Tubin' for bass!

[Bassmaster-ND]

Hey guys, Here some pictures of me in my tricked out float tube (sonar coming) and some nice bass from last week. [center][inline TUBE1.jpg][/center] [center] [/center] [center]A nice 4+ pound bass caught drop shotting[cool][/center] [center] [/center] [center][inline TUBE2.jpg][/center] [center] [/center] [center]A nice 17" smallmouth caught on a jig and pig[cool][/center]
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[tubeN2]

It looks like you are thoroughly enjoying your craft. I'm glad it worked out for you. Keep the nice reports and pics coming as you have them.[cool]
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[hustler898]

Some nice Largies!!! Keep em coming[url "javascript: top.editor_iframe.addTag('')"][][/url].
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[TubeDude]

[cool][blue][size 2]Looks like you are gettin' the hang of it right nice.

I might suggest you loosen the connections on the rod rack to let your rods ride in more of a vertical position. That will reduce the chance of tangling your tackle or breaking a rod on a hookset. Keep the ones not being used totally out of harm's way.

Let us know if you need any more pics or assistance in getting your sonar rigged.

Next comes the 250 horse outboard, the bow mount trolling motor and the pedestal seats.
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[EmuScud]

Show off[]! Man those are some nice looking fish. If this weather (rain, soon to be snow) keeps up out in this part of the country, I'll be able to launch the tube in my back yard.

I'll just fish vicariously through you.
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[Bassmaster-ND]

[size 1]I've been meaning to get to loosening those ropes, just to lazy[]

I do have two questions about setting up sonar though. I bought the eagle cuda 168 on Saturday and the battery is on it's way. But my question is how long of pipe of pvc do I need to get the transducer working properly? How far should it be underneath the water?

And Second, how should I mount the display?
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[size 1]Thanks [/size]
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[Dryrod]

[cool][font "Californian FB"][#005000][size 3]Hey there Bassmaster-ND, Some nice looking bass caught by appropiately enough the BM-ND himself. Without stepping on the Mods feet over here attached find a setup that I have been using with my Cuda Eagle 168. Note that I can raise it up upon entering shallow water. If you need measurements I can send them along.[/size][/#005000][/font]

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[TubeDude]

[cool][#0000ff]I have a series of pics I took, showing how I cut the notch in the PVC and all that stuff. Shoot me a PM with your email address when you are ready and I will send you as much info as I can.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]The length on the PVC is whatever you want it to be, to get the job done without sticking up too high. As long as the transducer rides a few inches under the water, it will work fine.[/#0000ff]
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[Bassrdude_206]

Nice tube there dryrod how much would a setup on yours cost i might look in to doin that??
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[Dryrod]

[cool][font "Poor Richard"][size 3][#005000]Hey there Bassrdude_206 - I have a garage full of PVC pipe and fittings. Having moved so many times it seemed like I was always buying fittings to repair the sprinkler system at my new residence. A length of tubing will run you a couple of dollars whereas the elbows and other fittings are less than a dollar per copy or more for the larger diameter units. The chains and snaps I also had left over from a project. You will need in addition to the pvc pipe:
· 1 - 90º elbow
· 2 - 45º elbows
· 2 - end caps
· 1 – cross tee
· 1 – 3” straight connector

If I had to take a guess the cost would be around $10.00. Less if you have some of the goodies lying around your garage.

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[Bassrdude_206]

wow thanx ill keep in mind... one other thing how much are those eagle cuda 168 things?? i wouldnt mind havin one of those
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[Bassrdude_206]

[url "mailtok8boarder20624@yahoo.com"]sk8boarder20624@yahoo.com[/url] is my email adress thanx in advance
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[TubeDude]

[cool][#0000ff]Welcome aboard. Hope you are finding plenty to whet your appetite.[/#0000ff]
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[cool][#0000ff]Here are the 3 Eagle Cuda models, from Cabelas online catalog. The 168 is $99. The 168 EX is only $20 more, and is worth it, for the extra display size. You will also need a 12 volt SLA battery and charger.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]I was going to send you the pics of rigging the Cuda for installation, but I noticed that your email address is Yahoo. All the pics total over 1 MB in files, which will choke Yahoo, so I will post them here. See the attachments.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]The pics are not in sequence, but I think you can get the idea. Send me a PM (Private Message) if you need individual assistance.[/#0000ff]
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[Crappies]

Got my vex rigged up on my tube, does anyone vertically jig for bass out there? I do it in the winter and have pretty good success.
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[TubeDude]

[cool][#0000ff]We do a lot of vertical jigging out here. Many of our lakes are deep water reservoirs. The bass charge the banks for spawning in the spring, and hang around for awhile, depending on water temps and boat traffic. Then, they usually go deeper during the daytime and you need to find the humps and points over which they are suspending. [/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]The fish usually hit shallower again in the moderate temps of fall, but go deep for the winter. We fish them through the ice on some lakes and out over deep structure in open water. [/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]One of our best examples, in Utah, is Lake Powell. The bass are sometimes down to 60 or 80 feet at some times of the year. Without a good sonar and good vertical presentations, they would not be catchable by most fishermen.[/#0000ff]
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[Crappies]

60-80 feet deep, that's amazing. Most of our lakes here only get about 30 feet deep with some exceptions. Do alot of fish die from bringing them up from that deep or do u just reel them in really slow?
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[TubeDude]

[cool][#0000ff]The good news is that very few folks fish for the bass when they are that deep. The bass dummies don't know how, and the smart bassers try to avoid stressing them by bringing them up from too deep.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Yes, they do experience air bladder problems when brought up from depths over about 35 or 40 feet. If it is marginal, they can sometimes fight their own way back down until the pressure reduces the air bladder problem. If it is extreme, you either have to keep the fish or "fizz" it...poking a hole in the distended bladder to allow air to escape. Most folks agree that fizzing may help some fish to survive, but it undoubtedly results in death for others. Better to leave them alone until they come shallow in the spring.[/#0000ff]
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[Hunt4BigBucks]

Hey dryrod shoot me a pm with those measurments will ya? I have a setup for my fish finder but your setup might be worth trying. How do you mount your fishfinder on the tube, I can't tell from the pictures. I have an Eagle fishmark 320. THANKS
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[cat_man]

Hey TD FYI Yahoo now allows up to 10 MB in total message size. They've expanded that as well as their total storage capacity is now 250 MB to try and compete with Google Gmail.
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