Northwest Fishing Reports

Does anyone Have any Pointers, or Know of some resources to get information about float tube fishing?
Bought My first tube last week, been on Ohop and Spanaway in pierce county with it. Both times out I spent the better part of a whole day 7+ hours and wasnt skunked but it was SUPER slow! Ohop was my motivation to even use it a 2nd time, caught 6 bows first 3 jumped off my lap when dehooked, then i mastered a way dehooking with them in the net, took three 14-15" inchers home. took a whole day of fishing with about hours without any hits.
I am not much a lure person simply because no one has ever showed me what to use or how to use it, bother other than lure i imagine theres only 2 other ways to fish from tube...top and bottom rite? I cant figure out how to fish bottom while im drifting around. Cant feel hits on loose line and cant tighten line without dragging it around the bottom probably spooking every fish for yards away??? So mainly the setup ive been using is worm and bobber and constantly changing leader lengths with each unsuccessful pass. Anyone please tell me more lol! Im open for all ideas!
Seems like I had more action on shore, Ive always had no trouble on a boat, trolling produces fish! cant do this on my floater!
Thanks in advance for any help and wishing everyone fun first then luck!
Mike.

Am not sure this is the right place for this topic but will answer anyways. We are not fishing for trout but we are a group of guys and gals fishing from float tubes. Come out and join us on Saturday ... http://www.washingtonlakes.com/forum/ya ... ishin.aspx

Also check out our site and join our boards as well ... http://www.psftc.com/boards. PM me if you have any questions.

Its funny you ask this after my fiascal on my toon last year.I went to lean to pick up a fish and fell in the lake.I couldnt get back in my toon seat.I had to kick to shore holding the toon rope in my mouth like a dog.Once I was where I could stand only then did I get back in. It looks easier then it is.

I am by no means an expert, but here is my $0.02

Still fishing:
Some people have little anchor setups to keep em still. If you are at a lake that isn't surrounded by houses, you can kick your way to a bank spot that is only accessable via the water. One lake I go to has this boulder that is just under the surface when the water is high, so I can cast from it.

Trolling:
If you are fishing with bait, I have had great success with a full nightcrawler. Start out with a hook and no weight. Then just thread the hook in the big end of the crawler and down the center of the body to about the middle (it is easier with a worm threader). This puts the top 1/2 of the crawler on your line, leave the bottom 1/4 to 1/2 dangling free. If you've done it right, when pulled slowly through the water the crawler will roll. Then toss it out, give it about 50' of line and start kicking. Being it is weightless, it will bounce along the bottom or (depending on how fast you kick) cruise just above it. If you want more bouyancy out of it, get a hypo needle or a worm blower and put some air into it.

Handling fish:
If you are releasing them, it is better to keep em in the water anyway (and not to use bait), but it sounds like you are playing for keeps, and have already figured out your way around that (net).

Lures:
Cruise around the lake reports & forums & jot down some of the lures people recommend or have used. Then take that to the tackle store and pick a few up to try. There are a ton out there, and everyone on this site has thier favorites, but if somebody were to ask me for a simple, quick mini starter kit, I'd probably tell em to pick up 3 Rooster Tails in yellow, flourecent green, & black.
I love the feel of a nice trout hitting a slow returned spinner!:cheers:

Gringo you got my mouth watering now for fishing.I love a hit on a spinner.

Tanks for all the replys guys, I realy appreciate it.
Going out early tomorrow with a bud on floaters gonna head south and hit a few spots, maybe Kapowsin, Ohop, alder, and whatever my buddy knows about up that way.
I'll post how weel or poor i do lol, thanks again!

Gringo summed it up pretty well.. but I just wanted to add that you can do everything in a float tube that you can do from shore, the only difference is that now you've got the whole lake to cover.

As was said,, get an anchor. You can go to a fly fishing store and get a fabric bag that you can add rocks to when you get to the lake... and then empty it when done. You can also by a special lead anchor about the size of your fist (which is a size to apply to float tubing) that one is expensive though.. I would just look around your garage, or use a smaller size dumbell.

With an anchor you can go and pick your spot on the lake, and get settled. Then do what ever you like to do from shore.
Bobber fish, throw lures, power bait, drop shot whatever. I'm thinking that you do not fly fish with a fly rod?
No worries, drag a dry fly behind a bobber with a little floatent (sp?) grease. Or troll a wooly bugger. (very successful)

The only kind of trolling that is a pain in a tube is trolling trout lures/spinners. Flies, worms, real slow.... but a spinner you have to kick steadily and fast enough to turn the blade and keep the weight of the lure from hitting the bottom. I hardly ever do that. Anybody who can put 50 bucks together should get themselves a tube and get out on the water.:compress:

As far as the awkwardness you felt when netting the fish....Consider the length of your rod? I like an 8.5' rod. but a long rod is challenging to land the fish with because you have to draw the rod way behind you in order to reach the end of your line with your hand. Shorter rod is just easier. Yeah short rods suck for casting... but you don't care because you can cast 10' and then just move away from your bait while letting out line.

moving to freshwater forum...

