Lurking No More

[zonker]

I've been browsing your forum for a couple of weeks now. You guys have done a great job. I really appreciate the helpfulness and willingness to share that is seen by the regulars here.

I've been tubing since the mid 80s, having started out in one of the early Caddis donuts. I've used a pontoon boat for about ten years and only recently have gone back to the tube since I have access to a number of small private trout lakes. Up until I started reading your forum I was fishing out of a Caddis Navigator IV. Fly fishing is my passion. Living in the Northwest I also like to fish for Steelhead and Salmon, though not from a tube.

I was so enthused when I began reading your site that I decided to look around for another tube (My grandson is using the Caddis) and at the advice of many on this site, I bought a Fishcat 4. I'm very pleased with the quality and function of this boat. I mounted my old trusty Fishin' Buddy II on it (I've had it for a long time.) I also tricked it out by adding a clone of one of Tubedude's horizontal rod racks. Holds three fly rods, one with floating line, one with intermediate, and one with a fast sinking line. No more restringing the rod while I'm fishing. I'm looking forward to getting it out on the water soon.

Thanks for putting together such a helpful forum. If Tubedude ever gets around to publishing that book of his, I want to be one of the first to buy it.

Here's a shot of my new tube and rod rack:



Best regards,

zonker
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[tubeN2]

Welcome aboard zonker. We are all glad to have a new tubing member. I like the look of your craft. It is the same make and model that I have.

It is a really good craft. Please feel free to post some fishing reports from time to time and share any ideas with us that you may have.

We all learn from each other.[cool]
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[TubeDude]

[cool][#0000ff]My my. You don't mess around do ya? Jump right in and got all the tricks down already. [/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Welcome. Glad you like our little playroom. And, thanks for sharing the pic of your ride. Looks like you got some good advice "somewhere". That horizontal rod holder really makes sense if you are strictly waving the fairy wand. Really helps reduce the potential problems with "wandering line". Whenever you are casting in a breeze, you don't need upright rods grabbing on your errant line.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]I like your name. I make both flies and jigs from bunny fur. Can't beat a big meaty looking fur fly for big fish...trout or nontrout.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]I lived in Sacramento for a few years and fished all up and down the west coast...salmon, steelhead, stripers, sturgeon, shad...and a lot of fish that did not begin with "S". [/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]I did well drifting down the Sacramento River in a tube, and in fishing the "tidewaters" of some of the big salmon rivers, like the Eel. In the early fall, before the rains washed out the bar and let the water rip downstream, there were usually lots of salmon and steelhead stacked up in the slack water. A cartop pram, tube or toon was about the only way to get out to the channel, where most of the fish seemed to stay. Much fun, while watching the waders flail the water without much success.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]It will probably be at least a year before I put my book to bed, once and for all, and get it into print. In the meantime, if you will PM me your email address, I will send you a list of the chapters and a few to read through.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]By the way, if you started tubing in the 80's, you are still a rookie. I started in the late 50's, from an inner tube without a cover. I made my own covers until they finally began producing them commercially. Like yourself, I spent a lot of time in a "donut" and I used up several Caddis craft. [/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Nobody has appreciated the explosion of "open ended" tubes more than me. There are not many times, while launching or beaching, that I do not reflect back upon how much of a pain it was to get in and out of the old donut dinghies.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]This year TubeBabe and I are going to conduct some "R & D" on both pontoons and GPS systems. Once that is finished, and the results recorded in the proper places in "the book", I will finish up the formatting and the pics and put it to bed.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]I am happy that somebody actually reads and appreciates the stuff we put up on this forum. I sure wish that I had access to some of this during the years while I was thrashing around out there by myself...the first tuber on many waters, for sure. It has really been gratifying to see the growth of our sport over the past few years. [/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Again, welcome aboard, and we look forward to your contributions.[/#0000ff]
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[zonker]

Thanks for responding, guys.

