Float tubes are extremely popular with anglers. And for very good reason. Float Tubes provide a wonderful way for a fisherman without a fly fishing boat to get on the water simply and with ease. In particular, float tubes in particular are excellent for lake fishing, both on your standard lake, small pond and up in the mountains some place. In short, the portability, features and affordability of float tubes make them an excellent buy for any angler who needs a boat for lake fishing.
Float tubes, for those who are not familiar with them, are essentially very fancy life jackets with a seat. You sit down in the provided seat and maneuver around by kicking (fins are included with all float tubes). Your body is generally half-way submerged in the tube, thus requiring the angler to wear waders in colder water. Since the angler is partially submerged, fly casting can be tricky at times, especially for beginners, as it is all to easy to have the line slap the water behind you during the backcast!
Float tubes are quite small and are meant for one angler only and are not designed for extended trips down lakes or rivers. Float tubes are also not best used in moving water.
Float tubes come in a wide choice of sizes and colors with countless little features that help keep all your fly fishing gear organized. In general, there are two types of float tubes - the traditional shape float tube and the pontoon type float tube.
The traditional float tube is generally round in shape with either a middle or front opening. The air chambers surround the angler. In essence, they are an inner tube with lots of other things built-in for fly fishing.
The drawback with traditional float tubes is that they can be very slow to maneuver. The round shape of the tube provides a lot of water resistance that must be overcome. As such, these float tubes can be tiring to maneuver around on large lakes or over the course of a long day.
To remedy this problem, the second, newer type of float tube was created. This type, the pontoon type float tube, does not have a traditional shape. Instead, it has two air chambers (called pontoons) that sit on the water on either side of the angler. These float tubes look much like miniature pontoon boats. The advantage pontoon type float tubes offer versus traditional float tubes is that they are much easier to move while in the water - the pontoons offer much less drag and resistance than the traditional designs do as the pontoons are shaped in a V hull that cuts through the water.
Finally, pontoon type float tubes also generally have a higher capacity than traditional float tubes do. All of these advantages, though, do come at a price. Pontoon type float tubes are generally more expensive than traditional float tubes - and are usually heavier, too.
Which float tube is right for you really depends on the features you want, the color you like and how much you can afford. Since pontoon type float tubes make moving in the water much easier, an angler is likely to be more satisfied with this type of float tube over time.
Fly Fishing: Float tubes were designed for fly fishing. Numerous pockets on the tubes allow a fisherman to take out lots of gear and keep it organized, although a fishing vest is also generally worn. They turn easily allowing an angler to cast in all directions without any problems.
Portability: Float tubes are extremely portable. Float tubes inflate easily and generally weigh less than twenty pounds - with some of them weighing substantially less. Float tubes also roll up and easily fit in a small trunk or can be carried in a backpack to reach remote lakes. For the angler who wants to fish remote backcountry lakes, float tubes are the ideal watercraft.
Whitewater and Rivers: Float tubes are not designed for whitewater. Some float tubes can be used for river fishing where there is no whitewater. However, when used for fly fishing rivers, an angler must be careful so as to not get their legs caught on underwater obstructions, such as rocks and downed timber.
Durability: Float tubes are very durable, at least the quality ones. While float tubes do puncture easier than quality rafts, since float tubes are not used in whitewater this is not a huge problem. They are also easily patched.
Paddling: "Paddling" a float tube involves kicking your legs. Fins are attached to your feet to provide more power. Float tubes are relatively easy to "paddle", but are quite slow. They have a large surface area and are slow to move. No matter how hard you kick, you can only go so fast in a float tube. And kicking all day can be quite tiring. The new pontoon type float tubes make kicking much easier and less tiring. If you will be fishing on a big lake or river, an inflatable kayak or pontoon type float tube is a much better boat to use than a traditional float tube.
Maneuverability:A Float tubes is quite maneuverable and very easy to turn around, if at times a bit slow.
Versatility: Float tubes were designed with one thing in mind: fly fishing on smaller waters, particularly lakes. For recreational floating, long expeditions on rivers, trips down rivers with whitewater or fishing on large lakes, a float tube is NOT the watercraft of choice.
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A Float Tube Memory...
It was an unusually hot, June day that had been quite windy early on. However, as evening approached, the 10-acre pond was perfectly flat.
The pond—only a five minute walk from the road, but surrounded by forest—was quiet except for the songs of wood thrush, veery and several warblers. My wife had come along with an extra float tube, but not for the fishing; she was there to cool off.
We launched our float tubes where the shore slopes gradually into deeper water. I instinctively kicked my flippers to move the tube along the west shoreline to a patch of cattails I knew from many past trips should hold some large pumpkinseed. Three false casts of my cork popper got enough of the line out to reach my target. The popper landed and sat undisturbed for two or three seconds, until a big pumpkinseed hit. Striking from the side, the fish then made a beeline for a patch of nearby cattails. My eight-foot bamboo rod curved into a pleasing arc and I hoped the tippet would hold.
The fish made several short runs before finally coming to the edge of my float tube. I quickly pulled the beautifully colored male pumpkinseed up on the apron and laid him against a ruler. Almost ten inches—a very nice start to the evening! Over the course of the next two hours, I caught many more eight-to-nine inch pumpkinseed. As my wife and I walked back to the truck, we were treated to a glorious sunset. What a great way to spend a hot, near-summer evening!
—Scott Cornett
