Float Tubing 202 - California Fishing

cst · 12-02-2005, 12:10 PM

Float Tubing 202

This is the second article in my float tubing series. I will discuss higher end equipment and accessories you can add on to your float tube. If you are just starting to float tube, please read Float Tubing 101 .

Fins:

Your fins are the sole means of acceleration for most float tubers, so they should be of high quality. Two of the best fins are Hotspot Fins and Force Fins. Force Fins are oddly shaped, high tech fins developed by scuba divers. These fins give you great power and allow you to move quickly to and from your spot. One flaw in the design of these fins is the tendency to fall off of your feet if not worn properly. A cheap Kicker Keeper is insurance against such accidents. For just six dollars you can protect the $100 force fins. The fins buckle over your feet and around your heel while the Kicker Keeper is attached to your fins and your boot via Velcro. Also, neoprene wading shoes help not only to protect your waders but to protect your feet against the Force Fins. The other popular fins are the hotspot fins. These fins are of a more conventional shape and are more comfortable.

Pimp My Float Tube:

There are many modifications that can be done to a standard U shaped float tube. Some are sold at stores but the cheapest and most effective option is to make your own. They range from livewells to cup holders. In this section, I will give step by step instructions to aid you in making a few of these nifty gadgets.

Our first project will be a simple rod holder. The materials you will need are 1.5” in diameter PVC pipes, buckles, straps, PVC glue and a saw. Start off by cutting the PVC pipes into four or five equally sized pieces.

Next, place all but one of them, parallel, next to each other and glue them with your PVC glue. One word of advice, do all projects that require the use of PVC glue in a large open space because the fumes can become overwhelming. It takes about 10 minutes to bond and 24 hours to become usable.

After the 10 minutes pass, decide on which side of your tube the rod holder will be on, and the angle to put the last piece of PVC. This pipe will act as your drifting/trolling/mooching rod holder while the others will be used for nets, gaffs, or rods that aren’t in use. Once you are sure about the angle and the side of the last piece, glue it on to the rest then wait 10 minutes and glue it on again. Repeat this process a few times and apply the glue liberally to insure that it has bonded with the rest. This can be a pain because there is very little contact between the diagonal pip and the rest of the rod holders.

Once it has bonded, put the straps in one side of the rod holder and out the other, and then attach the buckles to the straps. Your rod holder is complete, during the end of inflating your tube, buckle the rod holder around your tube and inflate it the rest of the way. This should ensure a tight fit.

The next two conveniences are rather simple. The first one will cost you a maximum of three dollars. You will need a folding laundry basket, one pool noodle and 10 zip ties. First start off by zip tying the pool noodles on each side of the laundry basket. Then with the two left over zip ties, attach the laundry basket to the d-rings of your float tube. To remove it from your float tube, simply cut the 2 zip ties then put two more whenever needed. Voila, it’s as simple as that! Now that you can paddle to your favorite spot with your rods and bait, you need a place to keep a few of the fish you catch. This is an even simpler 99 cents solution. All you need is a laundry bag. Just tie it to a d-ring.

Misc Items:

A few items you may want to have are: Pliers, to cut line and remove fish hooks. A gaff incase you run into a big fish you may want to safely keep, a net for releasing short halibut or netting small and medium sized fish and a 100 yards of line to tie off to bouys or to anchor down with a 5lb rock cod weight.

cst · 12-02-2005, 12:11 PM

I was going to put pictures but my parents took my digi camera on a 1 month vacation so it will have to wait.

cst · 03-28-2006, 10:04 AM

thats right, thanks for reminding me. i'll get the pics soon.

El Kabong · 06-12-2006, 01:13 AM

Thank you, that was a very informative artical, I'm buying a floattube this week and I bet you saved me a bunch of bucks.
Jez I wish they had spell check on here

Wahoo! · 06-12-2006, 09:20 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by El Kabong

Thank you, that was a very informative artical, I'm buying a floattube this week and I bet you saved me a bunch of bucks.
Jez I wish they had spell check on here

If you're getting a tube, check out the Fish Cat by Outcast. I just bought one recently and it's great. You sit high in the water (only below my knees in the water) and the platform is very stable. It's also made out of heavier material than the other tubes in the pricerange. I paid $140 (not a sale price) for mine at a fly shop in the valley.

El Kabong · 06-12-2006, 10:41 AM

Thanks Wahoo, Just googled it looks great, That site was asking $299.00 for it so you got a pretty good deal. I found these http://losangeles.craigslist.org/boa/169079394.html on craigs list and will pick them up on Friday for $35.00 & $45 and will probilly sell one of them at cost here at hook-up.
Thanks again for the info

Wahoo! · 06-12-2006, 10:44 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by El Kabong

Thanks Wahoo, Just googled it looks great, That site was asking $299.00 for it so you got a pretty good deal. I found these http://losangeles.craigslist.org/boa/169079394.html on craigs list and will pick them up on Friday for $35.00 & $45 and will probilly sell one of them at cost here at hook-up.
Thanks again for the info

Very cool! Looks like you're getting a good deal.

The model I got was the Fish Cat 4. The upper models do cost $299 and are really nice! You can check it out here -

http://www.outcastboats.com/outcastb...cattubes.shtml

El Kabong · 06-12-2006, 11:56 AM

Very cool, If these don't work out I'll sell them both and get me one of those.
Thanks

vagabond · 09-09-2007, 12:24 AM

Yeah the Fish Cat 4 owns, you are hardly in the water and has room behind the seat for more crap like a cooler. $299 sounds like a lot though I got mine on Ebay for less... actually here is one I just found on there while checking.

http://cgi.ebay.com/Outcast-Fish-Cat...QQcmdZViewItem

NulodPBall · 09-09-2007, 08:42 AM

If you don't want a sharp pointed object on your inflateable float tube, you could try a cheap version of the Boga Grip. The better ones cost a hundred dollars...I saw a cheap one for six dollars...twenty five for an acceptable version.

FishSlayer · 09-09-2007, 11:49 AM

Chris, you forgot to mention the leaky waders and not having a spreader bar for the float tube...