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Got my FishCat 4 about a week ago, then got my fins and pfd yesterday. Went out early this morning to Cheney Reservoir near Wichita. It was fairly windy and Cheney is known for its wind, sailboaters love it. Went to the north side of the lake in the Red Bluffs area the water was acceptably calm to me, but certainly not ideal. Managed to get my tube afloat without the comedy I have heard so much about. Learning to turn the tube was a little interesting, but I got the hang of it. Started fishing and in about 45 minutes time managed to land two 2.5 - 3 lb largemouths. I am definitely hooked.....this was fun, even in the wind.
I took an assessment of the entire trip and the worse thing was I left my Palm Treo smartphone in a ziplock baggie in a daypack in the trunk. The bag got wet, I didn't know the ziplock had opened and now the phone doesn't work. Trying to dry it out now.
I foresee tipping over or having some mishap at some point....I suppose I want everything on the tube to float. I coiled up a pool noodle inside the daypack....I hope that will give it flotation. Need a rod holder....first aid kit...dry bag or something to keep my equipment dry....a handy place for my water bottle....an ANCHOR!!!! .....surely this would have been handy in the wind. And one of those collapsible wire fish baskets done up with a pool noodle just like in TubeDude's picture. A sports strap for my eyeglasses. Don't know if I like the fins or not. They are the Creek Company lightweight fins, very stiff and made of plastic, not rubber.
Nonetheless, this was way fun and I can't wait to get out there again, perhaps this evening in one of the closer (smaller) lakes.
Would love it if any one had any solutions to my laundry list of problems. I'm sure the answers are all here already.....so I'll keep reading old posts.
djazzbass
a bass playin' bass fisherman
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congrats on getting out and catching fish. I just caught my first fish a few weeks ago. Haven't caught anything since. The lakes are too weedy around here to get out in the water. I really enjoy the tubing, but this doesn't seem to be a good area of the country for it. Sounds like you had fun though.
Jason
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I foresee tipping over or having some mishap at some point...
Since it is a Fish Cat #4 you got, I can't ,in my wildest imagination, forsee you tipping over that tube.
I actually tried again yesterday to side tip.my Fish Cat. I'm just not fast or nimble enough to get it even close to tipping..
I carry my camera and phone in the back of one of the pockets, and just carefull not to get it wet.
There are lots of rod holders by the masters of PVC in the pictures and archives. ole giller
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Tipping over-maybe if you are 8 feet tall and 500 lbs [  ]
I got myself once in a storm with about 2 feet waves and
NO WAY I felt like tipping over (super fat cat).
Dont worry about that ,its not goin to happen in your
tube, maybe in a small donut tipe of tube.
Peter
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I bought a folding anchor that holds my pontoon many years ago. Don't know about the others here, but I havent used an anchor much. Seems like if the wind is so strong, then you need 2 to hold position and keep from swinging around. Control is compromised with an anchor, so you may find yourself facing the wrong way- into the sun or wind or away from fighting fish. Also, waves will tend hit your tube like a fixed wall and splash up, soaking everything. Something else to tangle up, carry or lose overboard.
Pon
[quote djazzbass]Got my FishCat 4 about a week ago, then got my fins and pfd yesterday. Went out early this morning to Cheney Reservoir near Wichita. It was fairly windy and Cheney is known for its wind, sailboaters love it. Went to the north side of the lake in the Red Bluffs area the water was acceptably calm to me, but certainly not ideal. Managed to get my tube afloat without the comedy I have heard so much about. Learning to turn the tube was a little interesting, but I got the hang of it. Started fishing and in about 45 minutes time managed to land two 2.5 - 3 lb largemouths. I am definitely hooked.....this was fun, even in the wind.
I took an assessment of the entire trip and the worse thing was I left my Palm Treo smartphone in a ziplock baggie in a daypack in the trunk. The bag got wet, I didn't know the ziplock had opened and now the phone doesn't work. Trying to dry it out now.
I foresee tipping over or having some mishap at some point....I suppose I want everything on the tube to float. I coiled up a pool noodle inside the daypack....I hope that will give it flotation. Need a rod holder....first aid kit...dry bag or something to keep my equipment dry....a handy place for my water bottle....an ANCHOR!!!! .....surely this would have been handy in the wind. And one of those collapsible wire fish baskets done up with a pool noodle just like in TubeDude's picture. A sports strap for my eyeglasses. Don't know if I like the fins or not. They are the Creek Company lightweight fins, very stiff and made of plastic, not rubber.
Nonetheless, this was way fun and I can't wait to get out there again, perhaps this evening in one of the closer (smaller) lakes.
Would love it if any one had any solutions to my laundry list of problems. I'm sure the answers are all here already.....so I'll keep reading old posts.
djazzbass
a bass playin' bass fisherman[/quote]
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[quote pontoonman]I bought a folding anchor that holds my pontoon many years ago. Don't know about the others here, but I havent used an anchor much. Seems like if the wind is so strong, then you need 2 to hold position and keep from swinging around. Control is compromised with an anchor, so you may find yourself facing the wrong way- into the sun or wind or away from fighting fish. Also, waves will tend hit your tube like a fixed wall and splash up, soaking everything. Something else to tangle up, carry or lose overboard.
Pon
Anchor is a love and hate tipe of thing.[ ]
It will cause wave splashing, its heavy,tangle, carry........
But it can also make it easy to stay in one place.
You just have to try and see ...........
Peter
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Okay, the anchor will hold you in one place (hopefully as that is the idea behind it) But it doesn't make you RIGID. You just ride the waves. What is the WALL thing about?
I agree with Pete about the love - hate. I can see the use of an anchor to slow the drift down on rivers, but it also can damage the river bottom.
My Hubby loves his anchor, I prefer the feet.
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A good solution for storing your phone, camera, keys, etc. is a waterproof storage box. There are these nice ones that are available at sporting goods stores made by a brand calle Pelican (I think). But for less than half the price there are some at Walmart. Don't remember the brand, but they're tinted blue. Since you rarely even get the box wet, I think they're more than adequate. The one I have is fairly large but still fits in the pocket of my ODC 420.
And whenever I do need to bring something that doesn't fit in the box, I put it in not one but TWO ziploc bags. That way, I seal both bags and I have two layers of protection.
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Right on. I have a couple of these;
![[Image: waterproofcontainer.jpg]](http://i44.photobucket.com/albums/f17/FlyGoddess/waterproofcontainer.jpg)
I have a Razor and it fits perfect in one. I also have an Olympus Stylus Camera that is NOT waterproof and it fits in the other case.
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