Ask ten guys who fish from float tubes why they chose that method and you’ll probably get 11 good reasons. Maybe more. But we’d all agree on two things: Our float tubes help us catch fish, and fishing from a float tube is fun.

When I asked Forum members recently how they used their float tubes, the majority reported being spin fishermen, although bait casters and fly fishermen were well represented. Regardless of your fishing style, you’ll appreciate the stealth a float tube provides.

Float tubing also is simple, convenient, relaxing, refreshingly cool in the heat of summer, relatively inexpensive (dirt cheap compared to boating), safe (assuming just a little common sense), and float tubing gives you access to parts of the lake you never could reach as a shore angler. And, unlike power boaters, you never need worry about the condition of the ramp!

My guess is that “access” factor is how it all got started. Some frustrated shore fisherman finally got tired of looking at a great fishing spot that he couldn’t quite fish from the bank, so he decided to do something about it. He figured out how to suspend a sling seat in a truck tire inner tube, put on a pair of swim fins for propulsion, and float tubing was born. The first tubes with fabric covers probably came shortly after someone snagged a treble hook in his rubber inner tube.

Today, float “tubes” have evolved into many styles and an equally wide range of prices. One outcome of that evolution is the inflatable pontoon boat – two separate fabric pontoon joined by a metal frame, with a seat in the center. The smallest “kick boat” versions can be propelled with either fins or fixed oars; the largest -- often white-water-worthy – must be trailered as they have a back seat for the oarsman and a front seat with standing platform for the fisherman. These are interesting watercraft and wonderful fishing tools but beyond the scope of this article.

My goal in this article is to give the first-time buyer a better understanding of float tubing, the choices available, and what you’ll need to get started. Before we start down that path, however, let’s look at a few common fishing situations in Nebraska.

If you like to fish sandpits for crappie, you’ve seen times when all of the fish seemed to hang out in the submerged upper branches of toppled cottonwood trees. This often creates a frustrating situation for bank anglers. They have no problem casting their minnow/bobber rig a couple of dozen feet offshore to where the crappie are suspended, but once the crappie takes the minnow and dives into the branches, it becomes very difficult to reel in.

With a float tube, that same angler can position himself just beyond the tips of the branches, make short casts into the gaps between branches, and better control the fish he hooks.

Later in the spring, as the water warms and weeds clog the shoreline, the best places to fish often are the deepwater edges of those weed beds. Every retrieve from shore results in a mass of stringy algae and weeds hanging from the hook. Give that same angler a float tube, however, and he can station himself a foot beyond the weed beds and cast parallel to their outside edge in either direction.

A third example is sunken timber. The typical NRD reservoir in Nebraska was created by building an earthen dam across a creek bottom. Water built up behind the dam and flooded the trees which once grew along the creek. We see what’s left of those trees poking up through the lake’s surface -- usually far out of range of shorebound fishermen – and we’re sure (especially on slow days) that every fish in the lake must be hiding in that timber.Fishermen in float tubes can paddle out among the sunken timber and prove to themselves that the fish aren’t biting there, either.

Please note that a common thread through these three examples is that each depicts fishing a relatively small body of water. Float tubes are not “big water” craft, although they certainly can be used close to shore in our larger lakes, or in sheltered bays. I’ve been in mine when a storm blew up and whitecaps began to break over the bow, and while I didn’t feel my life was in danger, I couldn’t concentrate on my fly casting much, either. Another factor to consider in choppy water and wind-driven spray is that your float tube may not be apparent to a speeding boater until he’s too close for comfort.

So, given that limitation, what do you need to get started in float tubing? The “essentials” are simple:

• A float tube of some sort
• A pump to inflate your tube
• Fins to move you around
• A Coast Guard-approved personal flotation device (PFD)

All float tubes once were round because they were built around truck inner tubes, and doughnut-shaped tubes accounted for 100% of the truck inner tube market. (I believe this was true even beyond the U.S.) Although they still have their fans, and at least one undeniable advantage (more on that in a minute), the popularity of round tubes has declined in the last 10 years as manufacturers introduced “U-shaped” and, more recently, “V-shaped” tubes.

