I am new to this sight and I really find it informative. I did try to do my homework before asking this ,but I still have some questions. First of all I am from SW Pa. Near Pittsburgh. There are alot of lakes rives etc. all around. However I have yet to see anyone who float tubes. I also checked PA. forums on this site and others and no success. Until just recently that is. I recently found a guy who guides believe it or not: FLOAT TUBE TRIPS.He is actually located about 20 miles from me and I never knew he existed. Anyway to the point. I arranged for a trip for me and my 14 year old son this May. He supplies all equipment ,but I have been thinking about buying our own tubes.Well I asked the guide if he prefers round or v shaped and much to my surprise and against conventional wisdom on this site he said round because he likes to lean forward and rest his arms. Well lo and behold I find a Trout Trap Muddler[discontinued ] brand new never used for $ 80 bucks delivered.Any feed back on his view and also on the TROUT TRAP.I als plan to buy a Caddids Nevada Gold for my son and me for about 100 bucks.This gets me two starter tubes cheap. Sound good? By the way the Acme Dam Guide Services is the name of the guide.He offers a halfday 4 hrs on the water guaranteed ,all equipment and lures for about 110 bucks or so with preseason discounts. I dont see how I can go wrong.Again thanks for the great site and the anticipated feed back. RichD
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Welcome. I started float tubing a couple of years ago after reading all the reports of it on the Utah board. Now I almost hate to fish any other way. I only know a couple of people with round tubes and they don't care for them much. I have a U tube and would like to upgrade to a V when I save some more pennies. There is nothing wrong with a U but after fishing with people in V tubes I just think they are a little nicer. You sit higher out of the water. They seem to move through the water faster with less effort. They also have more room to store stuff as people put things behind the seat. When I do that it just sinks to the bottom.[shocked]
Let us know how your trip turns out.
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Well for what it is worth I learned to float in a round tube, and o know what he is saying about leaning forward on your elbows and resting, but that is not all the appendages us guys are leaning against when we do that either, as there is a 2 inch strap that is connected from the seat to the top of the tube. I used A round one until October of this year and now I have a V. I much perfer the V myself. I think there are two thing that limit you in a round tube.
1st is that the tube crosses your legs and you do not get as much extension as you do in a U or V.
2nd is you are down in the water (good and bad) a lot more. To give you an idea I am 250# and in my ODC420 the only thing that gets wet is just below my knees down, and just a little water on my but that gets kicked up from getting in and out.
Like TL said you sit much higher in the V's adn they do cut through the water and Wind much better.
My suggestion is try as many as you can, on your guided trip you will get the oppertunity try the O's. Maybe go to your local shop and ask if they know of anyone that might meet you and let you try theres also.
And a big WELCOME to the boards.
Majja
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[black][size 3]richd, I agree with the others on here. I started out in a doughnut, and to be honest, I will never do that again. They are a nightmare trying to get in and out of and in my opinion they can be more dangerous. If you do flip over forward in one of those, you you'ld have to swim straight down to get out of it. The open fronts are as safe as you make it. In otherwords, if you wanna slide out of the tube...you can, but who wants to![crazy] This guide you mentioned is very old school. My question is, why do you want to lean forward?[/size][/black]
[black][size 3]I have never been unsure about leaning forward in a "V". In fact I just bought a Freestyle H3 that is six feet long. My line got wrapped around one of the tips, I had no problem getting it undone.[/size][/black]
[black][size 3]For the record, I have a killer Fat Cat on the Utah sale board for $50.[/size][/black]
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FlyGoddess, I will take the sage advice of you and the other members here. I sent you a PM about your fatcat. Thanks Rich D
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Hi Richd,
I also started out in a donut and now have a V (Super Fat Cat) and it is superior in every way in my opinion. It's faster. It keeps me out of the water. It is much easier to get in and out of it. And the blow up seat (or foam) is far more comfortable than the crotch strap of a donut. I never had a particular need to lean forward or rest my arms on the front (though I probably did without thinking.) You can catch fish from a donut. It will get you around, albeit very slowly. If you decide to do serious tubing you may want to consider very carefully before you jump, otherwise you'll end up stuck - or purchasing again.
FG's Fat Cats would be a good move. They're pretty durable with their urathane bladders so even a used one is a pretty good deal.
