Float Tube/Fishing Machine

[smallmouth89]

[black]To consider the efficiency of a modern float tube compare it to a multi-thousand dollar bass boat:

Swivel seats.... We got 'em. Only advantage they have is higher seating position for spotting structure and perhaps fish.

Foot contolled trolling motor........We got that two and it doesn't drain our battery.

Fish finder.........Got that two with a much lighter portable battery that is totally sealed against leakage.

Padded carpet for sound insulation. Who needs it? It probably doesn't do much more than turn a "bang" into a "thud".

100 plus hp engine. Our engine doesn't go as fast but then again we don't go whipping right past potential hotspots and with the price of gas our engine couldn't be more efficient. Plus our engine doesn't pollute and is actually beneficial to our health.

So we have to wear waders instead of "Bass Pro" jump suits. They probably get wetter than we do. I'd rather get fish slime on my waders than on one of those designer jump suits.

Onboard storage......well we have to concede something so that they will feel good about the thousands of dollars they have spent.

Vessel Storage ........ I hang my tubes in the basement for free. I'd like to see them try that with one of their boats.

Portability ......... my tube fits in my vehicle. I don't have to be concerned with trailers, plates, trailer lights etc.

I don't know I think were definitely on to something here. Here's a scary thought what if all the beer drinking "bubbas" traded their bassboats for tubes? Maybe we should have kept our old donuts to sell to them. We don't want them levelling the playing field. I enjoy having the edge and I know you do too!

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[TubeDude]

[cool][#0000ff]I like the way you think. A man after my own heart (tube).[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]I have been preaching the advantages of "floatation fishing" for a whole lotta years. I have spent enough time fishing from motorized bass sleds to know and appreciate the differences. As you point out, high powered bass boats provide speed and distance over tubes and toons. After that, there are lots of arguments in favor of the "other side", as you so eloquently point out.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]I think that the biggest divantage of tubing is also the biggest advantage. By not being able to kick in the hydroblasters and rocket all over the lake, tubers are forced to fish more water...more methodically. That slow and attentive fishing helps you to learn more and to make more presentations to more fish. Nothing like being "up close and personal"...in stealth mode...to create a total experience and to really put you in touch with "reality".[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]But, if you give up your bass boat you're gonna miss those big payments, high insurance, costly maintenance, launching and dock fees, towing problems, storage expenses...and a bajillion other ways that being a boat owner cuts into your "net spendable". Seems hardly worth the sacrifice. Yeah...right.[/#0000ff]
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[Fishhound]

[black][size 3]Hey smallmouth89,[/size][/black]
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[black][size 3]Not too much argument here. I have a boat(not a bass boat) and a tube. However, to add a few things, here's some of my observations along that track of thought.[/size][/black]
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[black][size 3]Swivel seats. I can carry my seat to many remote lakes that o not allow boats or motors. Yes, they sit higher, but on some lakes, they can't sit at all. And my tube weighs less and is easier to move than their swivel seat[/size][/black]
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[black][size 3]Trolling motors. They can troll faster, but we can troll where they don't dare or are not allowed.[/size][/black]
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[black][size 3]Fish Finder. I can use the same battery and fish finder on my tube as I do in my boat. I also do not have to worry about electronic interference from other electrical devices on my water craft.[/size][/black]
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[black][size 3]Sound insulation. My tube makes no noise to insulate. Carpet in my boat attracts hooks and won't give them back without a fight or potential injury.[/size][/black]
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[black][size 3]Engine. The propulsion on my tube is absolutely quite.[/size][/black]
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[black][size 3]Attire. I would much rather wear slimmy old waders than a Jump suit or an ugly billboard that clearly announces a complete disconnect with what fishing is all about.[/size][/black]
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[black][size 3]Storage. With just the minimum of planning, there is ample storage on my tube for rods and tackle virtually any fishing experience I want to have.[/size][/black]
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[black][size 3]Vessel storage. My tube fits nicely in a backpack or on my wall in the living room. Winter storage is a breeze.[/size][/black]
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[black][size 3]Portability. I can pick up my tube with one hand or carry it by myself for a couple of miles to access remote fishing spots and just about any vehicle wll get my tube to the fishing area.[/size][/black]
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[black][size 3]Vessel additional costs. It would only cost about $150 for my tube - not $15,000-$50,000 for an upgrade or a complete replacement. Their insurance deductible, yearly premium, yearly fuel bill and/or monthly payment is more than what I have invested in my tube. Tube repairs are easier and cheaper than fixing the tires on a boat trailer.[/size][/black]
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[black][size 3]Pre-fishing preparation. It takes 1/10 of the time to prepare for fishing on my tube as it does for a boat.[/size][/black]
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[black][size 3]Launching. I can launch or take out virtually anywhere there is water - regardless of crowds and idiots.[/size][/black]
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[size 3][black]Beer. I have yet to know anyone(Bubbas included) that has ever gotten a "Tubing Under the Influence citation. I have also enjoyed a beer while tubing right in front of the local authorities and was not even looked at or questioned. [/black][/size]
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[zonker]

You guys make a compelling case.