TubeDude, I lived in Redding for a good portion of my early life so I know the Upper Sac fairly well, both above and below the dams. Caught Trout, Salmon, Squawfish, and a few Steelhead there. I also spent two years in the city of Sacramento. Those were good days. I cut my fishing teeth on Shasta with my first bass coming on a bobber and worm out of my grandpa's boat when I was three. That was 51 years ago. I'm in Sweet Home, Oregon now - still as much of a fishing nut as ever. We have a summer run of Steelhead about 6000 fish strong that goes by about 500 feet from my front door on the S. Santiam. I catch a few of 'em.

Yeah I guess I am still a tubing rookie. Hard to compete with greybeards who started in the 50's.[] As a kid in my teens I remember getting an old inner tube and trying to rig it up with a straddle strap. My mom put the kabosh on it. She wouldn't let me go out in it because she figured I would drown. "Who ever heard of a goofy idea like floating around in an inner tube trying to fish?" she told me. Had she only known.[sly]

I looked at some of your jigs in one of the other forums. Nice. I fish jigs for Steelhead, under handmade foam and balsa floats. Deadly method for summer fish. I tie and pour my own jigs as well. I've been a tackle tinkerer for as long as I can remember. Flytying, lure making, rod building, lead pouring - all the typical stuff, plus anything else I can learn. Modifying a float tube is right up my alley. Your ideas are top-notch. I hope you do get that book out. I have all the standard books on float tubing and have read them cover to cover. Most offer the basics. You've gone farther than anyone else I have ever seen. This is the best tubing info I know of.

I will indeed PM you with my address. I'd love to see some of your manuscript. You are very generous to offer. Who knows. Maybe I can toss you a few ideas to put in.

You mentioned GPS. I've been using my handheld GPS for locating and marking schools of Kokanee Salmon on a local lake (another passion). Haven't used it from the tube yet but its only a matter of time. Most of my tubing has been done in relatively shallow water trouting so finding and marking fish electronically isn't as much of a big deal in that venue.

As for the usefullness of the material on this forum and people actually reading it, be assured that it is read and used. While I haven't yet read every post, I'm sure that I soon will have. I especially read and re-read the good ones, picking up subtle clues that will help me in my types of fishing. I'm particularly interested at the moment in utilizing TubeBabe's rigid stripping apron idea. I'll be over at WalMart today or tomorrow, going through the plastic container section to find a lid that fits the FishCat 4.

Thanks for your hard work and the obvious love you have for this sport. I figure I'll be both a reader and contributor in the time to come.





zonker
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[TubeDude]

[cool][#0000ff]You live in one of my favorite parts of the country. I had a friend that lived in Keiser (Salem) and we made a few trips past your town back in to Green Peter reservoir and back into Quartzville Creek. Not much but planted bows, but did some productive gold panning too.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]I have fished almost the entire length of the Willamette, from the Eugene area to Oregon Falls. I have also spent a lot of time along the Alsea and Nestucca Rivers, with some time on the Wilson, Trask, Rogue, etc. I have had some good times with the stripers along the coast, on the Smith, and love the underfished smallmouth and shad up there.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Do you ever get over to fish the largemouth lakes around Florence? And, in case you haven't tried it, there are some backwaters along the Willamette, between Salem and Portland, that have some great bassin' too.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]I have been tying flies since I was 7 years old, in Idaho. I have been pouring and painting jigs since I lived in Sacramento in the early 70's. Have been building rods since my days on the party boats in Southern Cal, in the late 60's. I make all kinds of spoons, spinner baits, buzzbaits and regular spinners. I make some weighted spinner lures by pouring wire into jigheads and adding blades and beads too.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Naturally, I have "accumulated" a few goodies, in order to keep well supplied for all of my vices. Here are a couple of pics of my main wall in my "office".[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Hope you are able to find a suitable "sushi board" for a flyline apron. I think you will appreciate the rigid apron. In fact, you may even consider cutting down one of the shallow plastic containers to provide higher sides. I used to wear one of those for shooting line while wading on the American and other California waters. I used a lot of shooting heads for shad, steelhead and salmon. The "line bucket" helped keep the line out of the water and it shot through the guides much better on the cast. I am sure that it would work as well on the tube. That's the one thing about the Outcast line that I have not liked is the apron.[/#0000ff]
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[zonker]

Wow! Those pics sure tell a lot about what makes a guy's motor turn. I suspect, if I gathered all my stuff into one place, I'd be somewhere near the same level of obsession. (Not sure I want my wife to see it all in one place though, if you know what I mean.)[]

I fish Green Peter Reservoir quite often. I chase the numerous Kokanee that it holds rather than the planted rainbows. Limit is still 25 fish and they are excellent table fare. Usually troll with a boat or do the vertical jigging thing.

