I’m getting a float tube. It’s shipped, just not here yet. the problem I’m having is where I can use it. Most of the lakes around here say no motorized vehicles, and no swimming. Well the tube isn’t a motorized vehicle, but part of me is in the water to move it. So is it considered “swimming”? I called one of the larger parks here and asked them. They honsetly didn’t know what the tube would be considered. They don’t know if it would require a lake permit or not or if it would be seen as “swimming” since it’s not really a boat. Anyone else ever have this problem?
I can’t answer for your lakes, but we have a couple that say NO SWIMMING, because they are drinking water. BUT, boats are allowed, you must wear WADERS is all. No skin. That is the difference…here at any rate.
Kind of funny, a couple of canyons state NO DOGS because it is a water shed, but there are deer, elk, moose, skunks, ect…I guess they are cleaner?!
I didn’t think of the waders part. I was hoping to get away with not wearing waders. None of these lakes are for drinking water. they are just park water.
I’d say you’re safe. It’s considered a non-motorized boat.
OTOH, there are a couple of utility company lakes near where I live that have posted “No Swimming” and “No Boats”. Funny thing is I’ve seen tubers in there that have supposedly talked to the utility co. guys without getting booted.
So, maybe it’s something in between and it falls between the cracks?
I know here in California I am able to look up the specific lakes in my area and all of them (okay 99%) of them are specific on what can and cannot be used on the water.. including tubes and toons.. but now we have those darn Quagga snail things and most of the lakes, although they are not infested with these things, are not allowing any personal craft of any type… makes it kind of frustrating for a tuber or a tooner.. [:/]
I went to the state fair to the DNR area. I talked to several conservation officers there. None of them really had an answer either. One of them was from Pike county. A long way from where I live and fish. He said he didn’t really know the policy on them, but I could use it in his county any time I wanted. That was nice. But I never go to Pike county. So, I still have no real answer for the places I actually fish.
I didn’t think of the waders part. I was hoping to get away with not wearing waders. None of these lakes are for drinking water. they are just park water.
Jason
Jason wear waders. I always do. The one time I didn’t last summer. This was the result.
Took a couple of months to heal and I now have a scar.
I don’t even know what it was for sure though I suspect leech. (Leeches are still attached usually so I don’t know. I’m going on the knowledge that it took so long to heal and leeches inject an anti-coagulant into your bloodstream.)
God Bless,
Don
You’re more than welcome Steve. There was one other time that I wet waded in the tube. My buddy and I went out and fished all day in shorts. With your legs in the water and your thighs covered by the mesh stripping apron it is altogether too easy to forget about the power of the sun. We had to deal with very uncomfortably sunburned thighs for the next several days.
