Newbie from Black Hills

I live in the Black Hills of South Dakota.
I work driving a truck OTR.
I fly fish for trout.
Seriously looking at a good float tube.
Considering
Outback Fish Cat Scout
Scadden Zonker or maybe Detonator or other?
Hesitant on Scadden due to reports? Service etc?
Outback great service. But Scadden more innovative.
Detonator? Want to keep this in my truck. That top bunk is getting crowded. Seems really nice.
I don’t know?
I used to walk easily. Back injury from falling on ice. Driving doesn’t help. Would do better floating. BH pretty good on lakes. Other places can float.
Definitely want to use flippers and oars.

I am 63 yrs old. Can’t walk a lot without having to stop. Still love getting out there. Thus the float tube.

Welcome to the forum BHfish.

Tubes with oars take up more room in the vehicle and weigh more. I used the Browning tube pictured in my avatar with one fly rod and two reels (sinking line and floating) for years. Fly fishing your gear is light and your tube doesn't need to carry much. If you only have one rod in your hand and a pair of fins you can cover quite a bit of water you can't from shore.

I hope this helps.

BHfisb welcome to the forum. I agree with Jerdon oars are nice but they just add so much more to your boat. Another good place to start would be a Cumberland float tube. Just a great basic tube that won't do you wrong. Just my 2 cents but it's going to be your call in the end. Keep asking you questions and search around on the forum. We are here to help and once again welcome to the dark side.

Welcome to the forum,
I agree with Jeff, Cumberland is a good all around fruit juice to start with.
It’s what I use. I’m 71 years young. lol

SP Dan <“))><

I am 62 years old with a bad back, and terrible knees. Still the one thing I can do is float tube.

I use the FRM Boards hybrid tube available on Amazon. (There is an affiliate link to it here on the forum).  It came with oars, but after trying them numerous times I found them to be ok, but wholly unnecessary.  As others have stated,  they add weight, take up a lot of room, and are nearly impossible to use with all the electronics, rods and rod holders in place.  I have since completely removed them.

The Cumberland actually is a good way to start.  It is relatively inexpensive, lightweight and easy to pack up and transport.

As I see it, the advantages to a true hybrid tube are:  1) The 11 PSI dropstitched floor and the 3.5 PSI tubes allow you to sit much higher in the water and are easy to kick.  2) The tubeless design allows you to easily glue on mounts and accessories.  Fish finders and transducers, rod holders, cup holders, wheels, anchor supports, even motors, like a Bixpy can be mounted wherever you wish.

When re-entering the sport after an extended layoff, I am glad I started on the Cumberland - upon the advice offered from folks here in the forum.  It  allowed me to decide what I wanted in a hybrid.  I still use the Cumberland when I want a lightweight quick morning fish without any hassle.   My FRM Board tube is modified to the gills for long days on the water.  It is however, considerably larger and heavier than the Cumberland.

Whatever you decide, welcome to the forum and I know we all look forward to hearing more about your float tube journey and adventures.

Dan

I agree with Dan the Hybrid float tube (bladderless) is the way to go. While I think the Cumberland is a great tube, once you use a Hybrid I think you will see the advantages they offer.

Welcome to the boards. Plus one for the Cumberland for a traditional tube. If you’re strictly fly fishing the hybrids are a stable and higher platform for casting. They are a little heavier and awkward on land but in the water they’re awesome. Any of the choices you and others have mentioned will be great . I like the scadden line up. Lots of choices. I have a Maxxon 240 which I love. But as mentioned , fully rigged up with rod holders and fish finder, it’s a beast. It comes with oars but I’ve never used them.
A Cumberland with a fly rod would be so light and easy to handle if walking and carrying to and from your rig .

I appreciate all the thoughts and advise. You people do have me thinking.

Gald we could help and please ask any more questions you might have.

I appreciate all the thoughts and advise. You people do have me thinking.

Just wanted to add a couple of things. If your back bothers you, getting a tube that is relatively lightweight and has shoulder straps for moving it backpack style is highly recommended. Also, fly fishing, your line and tippet are likely to snag or tangle on anything sticking out of the tube - oars, oarlocks, etc. Keep that stuff to a minimum and use a stripping basket or apron. Sitting high will help with casting, and a longer rod helps, too. If you want to dip your toe in before buying a new tube, try a used one. For example, I have a Bucks Bags Bullet that was their top of the line tube for years and is in great shape. If you are interested: jsadd at oxy.edu Best of luck.