Alsea, Nestucca, Wilson are all places I fish. Seldom get to the Rogue. Haven't fished the Trask. Since I haven't pursued Bass very much in this state I haven't fished the Florence area. Maybe there are some things I should know about there?

I have fished the many sloughs and backwaters along the Willamette. Many pleasant surprises reside there.

I picked up a couple of different size "sushi boards" today to try. Also a ported basket to try for a stripping basket. Any improvements in the apron area will be welcomed on the Outcast.

Thanks for the great encouragement that you make available to others.

zonker
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[Dryrod]

[center][cool][/center][center][font "Poor Richard"][green][size 4]Give me a break there TubeDude - I thought that you were taking us on a tour of your local BassPro shop. Wow - I never seen so much fishing goodies in one place before. I am really impressed![/size][/green][/font][/center]
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[TubeDude]

[cool][#0000ff]Hey Ted, I actually DO own stock in Bass Pro Shops (and Cabelas, and Janns, and Barlows, and Hook & Hackle, etc.).[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]They just never send the stock certificates or the dividends.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]You can never be too rich, too thin or have too much fishin' stuff.[/#0000ff]
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[cat_man]

[cool]HA! I've seen tackle shops that are not as well stocked as your tackletorium Pat![cool]
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[TubeDude]

[cool][#0000ff]All things come to he who waits...as long as while he waits he works like hell.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]You will make it Kevin.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]How's the new place?[/#0000ff]
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[cat_man]

I'm really enjoying it, thank you! Still have to get a window covering for the Living Room window and work the kinks out of my home wireless network, but other than that everything is up and running -- and so is my son. It seems all he wanted before he decided to start crawling was enough space to actually do it in. Now it's a full time job keeping him from destroying anything within arms reach! Loads of fun! []

I want to get him started fishing this summer. My wife wants to get him one of those dumb mickey mouse or spiderman or whatever fishing poles. I'd prefer a just a short "real" setup, but whatever will get us out on the water will work for me!
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[EmuScud]

Welcome Zonker! It's nice to have another tuber on here. I am primarily a flyboy myself. I have learned more in the past year about fishing by hanging around BFT and Tubedude than all of the time spent pouring over magazines and articles.

I also opted for the horizontal rack (see attachment) . . .

I look forward to your posts!
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[tubeN2]

As you can see, my tube is identical to yours. I also have the horizontal rod rack. Mine is mounted at a slant and holds up to 6 rods.[cool]


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[zonker]

EmuScud,

Thanks for the welcome. I can understand what you're talking about with the learning. I've been pouring over this site and have learned more about tubes here than anywhere or in any book. These guys have it wired.

TubeN2,

Yeah, I noticed the similarity between your tube and mine. You have very good judgment. Now if I could just figure out how to mount one of those 10 lb. LMBs in my left hand, I'd be right up there with you.[]

I have my rigid apron finished. Now I'm working on the fish finder. I have an old Fishin' Buddy II with a tube holster that I've had for about 10 years and used on previous tubes. I also have a Humminbird Matrix 37 on my 14 foot aluminum Smokercraft boat. Can't decide whether I want to stick with the Buddy and holster, get another mount and ducer for the Matrix (about 90 bucks for a accessories plus a battery) or just go with the often mentioned Cuda 168 recommended by TubeDude.

Three weeks ago I couldn't even say "tricked out tube." Now I are one!

zonker
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[JapanRon]

Hey there,

Welcome and look forward to your contributions.

JapanRon
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