A fourth design -- parallel pontoons joined by an inflated backrest and sling seat – also is available but apparently has never gained much popularity. Although I haven’t used one, my assumption is that the front portions of the two pontoons tend to collapse together when the angler sits in the sling seat.

Many round, “U” and “V” designs have a secondary inflation bladder, entirely separate from the main flotation bladder(s), which looks like a back rest but in reality is a nice safety feature. Most would provide enough flotation to help support you if something should happen to the main chamber(s).

Generally speaking, round tubes are less expensive than the “U” and “V” designs. The best ones have heavy-duty nylon covers over real truck inner tubes. In the rare event they suffer a puncture, their great advantage is that the inner tube can be patched or inexpensively replaced. Unlike most “U” or “V” boats, round tubes can be inflated with a gas station compressor. Manual inflation with a bicycle pump is a slow process.

Regardless of the style you choose, be careful not to over-inflate it. You want the tube to be firm but not rock-hard.

The primary reason round tubes have lost market share is that they are more difficult to enter and exit than the “U” and “V” designs. Most round tubes have simple sling seats with gaps for your legs. You must either put on your fins first, then step through the gaps while wearing your fins, or enter the water first while “wearing” the tube, and reach around and beneath it to strap on your fins. The open front of “U” and “V” tubes allows users to put the tube in shallow water, plop their hinders into the seat, and then put on their fins just as if they were sitting in a chair at home.

One other advantage of round tubes is often cited by those who prefer them, and that is their ability to lean forward and rest their elbows on the front of the tube, a position they say is very comfortable. Depending upon their price, “U” and “V” tubers may have superior seats that allow you to sit upright with some back support. (I’ve noticed similar diversity in taverns. Some lean forward with both elbows on the bar, some lean back on their stools, some curl peacefully on the floor...)

Round tubes usually cost less than “U” and “V” designs of comparable quality; almost all sell for less than $150, and you should be able to find a perfectly adequate round tube for less than $100.

“U” and “V” boat prices start at under $100 (a few include fins and a pump at that price) and range up to $300 or more. The most popular model among Forum members and the tube I own, the V-shaped standard FishCat4, typically sells for around $150. One member bought his new FC4 on eBay for $100, so great deals can be found if you shop around.

Theoretically, the pinched-together bow design of a “V” boat is more streamlined in the water and easier to paddle than the “O” or “U” designs. Maybe so, but you’re not going to chase down annoying jet skiers in any of them.

My first boat, a “U-Boat 2000,” was purchased in 2003 for $69.95, including fins and hand pump. I saw an identical outfit on sale last year for $89.95. The deflated tube, fins and pump all fit neatly into a relatively small tennis bag. Although I went through one replacement air bladder in three years, and I had to sew up a seam where the sling seat attached, I’d still recommend this outfit to a beginner who wanted to try float tubing but didn’t want to risk a big expenditure.

The primary reason I upgraded to a FishCat was my desire to sit higher in the water. Please notice that I didn’t say “above the water.” Standard FishCats have rigid foam seat “cushions” and seat backs (in the more expensive deluxe model, the seats inflate). When I sat in the sling seat of my U-Boat, I was submerged up to my navel. I eventually bought a garden tractor inner tube to sit on, but that proved only partially successful. With the FishCat, the bottom of my fanny is wet, but the tops of my thighs are dry.

Standard FishCats are rated for persons up to 250 pounds, which is pretty typical of most float tubes. FatCats are larger, significantly more expensive, and have up to 350-pound capacities. I weigh about 220, give or take a couple of chocolate donuts, but even lighter weight anglers should expect to wear waders if they don’t want wet butts. (What marketing genius would name his product a “FatCat?” Reminds me of my grade school days in the Fifties when I wore “husky” jeans and my poor cousin, Barbara, had to buy “chubettes!”)

