04-06-2014, 11:42 AM
[#0000FF]Since I have been a "serious" float tuber for over 50 years, I have naturally been a part of many discussions on the advantages/di
vantages of boats vs tubes or toons. Everybody is entitled to their own opinions and they do vary widely. People enjoy different waters and different kinds of fishing so there is no one style that is best for everyone.
Howsomever...I have owned boats, pontoons and quite a few different makes and models of float tubes. And I should be at least marginally qualified to render an opinion on what works best for me.
I freely admit...to anybody who will listen...that a properly powered boat is a great advantage when you want to go faster, make longer runs, cover more water, troll at higher speeds for longer times, etc. And, there are a few types of fishing...like running and gunning down the shoreline with cranks or spinnerbaits...where having a well-appointed boat can work best.
There are definitely times and places when I truly wish I had a boat...but mostly for the "taxi" aspect of being able to load up my tube and rocket to some super far-off spot where I could then climb into my tube for the actual fishing. Most of the types of fishing I enjoy most are ideal for the slow and go stealth approach of float tubing.
With a decent sonar, a knowledge of the place and species I am fishing, using fins for hands-free fishing and properly timing my trips I am golden. The limitations of speed and distance require that I fish each spot more thoroughly and efficiently. I can't just blast off to the other side of the lake when it is slow. I have to figure out the pattern...and when I do, I usually do quite well, thank you.
That's why I find myself whining when fishing from a boat...especially when I know I am over fish but just can't work them as efficiently as I could from the tube. In a boat you are usually either anchored, drifting or relying on an electric motor to keep you in a specific spot. Definitely not the hands-free total control I maintain with my tube.
Whimper, whimper.
[/#0000FF]
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vantages of boats vs tubes or toons. Everybody is entitled to their own opinions and they do vary widely. People enjoy different waters and different kinds of fishing so there is no one style that is best for everyone.Howsomever...I have owned boats, pontoons and quite a few different makes and models of float tubes. And I should be at least marginally qualified to render an opinion on what works best for me.
I freely admit...to anybody who will listen...that a properly powered boat is a great advantage when you want to go faster, make longer runs, cover more water, troll at higher speeds for longer times, etc. And, there are a few types of fishing...like running and gunning down the shoreline with cranks or spinnerbaits...where having a well-appointed boat can work best.
There are definitely times and places when I truly wish I had a boat...but mostly for the "taxi" aspect of being able to load up my tube and rocket to some super far-off spot where I could then climb into my tube for the actual fishing. Most of the types of fishing I enjoy most are ideal for the slow and go stealth approach of float tubing.
With a decent sonar, a knowledge of the place and species I am fishing, using fins for hands-free fishing and properly timing my trips I am golden. The limitations of speed and distance require that I fish each spot more thoroughly and efficiently. I can't just blast off to the other side of the lake when it is slow. I have to figure out the pattern...and when I do, I usually do quite well, thank you.
That's why I find myself whining when fishing from a boat...especially when I know I am over fish but just can't work them as efficiently as I could from the tube. In a boat you are usually either anchored, drifting or relying on an electric motor to keep you in a specific spot. Definitely not the hands-free total control I maintain with my tube.
Whimper, whimper.
[/#0000FF]
[signature]