Advice Sought: Float Tubes And Pontoon Boats

[Sage]

This will be my second full year of fly fishing (consider me an advanced beginner) who mostly fishes the Bow and currently from shore 100% of the time.

 

If I am considering a float tube or pontoon boat, what are the pluses and minuses of each?

 

Is it easy to pull out, stop and fish a run in them?

 

Do they often spring leaks?

 

High risk to buy pre-owned?

 

I'm thinking might be a way to access many spots that cannot be easily fished from shore or are inaccessible via walk & wade?

 

It" feels like" many of these are purchased, used once or twice and end up on kijiji; so I'm hoping to get some great insight (Good and Bad) from the forum.

 

Finally, I only have a small car which my also limit my options.

 

Advice appreciated.

 

 

 

 

[bcubed]

Well, remove float tube from the options unless you like the idea of having 50% of your body dragging underneath you as you float downstream.

While I've seen it done, it's hardly safe (or efficient).

[ÜberFly]

x2

Well, remove float tube from the options unless you like the idea of having 50% of your body dragging underneath you as you float downstream.
While I've seen it done, it's hardly safe (or efficient).

[skronkin]

did the belly boat once and was scared shitless.......never again....bought a pontoon last year and only had it out once but is way better....now just need someone to float with to show me the ropes!!

 

KD

[jasonvilly]

I have a fishcat 9IR

 

extremely stable, easy to put together, so far no punctures or leaks, lots of storage, easy to row, added a small motor for lakes and battery.

 

Once you get used to it, you can have it built and on the river in less than 10 minutes.

 

Once broken down, it fits in the back of our subaru with no issues (albeit ours is a hatchback with fold down seats, but a trunk with fold down seats should be fine as well)

[murray]

Like the others have said, DO NOT USE A FLOAT TUBE on the river. I've had a pontoon for more than 10 years. Love it. Buying a used pontoon is not a problem for me. Just check it over good. If it leaks, find another one. Mine breaks down small enough that I can pack it in a small car. My view on fishing out of the pontoon is that it allows you to fish areas that you normally wouldn't be able to. After a little practice, you can get some very long drag free drifts in. It does get complicated when you latch on to a big fish and he wants to go north while the river is taking you south. I use fins and try to head to shore but I've lost lots of big ones while trying this too.

 

[Nachako]

Think of a float tube for the next faze of your fly fishing experience. Still water. Which is the way to go if you want to fish many of our Mountian and foothill lakes. It can be clipped to a pack and give you complete control of most small lakes.

[sallinger]

I highly recommend an air mattress.. Ultimate in relaxed fly fishing.. Lol.

[bowbonehead]

If you are doing moving water (ie rivers) you should have both oars and fins ideally.... fins help with minor boat control and can be removed when wading, quad pontoons are nice,float higher and safer but heavy to move by yourself

[Weedy1]

Get one of these and invite all of FFC.

 

[sallinger]

Party!

[Sage]

Thanks guys....air mattress or party tube it is!

[BurningChrome]

Party barge. Snap it!

[MattyTaylor]

Dibs a spot on the party barge. Dibs not undoing all the ensuing knots caused by a dozen forum members casting over each other. It should probably have a "streamers only" rule to really make it a party.