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Jesse's Hunting > Fishing Articles > Fishing Articles Archives > First Timer Fishes From a Float Tube
First Timer Fishes From a Float Tube
David Blake - JHO ProStaff
- Southern CA
November 02, 2004
I got a message from Fritz Schmitt about fishing in the Double Haul fly-fishing tournament in September. This would be a great idea except for the fact that I had never been to Crowley Lake before, or fished from a float tube. I quickly sent a message back saying “Sounds like a great idea to me!”
Since I didn't have a float tube, I ordered one from Cabela's. I got what looked like the biggest one they had to make sure it would float my big butt. I also got some fins that I would later find out were woefully inadequate.
When the float tube arrived I took the time to assemble it in my living room so that I could transport it to the lake in one piece and not have to put it together on the lakeshore. This turned out to be a great idea because we didn't have a lot of time to gear up before the tournament. One thing that helped the inflation process was a double action pump. These pump air on both the up and down stroke cutting the inflation time in half. I also found that it is easier to slide the air bladders in the float tube if they are under inflated. After inserting them in their pockets, it was easiest to finish inflating the bladders with my mouth.
On the lakeshore I was presented with the problem of getting in the tube. The edge of the lake was very muddy so my fins got stuck with each step. While I was struggling with this problem, Fritz came down to the lake with fins in hand, walked into the water and put them on in the water. I said “Ah Ha” and did the same.
Once I got my fins on it was easy to step backwards into the float tube and sit down.
Though the battle of getting in the tube was won, the war with wind and wave was just beginning. Almost as soon as I got in the water the wind started to kick up, blowing me away from my truck. It wasn't very strong at first, so I wasn't too concerned. I learned very quickly, however; if you aren't paying attention even a slight breeze will turn you around and blow you down the lake.
Multitasking is a necessity when using a float tube. I found that when I had to change flies I tended to stop kicking into the wind, so I would get farther away from the truck. An anchor would be a good thing to have in this situation.
Since the wind was active, I was using a streamer. This type of fishing requires that the streamer be trolled behind the tube while the fisherman kicks against the wind. The strikes from the two rainbow trout I caught were not difficult to feel.
Landing a fish in a float tube can pose a problem if you don't have a net that is long enough. I bought a long handled net from Bass Pro Shops that made landing fish much easier. Having the extra reach was nice. It allowed me to land the fish without bringing it too close to the tube, avoiding snags with zippers and straps.
At about 10:30 the judges’ boat came by and told me that they were ending the tournament early because of high winds. I had been struggling against some strong gusts for about an hour, so this wasn't a huge surprise.
The strong wind gusts had me kicking a lot more than fishing. I kept spinning around and having to redirect my back to the wind. To do this I found that keeping my fins directly under me and kicking in small circular motions was fairly effective. The fact that the fins I had bought were cheap and ineffective made keeping my back to the wind more difficult than it had to be. I had purchased the cheaper fins to save some money, but realized after I began using them that they were not going to get me where I wanted to go. Fritz had a nice pair of scuba fins and was able to kick against the wind quite effectively.
When 11:00 rolled around and the winds had reached their highest pitch of the day, I realized that despite my best exhausted efforts I was not making any progress toward the truck. I ended up farther away than I should have been. The comical ending to a very fun and exhausting day came when I signaled for the judges boat and asked for a tow back to the truck. It was more fun than Disneyland.
Gear Used
Trout Unlimited Kennebec float tube
9-foot 4wt Penn Gold Medal fly rod
Orvis DXR 5/6-wt reel
Hodgeman Breathable chest waders
Maui Jim Typhoon Polarized sunglasses
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