I've had a creek ODC 420, classic accessories cumberland, float tube,  colorado pontoon, scadden zonker, scadden detonator.  All have their place.

Cumberland good entry level, back pack straps a plus, not a fan of the valves, harder to patch bladders

Colorado framed, heavy, huge, 9' tubes

Scaddens:  Framless, bladderless, hypbrid: love the drop stitched floor for stability, way easier to patch/add d-rings to PVC.  zonker is 5', detonator is almost 9 '.  Has oars, skeg, storage bags, trolling motor mount, low profile tubes. My favorite boat design.  Dave has been very responsive with texts.  He outsources his accessories ie bags, oars, mounts, seats, etc so may have QA issues there but absolutely no probs with pontoon...I have 2!

Outcast Fish Cat was high on my list but was a little too big 7'. If you have a sportsman's warehouse, look for the Lost Creek X-streamer, looks identical to Fish Cat thick PVC and cheaper

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BHfish wrote:I live in the Black Hills of South Dakota.
I work driving a truck OTR.
I fly fish for trout.
Seriously looking at a good float tube.
Considering
Outback Fish Cat Scout
Scadden Zonker or maybe Detonator or other?
Hesitant on Scadden due to reports? Service etc?
Outback great service. But Scadden more innovative.
Detonator? Want to keep this in my truck. That top bunk is getting crowded. Seems really nice.
I don’t know?
I used to walk easily. Back injury from falling on ice. Driving doesn’t help. Would do better floating. BH pretty good on lakes. Other places can float.
Definitely want to use flippers and oars.

Made a decision. Ordered a Zonker from Dave Scadden.
You people got me seriously considering the Cumberland.
I had a float tube before. One of those tire tubes with outside/seat. Never used it. That was before my back injury. I’ve run three marathons in my life. Walking a creek/river was nothing. The back injury has really gotten me. That happened ten years ago. Doctors were no help. Circulation ain’t good. It’s a second source of pain. The injury actually pulled my spine apart. Discovered one day. Decided to help carrying something heavy. My constant pain went away. So addressed it different. Put on weight on purpose.(eat carbs) Other things. In my mind, I could concentrate more on this for exercise of legs while seated when I’m out there. Oars are important to me to not have to depend on legs just in case.
I did seriously consider the Cumberland.

Ok buddy I am sure the Zonker will serve you well. I do get the need to have oars. I think you will find you use them less than you think but they will work when you need them. Once you get please do us a favor and do a small review on it. Let us know what you think. And also share your trips with us as well. Welcome to the dark side.

Awesome and congratulations!  I know you will really enjoy it!
We have similar issues, and float tubing keeps me out there and exercising while doing what I love.

Congrats on your new ride. We will be anxiously waiting for a report. The Cumberland is awesome but you will enjoy the comfort of the Zonker sitting higher on a firmer platform . Especially for the fly fishing element. Enjoy and go get some big ones.

Congratz on the new toy.
I hope to see some fish catching reports from you soon.

Welcome BH,
Have you thought of the FishCat Deluxe?

No oars, a little heavy but easy to pack, and has D-rings on the bottom if you want to walk it to somewhere or you can adapt a kayak dolly to it (someone else posted modifications to do this).

I am a fly fishing oddity: There isn't much natural moving water around me so I basically midge fish in still waters, and use streamers in salt water and I really don't cast from a float tube, I pretty much drag my fly (streamer) around with a fast sink, full sink line in salt water...I only cast when surf fishing.

You can get the cheapest belly boat if you want lightness and ease of transport/packing but you will sit in the water a little more and you will probably feel colder (I do)...setting up to float tube fly fish is really easy if you want it to be easy...I usually use 2 rods in fresh water, I drag a streamer until I find a spot to stop, then I drop the zebra midge under an indicator with a non-standard leader setup so I get a straight drop under the indicator.

The coolest thing is to find a dropoff next to a weedline that a creek is pushing water through or nearby, and to back into the weedline and throw to the cruising trout that you can see in the crystal clear water while snow is blowing off the higher areas upwind of you, then watching the trout circle your midge and someone across the lake tells you later that they can hear you yelling at the trout to stop circling and to take your midge...then it does...

Good luck and post pics