Horror Stories

I was just wondering what kind of horror stories/close calls/disasters you guys encountered on your tube or toon?

For me, one morning, just after I launched my toon, I heard a faint hissing sound. Narrowed it down to be in the front of my left pontoon bladder, but it was a slow leak, so I wasnt too concerned at the time. I had my hand pump stowed on my battery deck, no problem right?

Well, about 30 min later, the left bladder began to look and feel soft. By this time, I was about 150 yards from the boat ramp. Good thing I was hugging the shoreline, I pull up to the nearest beach, unzipped the cover of the bladder and found a tear on the seam about an inch long!
As much as I pumped air it would leak out almost as fast. I didnt have a patch kit. I only had chewing gum, and a strap that I used to secure my trolling battery.

I used the gum to put over the tear, balled up the area of the bladder that was leaking (luckily it was about 4 inches from the tip of the bladder), and used the strap to cinch it down and cover that tear as best as i could. This didnt stop the leak, but it slowed it down. Before I came up with this solution,  I would fill the bladder, get back in, and would only be able to move about 20 ft, before the bladder was so low that the rear left portion of my frame was submerged. The rear was where all the weight was, trolling motor/battery.

Another time, I left my oars in my vehicle, and my battery died. I did not have fins on either. Windy day. I got to about 200 ft from the ramp before my battery completely died on me. I had to kick as best as i could with my wader boots but the wind blew me onto a very muddy part of the shore, about 100 ft from the ramp (and not so muddy bottom). Had to walk my toon in mud that sank me close the top of my boots.
I was drifting into boats that were anchored and people were cursing me out, thinking i was messing with them..lol

chewing gum! dam that's clever! Mcguyver shiieaat right there!

wiseguy wrote:chewing gum! dam that's clever! Mcguyver shiieaat right there!

 Desperate time calls for whatever you can think up on the fly, beside pissing and pooping in your pants/shorts.

The worst of it all was sitting in my Caddis Nevada, and heard a loud *POP* as I was launching from the Bernasconi side of Lake Perris. Turned around, thought my bladder got snagged and was leaking air. Nope. A freaking snake just swam by my float, possibly attached the air bladder, and swam away from the back side to right in front of me. I nearly had a my heart leaped out of my chest, out of my mouth, and swam for shore on its own.

wiseguy wrote:chewing gum! dam that's clever! Mcguyver shiieaat right there!

I used my chewing gum because I didnt have my swiss army knife and paperclip. lol..jk
All I used the chewing gum for was to fill in the tear, and by balling up that area, it helped the chewing gum from getting loose from the tear, and the strap held everything in place.

TheAsianGuy wrote:
The worst of it all was sitting in my Caddis Nevada, and heard a loud *POP* as I was launching from the Bernasconi side of Lake Perris. Turned around, thought my bladder got snagged and was leaking air. Nope. A freaking snake just swam by my float, possibly attached the air bladder, and swam away from the back side to right in front of me. I nearly had a my heart leaped out of my chest, out of my mouth, and swam for shore on its own.

Hahah...I had a snake swim up to us in a rental pontoon. Dang thing wanted to get into the boat! Good thing that snake wasnt tired and decide to rest on your tube!

The scariest thing I've encountered are the things that go bump in the night. I was fishing the docks at NPH when I decided to kick across to the island. I was concentrating on working my drop shot when I bumped something and I stopped moving. I had looked back earlier and there were no moored boats so at this point it's either jaws or an angry seal. I was so tense that I didn't even want to look over my shoulder. Once I finally turned around.......................it was a buoy! But it was the scariest buoy in all of NPH! I couldn't stop laughing once I found out what it was that I bumped into. Now I look back a lot more often.

nothing really scary but just chitty i guess i had my car die on me once after fishing one time another time i was trolling a crank bait and turned around fishing behind me with another rod when i heard swoop and i turn around and see my rod in the water when i go to grab it it pulls away a little more so i start freakin out tryin to go for it n down it goes but a week later fishing in the same spot i get a snag start reeling up and what do u no my rod so get it out wipe it down and start reeling in the slack line n the fish is gone   haha o n i was almost hit by a boat at dph cuz the guy took off at the bait barge and didnt no how to stop

For me once at Irvine lake year past, in fact it was one of my first times out in the water in a tube. It had been ranging and the water leave was way up there. I think it was only the second time in a tube for me, so i was been cautious. So while kicking out I decide to start casting and kicking. Things are going good no wind, a cool morning, no boat traffic. I am kicking for a while then I think whats behind me. I look back and down and I am right over the branch's of a tree. that are inches away from the surface of the water, I can only imagine if I had not look back I would have hit one and who know what would have happened. I felt the need at that moment to walk on water, all's well that ends well or so they say right.