Other features that may indicate higher quality are abrasion-resistant bottoms, dual rather than single bladder air chambers (a safety feature), large storage pockets, and D-rings for lashing accessories. In my FishCat, the pockets are undivided. Some owners of other brands have expressed frustration that dividers inside the pockets limit what they can pack.

The only real downside of the FishCat4 design, from my perspective, is that it cannot be folded into a compact case because the solid foam seats don’t collapse. I’ve resorted to using a mesh decoy bay with shoulder straps to transport the deflated tube when I have to carry it more than a few hundred yards (e.g. over the hill to Redtail Lake).

Both the U-Boat and FishCat use a simple and reliable Boston valve system -- one for the U-Boat’s single bladder, two for the FishCat’s twin bladders. Wally World sells a cheap double-action air pump in the camping aisle that sells for less than $10 and works as well as $30 pumps from world famous outfitters.

Fins are a matter of personal choice and budget. There seem to be three basic styles: conventional fins the that you slide your foot into toes-first and then fasten a strap across the back of your ankle, conventional fins that that you step into and fasten a strap over the top of your instep (both of which propel you backward), and a third design emulating flaps on the toes of a coot that allows users to “walk” forward in the water.

I’ve known two people who own the coot fins. One swears by them and wouldn’t use anything else. The other tried to give his away and failed.

Large fins create more thrust with each kick than smaller models but require a greater expenditure of energy. I find my medium-sized ones perfectly adequate.

When you buy fins, remember that you rarely will wear them barefoot. At the very least, they should be large enough to fit over the neoprene booties of stocking foot waders. Personally, I either wear flexible “flats booties” over my stocking foot waders (when water temps are <65 degrees) to protect the wader feet from punctures or, when the water warms above 65 degrees, cheap $5 nylon “beach socks” from Target on my bare feet. Both keep the stiff rubber fins from chafing my ankles and, just as importantly, I can walk to and from the shoreline without worrying about stepping on broken glass.

I’m still using the original (and cheap) step-in/lace-up fins that came with my U-Boat. The newer versions now have straps instead of laces and sell for about $30. If you decide to spend more on fins, and the options range up past $100, make sure they float. I’ve been lucky and the three times I’ve lost a fin have all been in clear shallow water. You could buy the special $15 tethers to attach the fins to your ankles, but I’ve never tried them.

Before we leave the subject of fins, allow me to point out something that might not occur to someone who hasn’t tried float tubing: backward propulsion can be a tremendous advantage. Why, you ask? When the wind blows in Nebraska, which happens here on every day ending in the letter “y,” the best fishing often is the windswept side of the lake or pond. You can move your float tube to a spot where you can cast toward the windswept shoreline, with your back to the wind, and easily hold that position with a few kicks of your fins. (If you’re a fly fisherman, you’ll especially appreciate always having the wind to your back.)

When it gets hot around here in the summer, the next best thing to central air conditioning is fishing from a float tube while wearing nothing but fins, a swim suit, and a wet cotton t-shirt. I have a vest-type PFD that I rarely wear, especially in hot weather, unless power boaters have come close enough to make me nervous. Most of the time my vest rides in a white 4-gallon plastic bucket, which fits snugly behind the seat of my FishCat within easy reach. I do that because I’ve been a confident (some might say over-confident) swimmer since the age of 4.

The law says you must have a PFD with you in the float tube. Smart people probably wear theirs.

What else do you need to enjoy float tubing? Probably nothing you don’t already have, but here’s a few things I often carry along, in addition to several small boxes of flies, either within the pockets or lashed to one of the exterior D-rings:

• Travel mug with beverage of choice (consider implications of wearing chest waders)
• Small 2-lb. folding anchor and 50-feet of thin nylon anchor line
• Needlenose pliers
• Flashlight-size depth finder
• Homemade, clip-on rod holder made of PVC
• Floating wire fish basket (for 10” stocker trout and 8” bluegills)
• Digital camera in waterproof plastic box

Add a hat to cover my bald “spot” and I’m ready.

Let’s go fishing.