Tube packing ideas

[Tappy]

Hey ya'll I got my FC4 in the mail today (yay!) and am planning on taking it on its first trip tomorrow after work. After configuring everything I'm trying to put together the best way to pack it into my mid-size car. So far the best idea I have come up with is folding the tube sections over and latching the D-rings on each pontoon side together, connecting them to the carrying handle and transporting it like a briefcase. How do you usually pack up yours for a trip to the lake?

On a side note I was wondering where those of you without rod holders place your rod during launch? Guess I'm in for a little experimenting tomorrow afternoon [laugh]
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[flygoddess]

Mine are very long and wide. We put my old mans pontoon on the roof of a Chev pick-up (Yakama) and deflate mine and pull the tips of each pontoon to the midle of the frame (criss cross) and bungie them (I also have rings at the tips of my pontoons). Or we have a flat bed trailer is I haul them with my Suzuki. But them my Suzuki is a little over 13' long and my pontoon is 11 1/2' so a trailer is the wiser answer.
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[Saberfish]

[black][size 3]Deflate and fold seems to be the usual method of transporting them. Let us know how it turns out.[/size][/black]
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[tubeN2]

I also like to partially deflate or fully deflate mine. If I am going to put it in a trunk, fully deflated works best. With the heat out there, I also leave the valves partially loose.[cool]
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[Majja]

If I am taking my car I pretty much have to fully deflate them, when I am in my truck i just partially deflate them. As far as all my PVC that is why I am currently using zip ties to attach it. When I get the system I am happy with I will use velcro cable ties.

As for the rod on launch I just place 2 in the vertical rod holders and 1 in the Scotty strap on rod holder.
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[flygoddess]

Keep in mine he mentioned PONTOONS so I am assuming he has a frame also.[cool]
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[Majja]

That is true. I just assumened that the FC4 was the float tube. Maybe Luke72 will chime in. But if not he starps his 9ft Trout Unlimited to the top of his car partially inflated. I will get a couple of pics of it on friday and post them.
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[Tappy]

Woohoo just got back from the lake a little while ago after my first float trip. I was only out for a few hours so I offer you Tappy: first impressions in short pictorial format.


I arrived at Little Dixie Lake in the heart of Missouri late afternoon. After packing, unpacking, and carrying all my gear looking like a one man band to a suitable launch point I set myself afloat.


I found that after about 10 minutes of kicking around the cove immediately next to my launch point that maneuvering became easy and I was starting to get the hang of the "controls" so to speak. I was surprised that the seat was low enough to keep my bum wet, which oddly enough was pleasantly cooling. Overall I felt very stable and pointed myself to my favorite spot.


After a 15 minutes kick fest I could finally see my favorite cove. The forecast had called for scattered showers, however the weather couldn't have been nicer. 79 Degrees, partly cloudy with a slight breeze from the west.


Things are starting to get exciting as I get ready to place my first cast. Fish are literally breaking the water 5 feet from my tube and the days festivities begin.


After a few casts I land a small largemouth who was hanging out on the bottom in some light brush. Slot limit on this lake 12-15" so he goes back to join his friends. After this guy things slow down a bit, I miss a handful of bites on a carolina rigged craw but things are looking hopeful.



Finally some dinner [cool]. This channel gave up a good fight despite his small stature, I remembered reading that being lower to the water in a tube makes the fight seem harder, boy ain't that the truth. Following the cat I play around for another hour or so until I decide it's time to start thinking of heading back, one more lure change. While tying on a top water bug something large and uninvited bumps into my legs and I change my mind and figure now is a good time to head home.


In summary I had an absolute blast despite the lack of landed fish. Any fish is a good fish though. It's a strange and exhilarating feeling being right ON the water. The catfish was delicious, all I need to do now is find a better way to carry everything from my car to the lake.

On a side note, as far as carrying the tube goes I picked up some D-ring clasps and used them to hold the plastic D-rings on the side of each air bladder (bad vocab choice earlier). It worked out great as the rings inner diameter was just larger than the butt of my rod so it made a strange but usable temporary rod holder.


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[flygoddess]

Sorry Majja I guess you had it right. I should have looked up the tube, my bad. I hear Pontoon and I think frame and toons.
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[toober]

Nice report, Tappy! Sounds like you really enjoyed your first outing. Fighting the fish from your tube gets easier after a while as you learn how to let your gear do more work for you. Still, when you hook into a good one, it can get pretty exciting... especially if a fish starts to dive right under you. [laugh]

toober
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[Majja]

No issues FG. As always we are just human and mistakes are made. Are you guys going out anywhere this weekend?

Sorry for the hijack. Great report and Glad to here the first float treated you well. I can not see any of the pics (i am at work) but do you cut or break the barbs off of the cats? Something TD taught me is when you catch them either cut, or break the barbs before placing in the basket or on a stringer, this will help keep accidental punctures. I look forward to seeing tour pics when I get home.

Majja
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[IrishFloatTube]

[reply]
.... when you hook into a good one, it can get pretty exciting... especially if a fish starts to dive right under you. [laugh]

toober [/reply]

Try to keep the fish at a distance.
A direct down attitude can cause line breakage (not enough line to stretch and shock absorb) or even a hang-up in fins or fin straps.

If you find yourself directly over the fish, try moving a short distance away, and the side strain will encourage the fighting fish to make a (safer) run away in mid-water, with fewer lost fish over a season's fishing.

The direct down dive can be avoided in the first place if you move away a little distance on a parallel course, and when he feels side strain he will pull away, running, rather than diving down.
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[toober]

Thanks for the tips! I actually learned some of this the hard way, but not all of it. I will try to employ them next time I'm out.

How would you handle an unexpected dive? I recently brought a nice Northern Pike in close for unhooking because I thought he was finished. As I was reaching for him, he went nuts and started diving like crazy. I still managed to land him eventually, but it was definitely exciting.

toober
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[IrishFloatTube]

Just fin away a bit to counter the "two of us drawing closer" effect.

Also ... dont raise the rod much when the fish is very close, the upwards vertical pull makes it want to dive down under your feet to get away from the upwards pull .

A sideways rod will make the fish run away without diving ... unfortunately it will also accentuate the rotation effect of the tube, so you should not only backpedal, but also counter the tendency to turn caused by the lower sideways rod's pull.

The best tube control maneuvers for a fight with a big fish are very similar to the boat control techniques of an experienced marlin fishing boat skipper... a correct positioning of the rod's pull can avoid excessively long runs, or excessively deep dives.

For example: Avoid pulling from right behind a freshly hooked fish - it causes a long fast shallow run with a dangerous jump at the end when the line is submerged, causing a break - instead cruise to the side in a parallel course to the fish, then the runs are slower, shorter, and change direction often, preventing escessive loss of line.
Don't bring it too close too soon - greater length of line between you adds shock absorbtion for when head shaking begins.
When far away raise the rod to get line free of the water's grip, but when close lower the rod to get a side pull and get the fish to move away again to a safer distance.
And so on ...

You will find that doing all this (if you choose to do it!) will make a lengthy fight of a big tube caught fish into an energetic affair. []
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[toober]

Yesterday I went fishing with a couple of friends in a rented boat. I used the sideways pressure technique you talked about, and managed to land both of the pike that I hooked. My buddy didn't listen to what I told him, and lost both of his pike right at the end when they dove straight down under the boat... too bad, because one of them was at least 3 feet long.

Thank you for the tips. I'm sure they'll be even more useful in a tube.

toober