.:LOLLY:. wrote:The scariest thing I've encountered are the things that go bump in the night. I was fishing the docks at NPH when I decided to kick across to the island. I was concentrating on working my drop shot when I bumped something and I stopped moving. I had looked back earlier and there were no moored boats so at this point it's either jaws or an angry seal. I was so tense that I didn't even want to look over my shoulder. Once I finally turned around.......................it was a buoy! But it was the scariest buoy in all of NPH! I couldn't stop laughing once I found out what it was that I bumped into. Now I look back a lot more often. .  

You have some balls to tube at night! I was at redondo beach one night and I saw lights coming out of the water. Turned out to be a couple of divers diving for lobster, i suppose.
Imagine if a diver were to mess with you while you were tubing at night.. Swimming up to you and grabbing your feet..lol

Wow those are close calls
mine was when I was at Santa Fe dam me and my son went out on the tubes and I had sea doo scooter he was trying to use it and he flipped himself out of his tube and I had to kick over to him and pick him up and put him back in his tube from my 2 his tube he got scared, I got scared but I didn't panic so I was able to think quickly get to him lift him up push his tube to the right position and put them in the tube it was kind of overwhelming but we decided to go to the movies were it was dry lol

I did get stuck in the wind and had to walk to my car and drive back to get my stuff but it was not scare just could not believe how hard I was kick I g and I was not going any where

Wow, I guess I have been lucky. Worse thing that has happened to me is that I broke a strap on a fin. Only had one so I fished in circles for three hours.... Not really! I fished from shore that day! Carry a spare now.

Nothing really scary but last year fishing a night tourney, we fished a oil rig around 10pm and my partner caught this nice fish which was pulling on him and I was fishing up front on the trolling motor. I put my rod down ( calcutta 400te/calcutta rod) to help net his fish, next thing I see is my rod flying over the rails into the darkness. I put on a 2oz lead head and tried to snag the braid with no luck. Four days later we went back to see if we can get it out after 30 min of no rod/reel I called it but Reggie of OTS baits said one more cast, the next thing we see is him reeling in some braid then my rod!! So bad ass!! The following day I took it to shimano irvine for service and they said the guts were still in excellent shape...

n2deepfsw wrote:Nothing really scary but last year fishing a night tourney, we fished a oil rig around 10pm and my partner caught this nice fish which was pulling on him and I was fishing up front on the trolling motor. I put my rod down ( calcutta 400te/calcutta rod) to help net his fish, next thing I see is my rod flying over the rails into the darkness. I put on a 2oz lead head and tried to snag the braid with no luck. Four days later we went back to see if we can get it out after 30 min of no rod/reel I called it but Reggie of OTS baits said one more cast, the next thing we see is him reeling in some braid then my rod!! So bad ass!! The following day I took it to shimano irvine for service and they said the guts were still in excellent shape...

damn... thats bad ass!!

Casting Call wrote:You have some balls to tube at night! I was at redondo beach one night and I saw lights coming out of the water. Turned out to be a couple of divers diving for lobster, i suppose.
Imagine if a diver were to mess with you while you were tubing at night.. Swimming up to you and grabbing your feet..lol

Man, I can only visualize that scenario. My knives would have been flying in every directions downward. There may be real jaws coming in at that point.

For me it was the first time tubing ever and it was at the lagoon at Castaic.  As I pushed into the north west end I saw something dark brown and large swim right under me.  I freaked out for a sec because I wasn't used to seeing fish from a tube and then I realized it was a big carp.   

