Impressed a few onlookers

[LeGrand]

Went to the Gatineau Park, QC (just north of Ottawa, ON) and arrived early saturday to the lake La Pêche. The beach is quite long and stops where a rock cliff makes a point hiding a nice weedy bay out of the main wind. Distance is about 0.7 km to reach the bay.

I already ask for forgiveness from members, cause that day I had my telescopic bait caster, instead of my fly-rod[blush].

I was able to skimmy to the bay with the wind in my back and waves (good leg exercise), with only 4 beachgoer looking on at what seemed to be their first ever sighting of a float tube.

They were calling for strong wind and possible thunderstorms artound noon. So after 2 hours catching and releasing close to 20 small-mouth bass, and the clouds coming in, I decided to return.

Well imagine people on the beach (jam packed, with families, wind-surfers, kayackers, etc.) seeing me appearing from behind the rocky cliff and just cruising so gently with the wind in my face (holding on to my straw hat). Once back to the other end of the beach, I had a bunch of people coming over to have a closer look and wondering where I got my Tube.

Guess, my appearance and confort like floating-by, might just convince a few more to join the Float-Tubing Society.

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Lucky me, I didn't wear my breathable waders, and had no leaches coming to my legs while moving around in the weeds.
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[TubeDude]

[cool][#0000ff]Glad you had a good trip...and that you had the wind working for you and not against you.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]In the 50 plus years I have been tubing I have probably been the first float tuber on a lot of waters. And I have been surrounded by gawkers at the end of a lot of trips. [/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]What is even funnier is to listen to the stupid comments you hear from boaters going by...in areas that are not yet common to tubers.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]"Yeah, they got little motors in 'em."[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]"There's waders on the bottom and ya jest step into 'em."[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]"He is actually walking on the bottom."[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]And the best ones...[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]"Oh, they're fun and all that but you can't catch any fish from 'em."[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]"Those belly boats are only for guys who can't afford a boat. Poor guy."[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Of course when I return to shore after catching a lot of fish in view of the onlookers I get more admiration than scorn. And I have probably been responsible for selling a whole lot of float tubes in parts of the country where they were not common before.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Keep up the good work.[/#0000ff]
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[LeGrand]

I had a fish string (rope) to maybe bring back some fish, but at first it was just the fun to work the fish so close to the Tube and releasing them, then I said to myself, at another time, not today.

What do you use to bring the fish back. does a string in the water with fish being hauled cause that much of a drag, and do they get tangled or brush against your legs? Maybe a small cooler behind the inflatable seat to carry the fish back?
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[albinotrout]

Did that last year when I set up mamtrouts newly rigged FC4 with her rod racks. Had several other fisermen come over for a looksie.[cool] This spring I was setting up my toon and had several come over to take a look as well as the DNR guys.[cool] All interested in what was added to it to make it more fishable.
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[flygoddess]

Sounds like awesome water!!!!!

What did you do different to attract attention?


And NO FORGIVENESS How dare you!!! [mad] Just kidding....it is just a tool and what ever tool it takes to do the job, so be it[laugh][laugh][laugh]
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[LeGrand]

Well, for years I would fish that lake with my 14' aluminium, but I had heard they had closed the boat launch, so I went for a look, but being there I wanted to go fishing also. Guess there has never been a float-tube on that lake in the past, which would explain the surprised and interest of the usual beach users.
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[flygoddess]

No doubt on that.
Unusual though, I would have thought tubes/toons are no big deal these days. Maybe 7 or 8 years ago.
I mean they are used in remote waters all over the world, now a days.
I thought you had it all tricked out or maybe you fish in a speedo or something...[laugh][laugh][laugh][laugh]
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[flygoddess]

OMG!!!!! I just googled that park up! It is beautiful!!!
Now I clicked on Urban and there is like a Castle in the back ground?

http://www.canadascapital.gc.ca/bins/ncc...445&lang=1
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[TubeDude]

[quote LeGrand]I had a fish string (rope) to maybe bring back some fish, but at first it was just the fun to work the fish so close to the Tube and releasing them, then I said to myself, at another time, not today.

What do you use to bring the fish back. does a string in the water with fish being hauled cause that much of a drag, and do they get tangled or brush against your legs? Maybe a small cooler behind the inflatable seat to carry the fish back?[/quote]

[cool][#0000ff]If you look back through some of my fishing report posts you will notice that they almost all include shots of my fish basket with the catch I kept for the day.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]These baskets are the 19" X 30" wire mesh baskets and I add a strip of foam "noodle" around the top. This serves both as floatation and as a bumper to keep the basket from bumping the tube.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]I do not like to use stringers. They allow the fish to tangle legs and/or to put spine holes in flesh, float tubes or waders. The basket pretty much eliminates those problems unless you get careless.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Here are a couple of pics.[/#0000ff]

[inline "BASKET 1.JPG"]

[inline "BAG O' YELLOWS 3.JPG"]
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[LeGrand]

That little castle is our Parliament Hill where the Prime Ministers, Ministers and Senators sit. It would be our building, compared to your White House Capitol in Washington, D.C.

What you see if a picture taken from the Quebec Province side of the Ottawa River, looking at the Ottawa, Ontario side of the river where the Rideau canal docks end.

Just on the other side of the castle, is downtwon Ottawa. Our country's Capital.
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[LeGrand]

Great idea with the foam tube. I never thought of that. At first I was looking for the basket methods, but even hanging from a rope from the Float-Tube, I though it would be cumbersome under the me and also rubbing against the Float-Tube.

Appreciated the pictures. Might resort to your invention for my next outing.

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Here fishy fishy.
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[flygoddess]

Can I come play with you[laugh][laugh][laugh]
That is awesome! And I am working on the Pass Port.[]
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