body boarding fins

[DH_tubinjoe]

I have always used body boarding fins when float tubing. I have always kept up with my friends that have the caddis float tube fins. is there anything wrong with using the body boarding fins, or is just one of those "whatever works" kind of thing????
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[TubeDude]

[cool]Hey, Joe, I'm an old "son of the beach". I got the tee shirt to prove it. I have done my share of body surfing, as well as tube fishing.

For me, when I was younger, the best body surfing fins were whatever I could afford...or find in the surf after they had been torn off someone else. We have a lot more choices of styles, types and colors today, but basically a surfing fin is designed to provide extra propulsion and control in the suds without being too big and cumbersome. Too big in the blade and the tumbling surf catches the fin more...and it is almost impossible to walk in.

Tubing fins should be just the opposite...the largest blades you can operate without getting a muscle spasm or hernia. An ideal tubing fin will have a blade at least 12 to 16 inches beyond the end of the foot pocket. It will be stiff enough to provide good propulsion, but flexible enough that it is not fatiguing. With surfing fins, you kick hard and fast. Tubing fins are usually operated with long slow kicks, to maintain position or to drag bait slowly across the bottom.

Like everything else in fishing...and other areas of life...it is a matter of personal preference. But, if you are able to try some longer bladed fins, I think you will decide they are more comfortable and more efficient for a full day of fishing than the surfing fins.

We have had several past threads on different kinds of fins. The Caddis fins are a good choice for most float tube fishermen. They are affordable, light and they float if they come off. It is possible to spend way too much on fins, but you should go for fit, comfort and overall efficiency, more than just looking at the price tag.
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[aquaman]

i just bought a float tube and am starting out with a old set of "surf fins" the one i have are different there called duck feet fairly long a little narrower then most tube fins i figure i'd just start with them and see how they work

chris
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[DH_tubinjoe]

I used those for quite awhile. mine were cut to be shorter. I do not recommend cutting them though. I didn't like how those ones were made. especially when bodyboarding. there is markings from the manufacturer on the inside top. when I used them those markings dug out holes in my feet. they really hurt. I had to get rid of the. the markings didnt bother me with my waders on.





joe
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[DH_tubinjoe]

I was actually going to buy some float tubing fins, but I am broke! my pockets are dry! so that is not a possibility right now. I probably will, in the future, invest in a set of tubing fins.

thanks



joe
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[aquaman]

the one i have are over 20 years old with no markings on top i'm amazed at how good of shape they are in after all the years

chris
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[DH_tubinjoe]

wow. I didnt know they made them back then. what brand are they. the ones I had were made by voit but were called duck feet.


joe
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[aquaman]

i'll have to get back to you on that i'm stuck at work right know but i think they just might be voits mine are about 1/3 black on top rest blue sound like yours ?

chris
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[DH_tubinjoe]

yep. that is the exact description.






joe
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[aquaman]

well like i said i'm stuck at work dont recall any marks on top though dont remember them hurting my feet i'm trying them out with my tube for the first time monday wish me luck

chris
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[TubeDude]

[cool]Here's a pic taken in 1978, with some old Voit fins. They are pretty patriotic color and were very heavy stiff rubber. They worked, but I got leg cramps every time I spent too much time in them.



In the early years of diving and float tubing, Voit and Cressi were about the only two decent choices for fins. Today there are about ten or twelve major manufacturers and a lot of stuff that comes in from "offshore" discount brands.

As I have said before, whatever pushes your tube is okay, but for comfort, efficiency and maximum propulsion, you should save your money until you can get some fins that treat you right. A good pair will last many years. The set of Plana Avantis I just retired were almost 20 years old. I used them far more than most anglers would have, and they still have some good use left in them. On the other hand, I have seen some cheapies that fell apart after one or two years.

The important thing is to get something on your feet and get out in the water. Ain't no fins that will help you catch fish until you get 'em wet.
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[DH_tubinjoe]

haha....mine were really stiff too because I cut about 3 inches off of the end of them.

I guess in 1978 there wasn't a limit on the 'gills either huh?[]



joe
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[TubeDude]

[cool]There was a limit of 20 then, in Pelican Lake, Utah, where those 'gills came from. The pic is not a good one, and you can't count the fish well, but I don't think there were even 20 on that stringer. Those were just a few of the more than 100 I caught in a morning's outing. I have had days there when I caught over 200...all on flies...in a full day of fishing.

For a northern state, the bluegills are decent sized in Pelican...averaging over 1/2 pound and regularly exceeding a pound. It is a shallow lake full of weeds and reeds...an ideal habitat for both the 'gills and some nice largemouths. It's probably one of the best lakes I have ever fished for being able to take a tubing and fly-fishing rookie out for the first time and have them catch lots of fish.

I think the limit on bluegills today, from Pelican, is only 10. The good news is that most serious anglers go there for the sport and not the table. One thing that helps discourage everyone from keeping a lot of the bluegills is the parasitic white worms that are in the flesh of many fish taken from Pelican. They are harmless (when cooked), and are easily removed from the fillets with the point of a knife, but finicky folks would rather not get involved.

Pelican is also INFAMOUS for harboring the swimmers' itch parasite, which attacks the bare skin of swimmers and waders that do not wear waders. It is also a long drive from the major population centers of Utah, so it really does not get the severe pressure it would probably get if it were located nearer to the larger cities.
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[dh_tubinaaron]

[cool] i want a white float tube!!! LOL

Old Skool!

Aaron
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[TubeDude]

[cool]Hey, my young friend, don'tcha know ya gotta be a virgin to wear white? Oh, maybe that is just for weddings.

That tube was a FishMaster, made by a company in Oklahoma. It was one of the first commercially made float tubes...and the company still makes float tubes and accessories today. Here is their website:

[url "http://www.fishmastermfg.com/"]http://www.fishmastermfg.com/[/url]

Actually the craft was not white. It was a light grey. The cover was a plasticized cloth. The zippers were heavy aluminum. They were tough, but they corroded in salt water. Pockets were minimal, and the crotch strap had an interlocking metal snap, for one of the first quick-release buckles.

FishMaster also made both a regular sized tube...for a 20" truck tube...and a large model for "heavyweight" anglers up to 300#...that took a 22" tube. While crude by today's standards, they were light years ahead of the home made tubes I had been using for several years before I bought my first one. They still sell a few tubes...mostly to poorly informed rookies who do not know enough to look for some of the more modern enhancements.

But, as we have established on this forum..."Whatever floats your tube".
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[EmuScud]

Ahhhhhhh, the joys of Pelican Lake! I do wish it was closer, then again, it wouldn't be the fishery it is if it were. Lots of fun on a light weight flyrod!

ES
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