The Quadfather wrote: Anybody who can put 50 bucks together should get themselves a tube and get out on the water.:compress:

I agree! it's just one more access point, one more way to get out there. It's great for small lakes when you are solo. I grabbed about 10 different float tube listings off CL the other day (all at $50-60) for my buddy and he ended getting so excited he went to the store and bought one new for $100. I bought my Caddis new at Plateau Trading in Enumclaw for $40 last summer and I love it.

I think modifying your float tube to meet your specific needs is the next step. Like the QF mentioned, an anchor would be nice. Rod holders/net holders, etc.

check out this site, it gives me motivation for float tube creativity

http://www.bigfishtackle.com/forum/Floa ... s_P202149/

That is true, there is alot that can be done to make your own tube more friendly and to meet your own needs. My best addition is velcro. Works great for a secure rod holder, securing gear. I have also added rings to fasten items. On my BPS worm binder I attached quick release hooks so that I can take even more takle out with me. Though I find after time I begin to bring way too much stuff with me so then I go through a phase of downsizing. But then I can't use things I don't have with me and don't want to get out of the water to go to the van and get more stuff. Hmmmm ... maybe I will just tow a gear tube behind me ... lol. Here is another site that has some good things for pimping the float tube ... http://www.bass-n-tubes.com/gallery/rigging.

I have a suggestion for you. But first, I'll admit, I gave my two tubes away to my Son and his Wife, but that is because my old knees can't handle it anymore. I went to a toon for that kind of fishing. I also own a nice 17' boat, so the fact that I own both a boat and a toon should tell you that tubes and toons have a place and you are not settling for a tube, you got a great fishing tool.

Next, the anchor is a must for still fishing if you have wind. Personally, I'm not a still fishing kind of guy, so my anchor almost never got wet. But, for those days, get one.

Float tubes are a big lake-fly-fishing tool, and while they were not created for fly fishermen, they were perfected by them. Now the suggestion. I know that the book was mostly designed for fly fishermen, but if you can get a book by Marv Taylor known as "Float Tubes, Fly Rods, and Other Essays", you will have a great learning tool.

Tubes are a different kind of fishing tool for sure, slow, precise, but flexible. They are in my mind a tool best suited for smaller lakes, but of course they will take you on any body of water. When I was young, and a bit less smart, I would go out on big lakes when the white caps would wash over your head. As long as I had a rain coat on, with hood over me, I'd cast the sinking fly line in with a streamer fly and fin into the wind. I have caught some monster fish that way, but again, remember the young and dumb part. LOL

I have fished all types of lures for Bass out of a tube, and the low profile will allow you to get much closer to structure.

The key is to get use to the tube, and as time goes on make sure you have a good set of fins. We could argue which fins were best, and assure you we all have our favorites (mine were force fins), but one way or another, see if you can make a friend and try theirs out first.

Man...So many great replys to this post I realy appreciat all the tips and have written down all the links for more info and goodies for tubing, thanks alot everyone.
I went Yesterday and bought another Tube identical to my first, creekcompany U boat 2000 on sale at sports athority for 49.00 smackers. Did this for the sole purpose that i could not talk any buddies into buying one themselves and hit some waters up with me. I along with a new aquantence from class went to Ohop from around 9:30 till 1:00 then to Rapjohn for another 3 hours and just no action.....wasnt the tubes fault at all, every boater i talked to was having bed luck.
Still enjoyed my floater, Not sure it was too smart to buy another one, or maybe I just need to think about who i invite a lil harder, didnt like being tailgated around these small bodies of water. Guess he didnt get the hint when i handed him a 16 mile range 2 way radio?
Eiher way I think I made his day getting him out there so I felt more easy about the whole thing.
I did try my rooster tails as someone suggested, and troling with a threaded worm and I liked having a little bigger arsenal out there. Will become handy when fish are actualy hittin!
I already mentioned where i bought my tube FYI theres also the cadis high sierra for the same 49.00 at any big 5 at the moment in case anyone is interested.
Thanks again guys
Mike.

aguynamedmike wrote: Did this for the sole purpose that i could not talk any buddies into buying one themselves and hit some waters up with me. Mike.

LOL, yeah, I know about that. I have a second tube that is my lender vehicle also for when I want to get out and the other guy doesn't have one. I guy's gotta do, what a guys gotta do.

Mike,
try hitting Rapjon @ first light. you were out there middle of the day w/ a full moon. not the best time.
Kapowsin is great for bass too.
Maury