FC4 apron

[Ktrout]

This may have already been mentioned before, but there is a new (well at least I only recently found out about it) stripping apron for the fish cat 4. There use to be clips that attached the apron to the tube but now there are thin poles that get inserted into slots in the tube. Hard to describe but the apron sits higher up and has a raised edges all around it.
You can kind of see how it looks at:
http://www.cabelas.com/prod-1/0052633320290a.shtml
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[tubeN2]

Thanks for the heads up. That does look a little better than the original design.

I never did care for the apron that came with my FC4 when I got it 5 years ago. The clips were to flimsy and the apron would just be in the way of every thing.

I would definitely say that TubeDude came out with the best apron so far.

As for an improvement though, I would say that Outcast may finally be moving in the right direction.[cool]
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[TubeDude]

[cool][#0000ff]Outcast has replaced the wimpy and flimsy mesh apron with a wimpy and flimsy mesh apron with wimpy and flimsy corner supports to raise it up a bit. With firmer connections it would be a decent stripping basket...FOR FLY FLINGERS...but is terrible for those of us who need a rigid platform for controlling large fish, working with tackle, etc. I still prefer the rigid aprons made from plastic containers.[/#0000ff]
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[smallmouth89]

I steered a couple of fellows at my trout club into Fish Cats. Neither one uses the apron. I haven't checked it out but just from looking at it in pictures it appears too high for stripping purposes. Pat turned me on to Rubbermaid and I ain't looking back. I can strip on to it, use it like a T.V. tray (remember those things?) for my lunch and it makes a great work surface for working on tackle.
God Bless,
Don
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[flygoddess]

My pontoon didn't come with an apron....don't miss it at all, but I do have a basket to my left side for the line (fly Fishing) Which is a must.
The apron on my H3 and the Navigator II are both a must, and when I owned a SFC. But, again, as TD stated, I fly fish and I do need the apron for the line.
Never needed a lid, but I can see how spin or bait fishers might. I tie the flies on right in front of my face, and land the fish right in front of me with leaving them in the net most time as I do Catch and release.
Not always however, there are some fish that BEG for a picture[laugh]
If I plan on keeping ONE, I have a mesh bag on the side of my boat.
JUST ME, but I don't need or want a TABLE, but again that is JUST ME.
Besides, I eat Jerky straight from the bag LOL
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[Ktrout]

I agree that both the original and the new are not great. The original was terrible from my limited experience and the new one is probably only a little better. I heard it sits too high for you fly fishers and the edges are, like Pat said, very weak. There is no way it would hold a decent size fish, but it is a little better at holding a small tackle box while I fumble around.

Pat did you make yours? If so do you have a how to put it together post on it? You seem to have everything else you make well documented in posts so if you put one together I am betting you have it documented somewhere. []
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[SHigSpeed]

Here's what I did with my FC4 apron:





I lose the "rim" around the apron though, which may hinder the performance for fly fishing, but I had bass fishing in mind when I designed it. Wanted the rigidity over stripping performance.

_SHig
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[TubeDude]

[cool][#0000ff]I have experimented with many different models over the past few years. Here is a post I put up about one of the more recent models...turning the lid upside down to provide more of a "lip" around the edge to catch anything that tries to slide off.[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][url "http://www.bigfishtackle.com/cgi-bin/gforum/gforum.cgi?post=406040;#406040"]LINK TO POST[/url][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]I just helped LloydE install a new rigid apron on his new Fat Cat. It took some creativity, since with the new style apron there are no D rings on the top front to attach the front edges of any "retrofit" aprons. I will take some pictures on our fishing trip today to show how I used a PVC extension...with a hole and a big split ring...to provide a ring for attaching the apron.[/#0000ff]
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