Honest, everyone, I didn’t put him up to asking such a question. Doesn’t he realize that this could suck up all the bandwidth on the forum? Okay, I’ll be brief…for me.
There’s an old saying (by me) that you can never be too rich, too thin or have too much pocket space in your float tube. That is the big limiting factor in what you can take and what you need to leave ashore.
**In the accompanying pics, you will see some of the craft I went through, evolving towards getting faster, better, higher, more. Wore out several “round boats”. Spent a season in the minipontoon Kennebec and currently kick around in an Outcast Super Fat Cat. **
One of my biggest gripes with most float tubes is that there is either not enough pocket space or the pockets are all small and narrow and not built for loading in big bass boxes. Finally, in the SFC, I got two large pockets…one on each side…that hold several different lure boxes and even let me tuck in my sonar system when I am done for the day. That’s what I’m talkin’ about.
**Once you gots pockets, you can tailor your boxes to properly load them up and to factor in the kind of fishing you will be doing. For a day of multispecies fishing, that would include small boxes of small jig heads and plastics, some larger jig heads and larger plastics, assorted cranks and other hardbaits, and some spinner baits. I buy lots of compartmented plastic boxes in basically a couple of different sizes. Those are 11" by 7" and 8" X 4". Most tackle purveyors sell them with different compartment configurations. If I can’t get what I want, I get the closest I can and then cut out some panels if I need to. **
You can’t take big tackle boxes, so you have to be thrifty with the space in your tubing boxes. Don’t take twenty of the same size and color. Two or three of the anticipated hot combo is enough for most tubing expeditions. Keep some extras in the vehicle if you are anal about it.
When it comes to plastics, sort your colors into small plastic bags and you can carry two or three colors in one compartment without color bleeding. Otherwise, a lot of wasted space. Even better, take some soft sided tackle pouches for plastics.
Your list of lures is good. Tried and true stuff. The only variations…from day to day…are the sizes and colors the fish want…and of course the subtle changes in presentation.
**Where our tackle selections might vary is in the proprietary stuff. I make most of my own lures and jigs. I have a lot of custom variations that are not generally available through a tackletorium. For instance, by pouring and paint my own jig heads, I can fish just the size hook on just the size head I want. There are a lot of times that fishing a 4" plastic on a 1/16 oz glitter painted head…with a 3/0 hook…is just the thing for shallow and spooky smallies. Try to find hooks larger than size 6 on 1/16 oz heads. **
I also fish plastics on Roadrunner jig heads a lot. The addition of the fluttering, sparkly and vibrating bladelet is often the key to initiating a reaction bite when the fishies are playing hard to get. Flutter it in their kissers, vertically, and you will be amazed at how hard they smack those things sometimes.
I also make my own inline spinners. I use the Panther Martin style blades, but I make them with either a specially designed molded jig head body…or a single hook tied up as a fly or bait bug. The single hook holds better and is easier to release fish without tearing them up. (see attached pics.)
I also fish plain “bait bugs” a lot. These are specially designed jigs made to fish a piece of worm or sweetener. You can cast them, bottom bounce them or vertical jig them. I make them in just about every color imaginable, on every kind of jig head. Fish will hit them without bait, but when properly flavored they double your pleasure.
As you can see in the pics of the tubes, I go afloat with most of the amenities. Typically I will have five rods…one operational and four in the auxiliary holder. I usually go 2 and 3…two spinning and 3 baitcast. Sometimes I vary it, and sometimes I add in a flyrod or even a 12 foot “dipstick” for “reaching out and touching” crappies and other fish around stickups and back in cover.
I do have sonar, although it ain’t a 4000 watt superblaster for fishing the Marianas Trench. Most tubing is in water less than 25 feet deep. I use my sonar more for checking out bottom contours, structure and finding dropoffs. Yeah, I like to watch for fishies, too, but most of the fish I catch I do not see on the display first. I just find the right water and stay in it.
As soon as I get back up there, I plan to acquire one of the new Outcast Fish Cat Cougar pontoons. I need to get some more pontoon experience, and I like what I see in that 8 foot beast. Four air chambers, low profile (for the W) and shallow draft. Also has a built in anchor system and can take an electric motor, although I don’t think I will go through the registration process for the motor.
I do go “heavily” afloat. But, in spite of my substantial bulk and all the gear, I float high and well. The big strain is that the more you have to carry, the shorter you should make the distance between where you launch and where you park. But, nobody ever accused me of overusing my brainpower.
**That what you were looking for? **
