Float tubes offer fishing stealth

June 2, 2009 by admin

Having seen baitfish fleeing beneath an overhanging shoreline bush you kick your feet a couple times to push closer to the bank. With a flick of your wrist you land a floating minnow-shaped plug under the bush and then wait a few moments for things to settle. Before you twitch the plug something devours it on the surface.
The bass, although not huge, puts a up a gallant fight and even manages to spin you a bit in your one-man inflatable boat. The action has been good, you have to pond to yourself, and the water around you feels great on a mid-June afternoon. Could there be a more enjoyable way to spend a summer day?
Float tubes, also called belly boats, provide great access to small lakes and gentle rivers. Deflated, the fit in virtually any car’s trunk, and most weigh less than 10 pounds, which makes it practical to tote down the water virtually anywhere.
Tubes also allow you to approach fish very quietly and to maintain a low profile. In streams, the current does much of the work, and you often can sort of walk along the bottom as the current carries you. Add fins (like scuba fins) to your feet for lake fishing, and you can move yourself along easily.
You can use a float tube on any lake, but they are definitely the most conductive to small waters that don’t tend to get terribly choppy from wind and don’t get a lot of power-boat traffic. Where they really shine, of course, is in small waterways that don’t have formal access.
For river fishing, you can use float tubes in a couple different ways. One is to do a point-to-point float, with two or more anglers and a vehicle at each end. A couple miles is typically plenty far if you plan to fish pretty hard. The other option is to wade-fish a mostly shallow section of a larger stream – getting in and out at the same point – and use the tube mostly for security and occasionally for getting across deep pockets.
Adding appeal, float tubes are about the least expensive boats that you can buy. Mine, a White River Fly Shop Lost Lake Open-Front, sells for less than $75 from Bass Pro Shops, and it’s a well-made, U-shaped tube that is nicely set up for fishing, with pockets and loops and such. Tubes probably average about $100.
For still-water fishing, you’ll also need a pair of fins, which you can pick up for $30 or $40. If you’ll be carrying your tube in a car trunk and will need to deflate it between uses, you’ll also need a pump. Double-action pumps run about $20.
Float tubes are not designed for white-water use or even for floating swift streams that don’t have true rapids. While fine for gentle streams and completely stable in flat water, they can flip fairly easily in rapids or from strainers, and upside down in a float tube, with your head bouncing off rocks, is a very bad place to be.
While all are commonly called float tubes, not all belly boats are shaped like traditional inner tubes. Many are instead U-shaped or V-shaped, and a few ride on small pontoons.
The nontraditional designs are more stable than round boats, and much easier to get in and out of – both advantageous for river fishing. Often it’s nice to beach a float tube or tie it off and thoroughly wade-fish a shallow river section.
If you only intend to fish lakes, however, round boats glide a bit easier in the water than tubes with other designs. They also tend to be a bit lighter and more compact and are generally less expensive.
Beyond shape, another important consideration is the level of the seat. Float tubes that position anglers out of the water proved a casting and fish-spotting advantage and are best for sliding over shallow sections of rivers. Lower seating, however, allows for easier maneuvering and more power with fins. (Plus sitting in the lake feels really good in the middle of the summer!)
Other important factors, which can vary from boat to boat, include the thickness of the bladder material, the number of air bladders, the toughness of the outer-layer material, and the warranty offered by the manufacturer. Manufacturers also may offer incentives, like free fins or a pump with the purchase of a tube, which certainly can affect a buying decision.
Finally, look at practical things like the size and placement of pockets and D-rings, plus extras like fly-drying patches and ruler markings on the stripping skirt. Consider how you like to fish and pick a tube that is set up accordingly.
To begin shopping for float tubes, log onto www.basspro.com.