10-16-2007, 01:28 AM
[cool][#0000ff]Hey Ted, ol' buddy, just got back in town. You posted as I was heading out. [/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]I love the Cougar...but not as much as a good tube. I just made the conscious decision that for the type of fishing I do most, a tube works best. [/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]My "style" is quiet "hands free" finesse fishing...with fly, spin or baitcasting tackle. I fish light lures on light gear and need to maintain perfect position and to be 100% aware of what is going on at the other end of the line at all times. A tube and some good fins let me do that efficiently, even in light breezes.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]The "checkout cruises" with the Cougar proved that I still have the ability to make a rowed vessel skim across the water, covering much more distance more quickly than I could with any tube on the market. And, I could also move around and maintain position fairly well with fin power alone...although it did require more energy than with a tube. BUT...as soon as the first zephyrs came whispering across the water, my fishing went south. I had to drop the rod and grab the oars just to stay in the general vacinity of any spot I wanted to fish. And as the breeze grew stronger, I was virtually out of business...fishingwise.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Part of my disenchantment with the toon, compared to a tube, was that everything was less handy to reach. Lots more bending over and reaching farther for rods, tackle, nets, etc. The offsetting advantage was that I sat up higher, for greater casting distance and line control.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]If I liked to troll...or cover a lot more distance on my trips...then I would also have a pontoon...with an electric motor. But, for me and my preferred type of fishing the pontoon was a distant second to a tube.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]We have several previous discussions on Cougars vs other toons on the Best of the Best collections. In a nutshell, they offer a lower profile and quad air chambers. If that is important to you from a safety standpoint, then factor it in. The downside of that is that there is more "footprint" in the water, with greater water resistance. The lower profile catches less wind, and the greater water resistance slows drift, but it also makes it more difficult to propel.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Cougars are only 8'. They should be at least a foot longer to qualify for taking them down moving water. Regulations vary by state and recommendations vary by waters.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Hope my answer was worth waiting for and that you were sufficiently entertained by the peanut gallery in my absence.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]I love the Cougar...but not as much as a good tube. I just made the conscious decision that for the type of fishing I do most, a tube works best. [/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]My "style" is quiet "hands free" finesse fishing...with fly, spin or baitcasting tackle. I fish light lures on light gear and need to maintain perfect position and to be 100% aware of what is going on at the other end of the line at all times. A tube and some good fins let me do that efficiently, even in light breezes.[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]The "checkout cruises" with the Cougar proved that I still have the ability to make a rowed vessel skim across the water, covering much more distance more quickly than I could with any tube on the market. And, I could also move around and maintain position fairly well with fin power alone...although it did require more energy than with a tube. BUT...as soon as the first zephyrs came whispering across the water, my fishing went south. I had to drop the rod and grab the oars just to stay in the general vacinity of any spot I wanted to fish. And as the breeze grew stronger, I was virtually out of business...fishingwise.[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]Part of my disenchantment with the toon, compared to a tube, was that everything was less handy to reach. Lots more bending over and reaching farther for rods, tackle, nets, etc. The offsetting advantage was that I sat up higher, for greater casting distance and line control.[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]If I liked to troll...or cover a lot more distance on my trips...then I would also have a pontoon...with an electric motor. But, for me and my preferred type of fishing the pontoon was a distant second to a tube.[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]We have several previous discussions on Cougars vs other toons on the Best of the Best collections. In a nutshell, they offer a lower profile and quad air chambers. If that is important to you from a safety standpoint, then factor it in. The downside of that is that there is more "footprint" in the water, with greater water resistance. The lower profile catches less wind, and the greater water resistance slows drift, but it also makes it more difficult to propel.[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]Cougars are only 8'. They should be at least a foot longer to qualify for taking them down moving water. Regulations vary by state and recommendations vary by waters.[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]Hope my answer was worth waiting for and that you were sufficiently entertained by the peanut gallery in my absence.[/#0000ff]
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