The good the bad and the ugly Trevor Hawkins discusses the benefits and pitfalls of these unique fishing platforms.
There’s no denying that watercraft of any description open up areas to anglers that just can’t be fished by wading or shore bound fishers. Fishing around structure from every angle, fishing that magic five-metre zone, targeting windlanes, thick cover or extremely steep forested shorelines are all possibilities when you have access to a boat, kayak or float tube.
Float tubes are a great lightweight and relatively inexpensive alternative for anglers wanting to explore areas where boats are too big, cumbersome or noisy to gain access, or where kayaks may be simply be too heavy andto pack in.
Float tubes for the most part are very affordable, lightweight and extremely portable. They offer the opportunity for anglers who would traditionally wade fish slow rivers and lakes (often remote) to get into (and onto) a ‘fishing platform’ for a modest outlay and without the costs, storage and transportation dramas of boats and kayaks.
Float tubes aren’t for everyone of course, anglers who are considering making a purchase of one of these craft should consider the following before ‘taking the plunge’ and handing over their hard earned dollars.
Float tubes are traditionally used for fishing small ponds, remote tarns, sheltered bays on larger lakes and sluggish rivers. They’re perfect for fishing waters that can’t be reached by vehicles towing trailers etc. Think sluggish, remote bass rivers and remote trout tarns, and you’re on the money with these craft. That’s not to say they aren’t suitable for boat or yak accessible waters, they are, but their real benefits come where they are used to access water that can only be reached by hiking.
Float Tubes-Pontoon Boats
This discussion is about float tubes, their good bad and ugly sides. Pontoon boats are the next step up from tubes and are a hybrid craft between tubes and kayaks. They aren’t discussed here other than to say they are generally more suited to use on faster water and larger expanses of water, and are more easily manoeuvred (less drag),have more fishing ‘friendly’ features and offer a higher seating position, which in turn offers greater ease of casting and superior visuals into and over the water.
For fishing larger and flowing waters there is no denying the benefits of pontoon boats, especially the backpackable versions.
Their downside is they take far longer to setup, are a lot heavier and cumbersome, and require more carrying and storage space. They’re also considerably more expensive. For all intents and purposes they are inflatable rowboats.
Anglers can always find an excuse why they need a craftthat’s bigger and faster etc. we seem good at that. But the real beauty of float tubes is their simplicity, lightweight and ease of use. Using a float tube is the equivalent to wet wading with only a single fly or lure box and lanyard around your neck! They are about as basic as it gets when you’re after something to get you out on the water, close to the fish and with the least amount of hassle as possible. They are simplicity themselves if you show some restraint when deciding what you need to access remote waters.
RIVERS
Float tubes are not designed for fastwater river fishing. If that’s your fishing intention then checkout sturdier pontoon boats, rafts, drift boats or kayaks/canoes.
Float tubes are great on sluggish, slow or no flowing rivers where there is little or no current that you have to fight to hold position. They are also great on snag infested native streams, again where there is little if any flow.
They are perfect for fishing many of the hard to access, virtually non-flowing coastal bass, EP and bream rivers, and small estuaries along the east and south coast
LAKES
Float tubes were initially designed for fishing small stillwater ponds and remote lakes. They’re not suited to take onto large open expanses of water where they can be at the mercy of strong winds and currents, they’re designed to move and poke about slowly on calmer water while an angler is fishing, they’re also not designed to track in one direction as would expect in pontoon boats or kayaks.
Having said that though, they are perfectly suitable for fishing small bays and protected inlets on larger waters. Some of the protected bays on Lake Jindabyne and Eucumbeneare ideal for tubing; Lake Tantangara I’d think twice about, it’s too open with few sheltered bays to keep out of the weather in my opinion. The key when it comes to selecting suitable waters is to make sure you’re not exposing yourself to the main arms of lakes where you can be caught out in strong winds and rough water.
Medium sized lakes like Penstock and Little Pine Lagoon in Tassie are perfect for float tubing, as are many others, but heading out onto open water like the Great Lake or Echo is a recipe for disaster.Some of the smaller estuaries down in east and west Victoria are ideal candidates for float tubes. It’s critical to consider where you’ll be fishing and have an exit plan if things do cut up rough. For instance Woods Lake in Tasmania isn’t overly large, and has some great structure opposite the boat ramp that would be fantastic for float tubing. But it would be a foolhardy person who tried to cross that lake in a tube! Mind you, taking a tube over on a boat and then accessing the treed shoreline with a tube makes a lot of sense and would be great fun. The same goes for the headwaters of some of the estuaries where even a kayak can be too much craft!
HEADING OFF THE GRID
Hiking into remote lakes and tarns, or slow flowing bass, or bream rivers is where these craft come into their own. Tasmania comes to mind, and particularly some of the western lakes from a trouties perspective. Many suitable waters are within an hour or so hike from a road in this region and carrying a packable float tube into some of these opens up some great fishing opportunities
OPTIONS
When considering what brand float tube would best suit your fishing needs, it’s critical to consider mostly where you’re likely to be using the craft. If the waters you intend to fish are accessible by car or 4WD then the weight of the tube and whether or not it has carry straps isn’t such a concern. If you’re intentions are to head bush and hike in with the tube on your back then, weight and carrying comfort is super critical.
If you’re intending to fish the bays and arms of larger lakes or bigger rivers then a more manoeuvrable pontoon boat is probably a better option. On the other hand, if you’re hiking into a backcountry tarn or remote, northern bass river miles from anywhere, a lightweight and simple float tube will be more the go.
Trevor is a Pro Staff member, Field Editor and illustrator for AFN publishing. He has over forty years fishing experience with flyfishing and light line lure fishing being his favourite angling methods. He also enjoys kayaking, hiking and AFL Football. He lives in Ballarat, Victoria.
