About an hour later, I was fishing from my tube in the same area and got a bite on an 8" Mann's worm. The fish took off and I didn't have a chance to set the hook. The fish was short and looked like a football. It was about 23" long and 22 1/2" around. It weighed 10 lb 5 oz and won me 2nd place and $6000.00.
James