Looking to get onto a float tube

I'm feeling it
Red and black Fishcat Deluxe w/black ABS rod holders


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toons? you can paddle them, you can kick them, they were originally designed for river float fishing, they are great for covering a lot of distance, ( especially with a motor like mine! ) they are safer, drier, more comfortable, better in bad weather (hot or cold) more sea worthy, you can carry a lot of stuff! and they are a much better fishing platform than tubes. and they come in red.

bodfish the lone tooner

PS checkout Native watercraft if I buy a yak it will be this one.

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bodfish wrote:
toons? you can paddle them, you can kick them, they were originally designed for river float fishing, they are great for covering a lot of distance, ( especially with a motor like mine! ) they are safer, drier, more comfortable, better in bad weather (hot or cold) more sea worthy, you can carry a lot of stuff! and they are a much better fishing platform than tubes. and they come in red.

Now for the bad

They are big, heavy, not portable unless you have a truck, can't be deflated and put in a trunk or small storage bag when not in use, harder to control in tight spaces, cost a lot more, you can't paddle and fish at the same time.

Again all things have a good and a bad side for me the good didn't overweigh the bad so I went with a tube.

thats a nice tube lc has one we call it the lilred convertable

mine is call the green boob tube lol

"Now for the bad

They are big, heavy, not portable unless you have a truck, can't be deflated and put in a trunk or small storage bag when not in use, harder to control in tight spaces, cost a lot more, you can't paddle and fish at the same time.

Again all things have a good and a bad side for me the good didn't overweigh the bad so I went with a tube. [/quote]",....

Dang I knew I wouldn't get far before someone blew my cover!
Ok, Ok,...

1) they are heavy. usually 35- 50 pounds dry, or more depending on which model you choose.
2) they CAN be deflated but they take a lot to reinflate. I have a double action rafters pump and it takes 10 minutes to inflate one toon.
The frame can also be taken down and the whole boat easily stores in a car trunk. But again the reassembly takes time.
3) they actually maneuver better than you would think only because they draft so little water, and in many cases will allow you to go into or cross over very shallow water that float tubes cannot. Especially very muddy bottom.
4) Yup expensive!
5) you can kick and fish because you still have your legs (fins) in the water. Rowing and fish? uh.. not so much. Well, I have "row trolled" and that actually worked very well.

OK, all that being said here is how I operate and I will admit it is not for everyone.

1) Yeah, yeah, heavy. I just tough it out and muscle the sucker down to the water.
2) Many years ago I had my frame stretched an extra foot and welded. I don't deflate or disassemble my boat. Granted, I have a truck with a rack to move it, and a garage to store it in.
3) I tend to fish a wide area, lots of shallow water, hard to reach places, and I am old and tired of kicking everywhere.
4) don't know what to say about the cost except that after all these years it was the best money I ever spent.
5) I have an electric motor mounted on my toon and I almost never row. just keep my oars on board as backup in an emergency.

OK, last remarks,....

In my toon,...

I am faster,
I am more comfortable, (which in many cases means I can fish much longer than when I fished from a tube and in inclement weather, which is something I tend to do a lot!)
I am safer,
I have more range and can go more places than when I was in my tube,
I can carry more crap,

I think by far the best thing about my toon is that it gives me so many more options for fishing than a tube. I love my toon.

bodfish

PS
I seem to be the only tooner on this board. I was hoping to get some company.

evryone has there opion and it good to hear them i like this post alot . has lot of info
Thanks Ed

bodfish,
Thanks for the TOON enlightenment.

I agree, a lot of good info being shared