04-19-2003, 06:40 PM
[cool]Yo, Mr. Bear. Good timing. I just acquired a set of Force Fins when I bought a bunch of stuff from a guy over in California, whose father had just died and left a bunch of tubing gear he had never had a chance to use. I got the fins, in addition to some new neoprenes and a new Super Fat Cat for TubeBabe.
I plan to give them an on-the-water checkout Tuesday afternoon, along with my new Eagle Cuda 168 sonar rig. I have heard both plus and minus reviews on them. But, like most things related to fishing gear, reports are often based on what the reviewer is used to and that kind of slants the opinions.
I have primarily used the Plana Avanti diving fins for almost 20 years. Before that I used IDI Frogfoot and several others. I have never fallen out of love with the Plana fins. They have a long blade, but not too flexible, so that I still get good thrust. There needs to be a balance between total blade surface, efficient power to thrust ratio, fatigue factor and all that stuff.
As you correctly observe, budget is something to consider too. It is always possible to pay more than you should. However, it is also possible to not spend quite enough, and have to live with poor-fitting or poor-performing fins for a long time.
The basic design of the Force Fins appeals to me. They are cupped forward, to maximize the thrust on the forward stroke of the kick, and to reduce the resistance on the less important back kick. Most of your backward propulsion power comes from the forward (upward) thrust of the fins, so these things are apparently well designed with floatation fishing in mind.
Another thing I like is that they are "one size fits all". That means that they can be adjusted to fit either your light summer outfit, or your heavy winter gear, with extra socks and neoprenes. With some fins, you need two or more pairs to insure comfortable fishing in all seasons and temperatures.
Actually, the Planas I have been using for so long have the heel strap construction, and large soft rubber foot pockets. These easily handle my light "flats boots" that I wear while fishing without waders in the warm summer waters...but can also hold my more bulky booted foot with neoprenes and larger flats boots in winter. All that needs adjusting is the heel strap. And, that is easy, with the quick pop-out adjustment buckle.
JR had it right. There are considerations of the type of waders and boots you will be using, as well as the types of fishing and the seasons involved. If you are under no specific rush to get a pair of fins in the next couple of days, you may wish to wait for my review on Wednesday.
Also, if anyone else would like some guidance on what to look for in the waders, fins, boots and other accessories, I will be happy to email a chapter from my book covering that subject. Just send me a personal message or an email, to the email address on my personal profile, and I will send it along.
In the meantime, if you wanna see something funny, go to Saguaro Lake on Tuesday afternoon and watch an old man trying to get his Super Fat Cat up on plane with those new Force Fins. I'll put them through their paces.
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I plan to give them an on-the-water checkout Tuesday afternoon, along with my new Eagle Cuda 168 sonar rig. I have heard both plus and minus reviews on them. But, like most things related to fishing gear, reports are often based on what the reviewer is used to and that kind of slants the opinions.
I have primarily used the Plana Avanti diving fins for almost 20 years. Before that I used IDI Frogfoot and several others. I have never fallen out of love with the Plana fins. They have a long blade, but not too flexible, so that I still get good thrust. There needs to be a balance between total blade surface, efficient power to thrust ratio, fatigue factor and all that stuff.
As you correctly observe, budget is something to consider too. It is always possible to pay more than you should. However, it is also possible to not spend quite enough, and have to live with poor-fitting or poor-performing fins for a long time.
The basic design of the Force Fins appeals to me. They are cupped forward, to maximize the thrust on the forward stroke of the kick, and to reduce the resistance on the less important back kick. Most of your backward propulsion power comes from the forward (upward) thrust of the fins, so these things are apparently well designed with floatation fishing in mind.
Another thing I like is that they are "one size fits all". That means that they can be adjusted to fit either your light summer outfit, or your heavy winter gear, with extra socks and neoprenes. With some fins, you need two or more pairs to insure comfortable fishing in all seasons and temperatures.
Actually, the Planas I have been using for so long have the heel strap construction, and large soft rubber foot pockets. These easily handle my light "flats boots" that I wear while fishing without waders in the warm summer waters...but can also hold my more bulky booted foot with neoprenes and larger flats boots in winter. All that needs adjusting is the heel strap. And, that is easy, with the quick pop-out adjustment buckle.
JR had it right. There are considerations of the type of waders and boots you will be using, as well as the types of fishing and the seasons involved. If you are under no specific rush to get a pair of fins in the next couple of days, you may wish to wait for my review on Wednesday.
Also, if anyone else would like some guidance on what to look for in the waders, fins, boots and other accessories, I will be happy to email a chapter from my book covering that subject. Just send me a personal message or an email, to the email address on my personal profile, and I will send it along.
In the meantime, if you wanna see something funny, go to Saguaro Lake on Tuesday afternoon and watch an old man trying to get his Super Fat Cat up on plane with those new Force Fins. I'll put them through their paces.
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