[cool]Maybe we need to start a "private" section in which to talk about this stuff. If too many guys get wind of all the advantages, they're liable to overrun us. I can imagine it now... All the car lots in town full of bass boats for sale for pennies on the dollar. Long lines at Sportsman's Warehouse, Cabelas, and other places as former bubbas wait in line for a ticket to purchase a float tube - any tube at all - just something to get them started. PVC shortages at Home Depot stores across the country. Outcast, Buck's Bags, Creek Company, all new members of the Fortune 500. Wader shortages, long lines at the air stations, swim fin prices going through the roof. Dive shops open 24/7 to fill flipper orders. "Blast off" at the tournament is changed to "Kick Off." No roar. No wake. No rooster tails. No hats snatched off heads as they move from 0 to 60. Just a steady kick, kick, kick as they enjoy their surroundings. Then the worst of all. Many more fish caught and released. Fish get smarter as a result. Harder for us to catch them... Hmm. Maybe we oughta quit talking about this stuff and leave well enough alone.

z~

P.S. Actually, all of this is already going on down in the Sacramento Delta in California. All Bass. All Tubes/toons. Pic on the right is a tourney. They're onto us.


[url "http://www.bass-n-tubes.com/"]http://www.bass-n-tubes.com[/url]

[url "http://www.bass-n-tubes.com/tourney%20rules.html"]Tournament Rules[/url]
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[TubeDude]

[cool][#0000ff]That bass fishing tube club has been around for some time. They are highly organized and have some good tournaments.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]One negative aspect of all the positive stuff you mentioned...the marinas on many lakes are going to fold up if they can't sell more of that high priced petrol...or dock space, etc.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Too bad.[/#0000ff]
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[smallmouth89]

Hey Tube,

Look what you started! Good stuff.

Dave,

Your "revolution" is hilarious.

Et all,

Great minds think alike!

Now a question for you..............

What is the definitive explanation for the term "bubba"?
[inline "Tournament Flytuber.gif"]
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[zonker]

Get real, guys. You can't catch big fish from one of those cheapo dinky floating donuts. Ya gotta have a $40,000 bass boat!


(Somoma County Belly Boat Bass Club record fish.) 11.82 lbs., 7.19 lbs.

[url "http://www.scbbbc.com/bigbass.html"]SCBBBC[/url]

z~
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[zonker]

Don,

That wouldn't be a self portrait, would it? Naw!

Here is an article that will let you know that others have discovered this issue, too.

[url "http://sports.espn.go.com/outdoors/tv/news/story?page=g_tv_BASS_Insider_Cover-Story2"]Budget Bassin'[/url]

z~
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[smallmouth89]

Oh, oh! Good thing the article only shows a doughnut. That should eliminate some of the claustrophobic guys. Maybe we should be weighing in on the negatives of our chosen affliction. I'm not sure our economies can take the hit of a major shift in bass fishing tactics. The banks will suffer without all those long term payments, the insurance companies will take a hit and the poor overburdened oil companies will really feel the pinch when we switch from horsepower to leg power. (Speaking of legpower how 'bout some how to tutorials on a PVC framed trailer for towing the tube with your mountainbike?)

Anyway, ignore everything I said earlier. My tube is pitiful. It doesn't have a decent livewell. I can't get it up on plane. I can't make it do double duty by pulling a water-skier. The list of deficiencies goes on and on.

So guys let's help the economy. Remortgage the house and get yourself a "bubba/bass" boat.
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[zonker]

[reply]
Speaking of legpower how 'bout some how to tutorials on a PVC framed trailer for towing the tube with your mountainbike?
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Now that you mention it, I've been eyeballing a 360 acre hike in lake that is 2 miles off the trail head (uphill, of course) that is supposed to have some excellent fishing for larger trout. Its listed as one of the top lakes in Oregon. I've thought of walking, but the SFC would probably be kinda heavy once I added fins, tackle, rods, etc. I've also thought of the mountain bike idea. Hmm. PVC trailer...? Is there no end to the obsession?

z~
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[TubeDude]

[cool][#0000ff]"Bubba" is a catchall term of greeting between GOBs (Good Ol' Boys). It is a mush-mouth version of "brother"...maybe originating from young kids unable to pronounce it. More likely derived from the effects of too much moonshine and too few teeth. (Can you hear the sound of "Dueling Banjos" in the background?? [/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Kinda like "Homes" or "Homie" is used amongs inner city gangbangers, as an abbreviation for "home-boy"...recognizing fellow gangbangers from the same hometown or neighborhood.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Does that 'splain it clear 'nuff, Bubba?[/#0000ff]
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[TubeDude]

[cool][#0000ff]Nice fish, and all that, but how can you have any respect for the grinning dude holding them?[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]1. He gots a lot of sticks, but no PVC holders.[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]2. He don't gots sonar. [/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]3. His craft is too small and underinflated.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Just think what he could do in a REAL tricked out tube.[/#0000ff]
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[smallmouth89]

Thanks for the enlightenment Tubebub er...... TubeDude!
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[smallmouth89]

I was just thinking if all the GOBs aka "bubbas" and the SOBs in their tube buzzing jetskis traded in their craft for tubes we'd have to come up with a new craft to stay ahead of them. How much sealed air-filled PVC do you think it would take to make a viable stealth fishing craft?
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[TubeDude]

[cool][#0000ff]Now dang it. Cut that out. All that cipherin' makes my head ache.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]It would take as much as it takes.[/#0000ff]
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