Shark VS Tarpon Video

[TubeDude]

[cool][#0000ff][url "http://www.wildcast.tv/play.php?vid=127"]HERE IS A LINK[/url] to a cool video posted by someone on the Utah board.[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]Another good reason for not tubing in open water off Florida...or many other shark infested spots.[/#0000ff]
[signature]

[zonker]

That's creepy. Salt water tubing is definitely not for me.

z~
[signature]

[tlspyder13]

That is a once in a lifetime trip.
[signature]

[macfly55]

I keep saying that but tn2 and bendo keep razzing me over it.. but I am sticking to my guns.. so far.. lol..

MacFly [cool]
[signature]

[Majja]

That was cool. To bad they did not have n underwater camera filming.
[signature]

[bwhitty]

Thats awesome! Yeah I think I'll keep the toon in more mellow waters[laugh]
[signature]

[TubeDude]

[cool][#0000ff]Be sure you watch out for the sabre-toothed carp on Utah Lake.[/#0000ff]
[signature]

[bwhitty]

How about tiger muskies? A guy I know told me I would be crazy if I fished for tigers with a toon because the teeth might pop the toons. I told him HE was crazy. Ever hear of that happening?

I aint sceered. I like a little adventure. (just not shark kind of adventure!)
[signature]

[TubeDude]

[cool][#0000ff]There have been LOTS of toothy critters successfully subdued from "floatation" craft...tubes and toons. I know of quite a few Utah tubers who have brought in tigers and northerns without damage to either themselves or their gear. But, as always, you need to be properly prepared to handle them with a good net, lip grippers and pliers to remove hooks.[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]Actually, the greater problem exists for the fish. For some reason members of the Esox family (pike and muskies) are wimps. They can't withstand too much stress or handling without going belly up. If you plan to release one you need to contol it as quickly as possible, keep it in the water if you can, and get the hook out fast for a successful release.[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]On the other hand, if you want to keep a pike for the table, you need to have a big fish basket or else take the fish back to your vehicle and into a cooler. DO NOT tow one around on a stringer. They may not do it on purpose, but all it takes is one chomp on your tube or your anatomy to do a lot of damage.[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]I have never heard of a tube or toon being sunk by a toothy critter. I have known of some to deflate after an encounter with fish spines...especially small catfish. The worst, however, are perch, bluegills and crappies. They are excellent at coming off the hook just as you are llfting them aboard...and just like buttered bread always falls butter side down...spiny fish always fall on your air chambers fins first.[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]Always be careful, but bad luck can happen.[/#0000ff]
[signature]

[macfly55]

...never thought of perch, bluegills, or crappies being a hazard to a tube.. but now I know..


MacFly [cool]
[signature]

[TubeDude]

[cool][#0000ff]Over my MANY years of tubing, I have had to repair several pinhole leaks in the air chambers of our tubes. Almost all of them have been the result of fish spines...either fish dropped onto the top surface of the tube or fish within landing nets or fish baskets being bounced against the side of a tube.[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]Fortunately (????) the pinhole leaks caused by fish spines do not result in a sudden great loss of air. You just kinda notice that your cover is getting wrinkles...and that your elbows are dipping into the water. Unless you are way offshore, you usually have plenty of time to kick your way back into shallower water where you can get out and salvage your gear...if not your dignity.[/#0000ff]
[signature]

[macfly55]

...good info to know.. thank you.. I hope I never get into that situation but if I do I hope I can stay calm enough to get my large frame into shallower water..

.. now as for dignity.. well first time out I tried to walk into shore.. forward.. and found out quickly that does not work well with fins on.. since then I have learned back into the water.. back out of the water.. saves a lot of embarassment... :-)

MacFly
[signature]

[TubeDude]

[cool][#0000ff]You cannot officially claim to be a tuber until you have undergone the ritual of first launching. Even with someone coaching you, it seems that newbie tubers have to find out for themselves that there are things you must do...or not do...and that it is not easy to walk while wearing fins and maneuvering a loaded down craft.[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]I have helped "initiate" quite a few new recruits to the world of floatation fishing over the years. I can't tell you how many times I have wished that I would have been able to video the ordeal. Then again, I have probably lived as long as I have because I have not had footage or pictures of these events to show other people.[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]But, that is all part of the treasure chest of memories we build up...of both the successes and the flops. As long as we don't lose the ability to laugh at ourselves we can enjoy them. It is when we take ourselves and our sport too seriously that we quit having fun.[/#0000ff]
[signature]

[macfly55]

..my only concern when launching for the first time (yes I was walking backward) was that the tube would "squirt" out from under me much like a prankster would pull a chair away as you are sitting down.. once I successfully completed that I was feeling okay..

but.. a morning on the water.. being tired from that.. and not thinking I had a little more trouble getting back to shore.. getting out of the tube was not the problem.. it was walking .. or should I say. .trying to walk the rest of the way in..

.. even though tn2 and dr tried to help.. they were hampered in doing this by the amount of laughing they were doing at the time.. and like you said.. is best to laugh at yourself.. live and learn from the mistake.. than to get upset over getting a little bit wet..

Ill never forget the memories of that first time in a tube.. and hopefully I can pass these stories on to my grandchildren in the future..

MacFly [cool]
[signature]