If you go with the donut we'll still speak to you however.
zonker
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Yea I forgot FG had that FC for sale, it would be a great tube for your boy or you for that matter. IT is in good condition as i was over there when I ourchased her SFC the other night. If I did not already Have a tube I would of bought both of them. And after meeting FG and Evilash a couple of times I know they take real good care of there stuff.
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Hey richd. If you decide to go with the donut, could you please have someong tape it and put it on U tube? I haven't had a good laugh for awhile and I rember my first tube launch from a donut in the 70s.
It was hillarious for all of those whom watched.[cool]
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Actually I will be using FG's fatcat which I am buying. However I may still get the round tube since my 14 year old son is interested in trying it out. At age 62 ,even though I am in relatively decent shape, I find it convenient to con my son into things I am perfectly capable of doing by using my age as an excuse. It works really great when dragging a sled and drilling ice holes by hand.Regarding float tubing I think my own launch and finning attempts in the v tube should prove quite amusing since I have never done it before.Anyway my son ,who is a great kid and is game to go on film ,will star in the production and I will produce ,film and direct it. By the way I want to thank everyone for their help on this forum.What an informative and fun place to visit.
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[black][size 3]Richd, just remmember: "Flippers on...walk backwards"[
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[cool][#0000ff]You have already been given good advice by our experienced tubing council. All I can say is that round tubes are dinosaurs. There is ABSOLUTELY NO GOOD REASON for anyone to ever buy and use a round tube. [/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]I was one of the original tubers, as a kid in California and have been doing it over 50 years. I used round tubes for many years, but only because there was nothing else available and I did not know better. [/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]If the single reason given by the "guide" is that he likes to lean forward, he is really not in touch with the real world. I suggest that he has never fished from an open front craft. If he even knows how to use a computer, he is probably using a "wood burning" model that runs on DOS.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]As some other members have suggested, the ease, comfort and safety of launching and beaching from an open front tube is a good reason to go that route. But, there are lots of other reasons too.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Welcome aboard and good luck.[/#0000ff]
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richd,
This post reminds me of my first experience with a float tube. After wading and fly fishing a large lake locally (Strawberry) for several years with good success, I visited a friend who worked at a local sporting goods shop (Ziniks). They had just received a tube in stock. It was made of a very heavy canvas material, and the user installed a truck tire inner tube. Well, I was very excited, bought me some fins, and headed for the water the following weekend. I launched in a shallow slopping area, and headed out.
After I got into a depth where my feet were about ready to leave the bottom, I realized that at 6'4". I was top heavy, and could kill myself in a rather rapid fashion.
Not wanting to end my life, (good thought), I went back to shore, took off the death gear, and threw it in the back of my truck. When I got home, I took it down stairs, hung it up, and forgot about it until about 5 years ago. When the wife and I were cleaning up, and throwing away things that didn't seem worth keeping, She made a very large production out of my "brilliant" idea to swim with the fishes.
That was back in the early 60's, and since that time, I have acquired pontoons, and find that it is my favorite method of fishing.
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Ok, Ok , I am convinced. I am giving up the round tube idea and will go with some version of u or v tube. With all of you experienced float tubers warning me, I have come to the conclusion that I had better take your advice regarding comfort and safety and the lack thereof in a round tube. Again,thanks for all the help and guidance.richd
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Well I have two donuts, one newer and one as TubeDude calls it [#0000ff][size 1] ""round tubes are dinosaurs[black][size 2]"".[/size][/black][black][size 2] Which one do I like the most? It's the old FishMaster. My son has the ODC 420 and he says it is great and thinks I would love it too. Why I'm going backwards you might be asking about me... I kinda like the smallness the FishMaster has. With that old tube I can reach and touch the water all around me easy, but with the newer one it limits me doing that.[/size][/black][/size][/#0000ff]
Light winds moves the ODC a little but not very much and the old boy really stays put pretty good.
I gotta try the ODC one of those fishing days.....(If I can sneak it out)
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I also started out in a donut about 30 years ago with TubeDude coaching me. He had some good chuckles watching my first launches.
I was so happy to graduate to the Utube and then to the V tube. I think they are much more safer. I like to tube in fresh and saltwater.
If I was to tube the Salt in a donut, I would only be at the mercy of the ocean. You have a thrust advantage with the U or V style tubes. All around they are much safer.[cool]
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I have to say my first experience was in a O as well about 15 ish years ago, than i tried my cousins U and that was sweet. Stopped fishing mostly up until last summer and than started again. And back to a loaner O until I bought my ODC in October and I love the ODC.
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