fish cat 4 question

I'm about ready to pull the trigger on the fishcat 4 I was wondering if anyone use's them in moving water? I want to go up stream in the river that has a slow current.
Thanks for the input Dennis

Hey Fishn Bum, welcome....i have one but never done a river...but we have been in some crazy current and it was still able to cut through it...not sure if im answering your question...theyre very stable tubes, ive owned mine for 2 years and love it

mine is on my avatar

Tony G

In my opinion if you are trying to travel up stream as you fish you might want to consider a small pontoon boat / kick boat over just a float tube for the sake of having oars. I've seen both being used in Kenai Alaska and the small pontoons seemed like the better choice for fighting current or traveling with oars then kicking to stay in place.

I have used my FishCat 4 Delux in moving water, both fresh and salt.

In the saltwater bay I fish, big tide swings hit the channels pretty hard. No chance at kicking up current, but you can shoot through relatively easily depending on fin type and weight.

In fresh, I have floated the Green River for a few miles when it was running low, can't remember how many CFS but it was slow in comparison to most guided float trips (3000CFS-ish). It was pretty sketchy and I was at the mercy of the flow, plenty of fish though!

Hope that helps some.

In your intro you said you are a tuber.
What kind of tube do you have or use right now?
Maybe give that one a try to see how it feels.

Jerdon, My tube is a Togiak its shaped like the Cat. I have had mine in the river several times & it does good in a slow current & with my new fins should do better. I'm thinking by setting a little higher in the Cat I will have less drag going up stream. I'm getting lazy just don't want to take my canoe out every time.My tube is faster getting on the water for quick trips
Dennis

The bigger tube will kick better, but be affected by the wind more as well.
The Togiak is just a little smaller than the Cumberland, but looks to have the same profile. So if that works for you so will the Cumberland.

Hey fishn bum!

I have both the Fish Cat 4 and the Cumberland. I personally prefer the Fish Cat 4, the back compartment is a PVC bottom instead of mesh, so my gear doesn't get as wet and it feels sturdier, but the Cumberland is a sold tube as well.

Going against the current or upriver could prove difficult on fin power alone, you wouldn't be able to stray very far, or you'd have quite a workout getting back upriver. You may be up for the workout, or you could mount oars on your tube, get a pontoon float tube hybrid, or mount a trolling motor.

I take my float tube on the river and I've mounted oars on them, pic below:
[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

You would need to purchase oar mounts, the adhesive to glue to the tube, and the oars of course. Pontoon float tube hybrids were designed for flowing water, so it could make sense to look at these as well.

I'm using the Outlaw Escape - [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] in my profile photo and it works great in flowing water. The Fish Cat Scout - [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] is also a good option.

Hope this helps!

Thanks for the advice on the oars not a bad idea the section of river I have in mind has a very slow current.But after more thought I decided to just use my canoe Dennis

FloatTubeFisher wrote:Hey fishn bum!

I have both the Fish Cat 4 and the Cumberland. I personally prefer the Fish Cat 4, the back compartment is a PVC bottom instead of mesh, so my gear doesn't get as wet and it feels sturdier, but the Cumberland is a sold tube as well.

Going against the current or upriver could prove difficult on fin power alone, you wouldn't be able to stray very far, or you'd have quite a workout getting back upriver. You may be up for the workout, or you could mount oars on your tube, get a pontoon float tube hybrid, or mount a trolling motor.

I take my float tube on the river and I've mounted oars on them, pic below:
[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

You would need to purchase oar mounts, the adhesive to glue to the tube, and the oars of course. Pontoon float tube hybrids were designed for flowing water, so it could make sense to look at these as well.

I'm using the Outlaw Escape - [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] in my profile photo and it works great in flowing water. The Fish Cat Scout - [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] is also a good option.

Hope this helps!

How in the world did you mount those Oar's I would like to know

indeed that is an awesome mod on a tube with the oars , i have seen one mounted to the top but never on the side like that ... great design

Wow jeffcpr, that oar setup is blowing my mind. That might be just what I need in Newport for when the tide is freight training in/out!!!!

Loking those oars myself....x2 how did you mount those...

Hey Guys,

I bought oar locks and and then used adhesive I found from Home Depot to glue them to the tube. So far they've held up pretty well. It's really nice to be able to move forwards now for positioning, as well as more horsepower to propel. One thing that isn't ideal is my legs/fins dragging through the water, this slows me down, but the oars still help enough.

Here's a blog post with more details: [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

AWESOME Floattubefisher! thanks for the blog....

I know this is an old thread but I want to add oars on my wife classic Cumberland float tube and my Dechatlon Fltb-5 tube, but I'm concerned. How does the fabric support the oar locks in time, can the fabric break in time.
Or is there a way to add an oar holder without gluing like:
The Oarslooks from the old Caddis Navigator IV Pontoon Style Float Tube
[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

If no gluing works, how it will work in time, do I need to fo something (like add ruber) so that the straps don't rub against the fabric ?