New from Orange County CA

Long time ocean fisherman who's boat buddy sold shop and moved up north leaving me high and dry. As a result i've been doing a lot more lake fishing and although the bit doesn't require hours of pulling the relaxation and ease is more than welcomed as I'm not a young buck anymore.

Looking to pick up either a tube or toon to assist in the fish killing.

Welcome good luck on your purchase of a new water toy, any question we will all help to get you into something that will work best for you.
Also there are quite a few no so young buck here as well so we know what you mean.
Again welcome gald you joined.

Noticed your in OC also. Do they allow tubes in most of the lakes in the OC area? I don't know what I would end up with just yet, but was wondering how much use I would get from it especially in public lakes here in cali. I'm sure they are allowed in some of the bigger lakes, but if I wanted to put the tube in the back of the truck and just float around for a few hours is that an option in the smaller oc lakes?

No all lakes allow Float Tubing once I have sometime I will try to list some places you can tube. As far as what do OC tubers use, tubes or toons, answer even mix of both I think.

Welcome LGHT

Give us some lake names that you want to go to and we can tell you if they allow tubes or not, or most lakes out here have a website that gives all their info on tubing.

In south oc. I think just Irvine and Laguna niguel. And Dana point harbor!

welcome to the forum hope you find some to fit you just right [You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]
Ed

Well i'm open to any lake in the OC / LA area. I know the pay lakes like SARL, Corona allow them as they are "private", but I live close to a few small lakes that either don't have a website and if they do it's just a basic one with hours of operation and address. Not clue if I could just pull up drop in and fish or not. I checked the DFG and could find little to nothing after searching the site for a few hours.

I fished at Laguna Niguel lake (in fullerton) and couldn't find anything specifying either way.

Although I got skunked again it would have been nice to just kick around instead of trying to fish from the shore.

Still trying to learn the "art" of freshwater fishing. Most of my time has been in the ocean and the hardest part about ocean fishing was finding the patty or crashing birds. Once we found that it was just a matter of time. Just seems like there are so many more variables in fresh water.

Have you thought of getting your tube out in in the Harbors or Bays, it is free for the most part and right up your ally. As for the freshwater, I agree it seems to be more work and less play sometimes.

I know that most city parks do not allow float tubes in them, Laguna Lake is in Fullerton and there is no tubes allowed. Laguna Niguel lake is in Laguna Niguel and does allow float tubes, (great first time lake just pricie).

We should get a list up here of tube able lake and water in all areas I am sure it will happen just give it some time. As for now here is a small list of place's to tube around the OC.

Laguna Niguel
Irvine Lake
Newport Harbor
Puddingstone
Santa Fe Dam
Perris Lake
Lake Elsinor
Most lake in the San Bernadino Mountains.

I am sure I mist a few but there is a quick list for you.

Thanks for the tips. As of now I don't have a tube (yet) still trying to decide on what make / model is best. I was considering a yak for a long time, but those things are just to cumbersome and heavy. Seems like it would be way too much hassle to take out for a few hours on the weekends.

The only tube I've tried so far was the outcast prowler. It pretty fast and setup quick and easy, but I couldn't imagine trying to kick across a lake or even worse kicking against the wind after kicking across the lake all day so I'm considering one with oars or maybe even adding oars or a small motor to the prowler. I also want a rig that I can add an anchor to and simply doc when I free dive and spear fish from (not that often).

Thanks for the list of lakes. Seems like the smaller city lakes don't support tubes, but at least I have several to choose from!!

hey lght
im in ontario so not too far from u

as far as lakes go id suggest puddingstone in san dimas. its a nice place to learn the ropes. and as far a tubes go its all a matter of personal preference and budget. im 23 and been tubing since around 18 and now im finally ina pontoon boat but i started in a donut i bought on ebay lol

but thats my two cents

honestly, i've put in more time than i care to admit figuring out how to add oars to a float tube. even when i found a stable, efficient, well positioned design that didn't compromise the structural integrity of the float tube (meaning i wouldnt cause excessive wear or damage), i had to deal with cost. a quality setup would probably cost more than an average float tube.

ideally, you'd also have leg rests which would reduce drag and give you leverage for rowing. oars also limit your ability to add a fish finder or rod holders since you really cant have anything get in the way of your oars.

dive scooters match up great with float tubes. i was sold once i tried them. you can get a brand new seadoo dive scooter for under $300 at scuba.com. i was able to get one with two batteries and a charger.

dave scadden has some great looking tubes and pontoons. they have oars attached. someone on the forum might still have one for sale in the classifieds.

pontoon frames wear out. i've looked into those extensively as well. freshwater wont be so harsh but the pontoons are heavy and have to be maintained.

look into inflatable kayaks. advanced elements makes a really great angling kayak. has tons of storage and an outrigger with 3 rod holders. there are a handful of inflatable kayaks for divers as well. you can drop in right through the middle of the kayak. i think those would work better for diving than a float tube.

as far as float tubes, i'm a noob myself. i've tried the caddis navigator and nevada and i own a fish cat 4. i'm very impressed with the fish cat. it moves really well. plus, when i nearly sank the first time out, the foam seats kept me somewhat afloat.

last thing to keep in mind, anything you throw a motor on, you need to register

It sounds to me like you should look at a Watermaster raft. You can kick and row and slip into the water if you want to.

Did you register your tube for the Sea doo ?

i talked to harbor patrol and coast guard, i was told i didn't have to...but you know how california is. seems like coast guard, harbor patrol, dmv all have different answers. i'm going with no

Yes i told harbor patrol that i tried to register my tube to the sea doo and that they didnt want to do it cause is was a swimming devise not a motor meant for a vessel it seem to work with the guys at santa fe dam too. so thats what i tell them if i get ask about it seem to work so i wont fix it lol

socalEMT wrote:hey lght
im in ontario so not too far from u

as far as lakes go id suggest puddingstone in san dimas.

Well i'm about a mile or so from the beach so those spots are over an hour away. I was hoping to find a nice little local lake so I won't have to pay to learn, but no luck yet so i'll probably end up at SARL. I will probably hit the harbor after I feel comfortable on the water since i'll have to worry about tide and boats.

After looking at all the options I've decided on the outcast prowler and will probably just get a sea doo scooter. I wanted something portable and small that I can carry to and from launch sites and will fit in the back of the truck easily.

I like the idea of rowing as a second means of propulsion, but I read that it is a hassle and you can row and fish so the scooter seemed like a much better fit. Plus I can use the scooter whenever I go out diving so it's a plus to have that second option.

Now it's just a matter of scrapping up the cast to get the tube and scooter. I have tons of stuff i'm selling so checkout my ad in the classified section.