Then, later that day as I get into the north end by the dam I heard something brush against my tube, then I turn around and I'm right at the floating weed beds.  Before I realize it, I'm right in the weeds and my legs/fins are getting tangled up in them.  I have to pull the weeds off my legs and cut them off the fins just to be free and able to push away but by this time I've drifted further into the weeds and I'm like holy shizz, how am I gonna get out of here?  Eventually I had to cut my way through and use my baitcaster rod (it was a 7 ft medium heavy) to try and push the weeds out of my way and inch myself out of there.  After what felt like forever I was out and decided to beach myself against the rocks and rest and fish there for a bit before heading back out again.

It was a learning experience and now I try to keep my eyes peeled and head on a swivel!

One time while fishing at night at the jungle something bumped my leg.  I didn't really pay too much attention and didn't even bother telling my friend.  We kept fishing nailing some good sized spotties and  some nice chunky rock fish.  Then about 30 minutes later something bumps me again on my fin.  This time I tell my buddy that something bumped me and I also told him about the previous one.  We decided to move to a different spot thinking it might be a curious seal swimming around.  So we kick away and get into a new spot.  More spotties were on the chew! We were nailing some nice ones when all of a sudden my fin gets tugged on this time! I tell my buddy and we decide to call it a night and head in towards the launch point which is quite a kick away.  Around mid way there my buddy all of a sudden is in a panic and starts calling me over, I was a little ahead of him and I can hear splashing and once I'm close enough I can see him battleing with something hitting it with his rod!  He's frantically trying to get away from whatever had his fin in its mouth! I put in high gear and once I'm right next to him we both couldn't believe what our eyes were seeying!  About 3 feet below a dogish/sea creature looking thing was starring us in the face! This thing was aggresive! Pulling on my buddies leg hard as I have pulled on yours!

You had me going there for a moment LOL

Once i heard nice size spotties i knew you were lying!

haha you wise guy you

 

wiseguy wrote:One time while fishing at night at the jungle something bumped my leg.  I didn't really pay too much attention and didn't even bother telling my friend.  We kept fishing nailing some good sized spotties and  some nice chunky rock fish.  Then about 30 minutes later something bumps me again on my fin.  This time I tell my buddy that something bumped me and I also told him about the previous one.  We decided to move to a different spot thinking it might be a curious seal swimming around.  So we kick away and get into a new spot.  More spotties were on the chew! We were nailing some nice ones when all of a sudden my fin gets tugged on this time! I tell my buddy and we decide to call it a night and head in towards the launch point which is quite a kick away.  Around mid way there my buddy all of a sudden is in a panic and starts calling me over, I was a little ahead of him and I can hear splashing and once I'm close enough I can see him battleing with something hitting it with his rod!  He's frantically trying to get away from whatever had his fin in its mouth! I put in high gear and once I'm right next to him we both couldn't believe what our eyes were seeying!  About 3 feet below a dogish/sea creature looking thing was starring us in the face! This thing was aggresive! Pulling on my buddies leg hard as I have pulled on yours!

And there i was thinking it was a mermaid..or smeagol from lord of the rings..lol

that really happened to me but I did not want to scare any new comers to the float tube way of life lmao ok I am lying to

Casting Call wrote:

wiseguy wrote:One time while fishing at night at the jungle something bumped my leg.  I didn't really pay too much attention and didn't even bother telling my friend.  We kept fishing nailing some good sized spotties and  some nice chunky rock fish.  Then about 30 minutes later something bumps me again on my fin.  This time I tell my buddy that something bumped me and I also told him about the previous one.  We decided to move to a different spot thinking it might be a curious seal swimming around.  So we kick away and get into a new spot.  More spotties were on the chew! We were nailing some nice ones when all of a sudden my fin gets tugged on this time! I tell my buddy and we decide to call it a night and head in towards the launch point which is quite a kick away.  Around mid way there my buddy all of a sudden is in a panic and starts calling me over, I was a little ahead of him and I can hear splashing and once I'm close enough I can see him battleing with something hitting it with his rod!  He's frantically trying to get away from whatever had his fin in its mouth! I put in high gear and once I'm right next to him we both couldn't believe what our eyes were seeying!  About 3 feet below a dogish/sea creature looking thing was starring us in the face! This thing was aggresive! Pulling on my buddies leg hard as I have pulled on yours!

And there i was thinking it was a mermaid..or smeagol from lord of the rings..lol

lol!