waterfloating
 

One problem I have fishing from a personal watercraft is that some of the
energy intended to go into the cast is transferred instead to the craft (
make a casting motion right now and feel how your butt swivels and tries to
rotate your chair to understand what I'm saying ) making my "longest" casts
shorter than on dry land ( wading )


Am I just doing everything 100% wrong ? Is there some tricky way to
minimize this?

waterfloating
 

On Dec 29, 7:05 pm, "Larry L" wrote:
One problem I have fishing from a personal watercraft is that some of the
energy intended to go into the cast is transferred instead to the craft (
make a casting motion right now and feel how your butt swivels and tries to
rotate your chair to understand what I'm saying ) making my "longest" casts
shorter than on dry land ( wading )

Am I just doing everything 100% wrong ? Is there some tricky way to
minimize this?

You can minimise it, indeed more or less eliminate it, by modifying
your casting technique, just using your arm and shoulder, and not
moving your body. Try it, as you suggested above. Sit in a swivel
chair, and avoid moving your body. Or only allow your body to swivel
at the hips It is the swivelling of your body which causes the craft
to move. Also, as the force required to move your body merely moves
the platform if you allow it to, it does your casting no good anyway.
Quite the reverse! Practising in a swivel chair will improve your
casting from a tube or pontoon boat considerably.

TL
MC

waterfloating
 

This will also improve your tracking, ( getting the rod tip to travel
in a straight line) and distance. Swivelling your whole body down to
your legs is usually bad practice anyway, but especially so on a
movable platform. It is basically just wasted en energy, and results
in poor casting as well.

TL
MC

waterfloating
 

You probably also have the ingrained habit of turning to watch your
back cast. This is best avoided when casting from such a platform. The
trick here, is to close your eyes, and "feel" the back cast. If you can
´t see it, then you wont be tempted to turn and look at it.

TL
MC

waterfloating
 

This is a major problem for many casters on land as well. They are
convinced they need to see their back cast in order to be able to
execute it properly. This is not the case! But you will only realise
it if you close your eyes ( on the back cast!). Concentrate entirely
on the feel. Try this at various distances. In a fairly short while,
( although this varies considerably from person to person), you will
know how it must feel for certain line lengths, and only need to
glance over your shoulder to see obstructions etc BEFORE you cast, not
WHILE you are casting. This will improve your casting immediately.
It is also the only way I know to wean people off watching their backs
casts, which causes them to twist their bodies, and ruin their
tracking. You can lean your body backwards, but DONT TWIST IT.

TL
MC

waterfloating
 

Sorry about the repeated replies to my own posts, but as I think about
this, and how I have taught people in the past, I keep thinking of
further points, which are germane to the basic problem.

TL
MC

waterfloating
 

Watch some of these;

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mFGZYy7h0FY

The best do not twist their bodies

Tl
MC

waterfloating
 

Some tricks and common faults here;

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YcTt1...eature=related

TL
MC

waterfloating
 

Also watch Rajeff here;

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GgPOa...eature=related

he only turns his head, he doesn´t twist his body. This of course is
under tournament conditions. Also note his almost explosive
acceleration, flick and stop, on the final delivery.

There is a lot more of interest on you tube,. but be careful, some of
it is wrong!

TL
MC

waterfloating
 

Kreh uses his body a lot;

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=svqnt0J1jNg

this is useless in a float tube or similar.

TL
MC

waterfloating
 

Many instructors will disagree with Kreh. Most will show you this
method, and variations of it;

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hjdzc...eature=related

This is the method you need to use in a tube etc, coupled with drift;

http://www.sexyloops.com/advice/drifting.shtml

http://www.google.com/search?q=drift....sexyloops.com

and increasing the translational ( linear, not in an arc), of your
cast.

TL
MC

waterfloating
 

Mike wrote:
Many instructors will disagree with Kreh. ...

What a display. Ten consecutive posts, nine of them replies
to your own posts, all to prove what ? Even though you really
don't know jack **** about casting from a personal watercraft
you sure can use Google in a desperate attempt to appear expert ?

Pathetic. And very sad. Not to mention virtually useless.

Have you ever actually fished from a personal watercraft like a
pontoon boat ? Sure doesn't sound like it.

--
Ken Fortenberry

waterfloating
 

"Larry L" wrote in
:

One problem I have fishing from a personal watercraft is that some of
the energy intended to go into the cast is transferred instead to the
craft ( make a casting motion right now and feel how your butt swivels
and tries to rotate your chair to understand what I'm saying ) making
my "longest" casts shorter than on dry land ( wading )


Am I just doing everything 100% wrong ? Is there some tricky way to
minimize this?

.....Larry, I have fished out of inflatables for at least 10 yrs now and I
never noticed that it affected my casting. But then again, I usually fish
to the bank for smallmouth and maybe casting 20-25 feet at most.

Frank Sr.
....is it spring yet?

waterfloating
 

On Dec 29, 11:33 pm, Ken Fortenberry
wrote:
Mike wrote:
Many instructors will disagree with Kreh. ...

What a display. Ten consecutive posts, nine of them replies
to your own posts, all to prove what ? Even though you really
don't know jack **** about casting from a personal watercraft
you sure can use Google in a desperate attempt to appear expert ?

Pathetic. And very sad. Not to mention virtually useless.

Have you ever actually fished from a personal watercraft like a
pontoon boat ? Sure doesn't sound like it.

--
Ken Fortenberry

Are you going to even try and answer the man´s question, assuming you
know anything at all about it, or are you merely going to continue
trying to **** me off?

You never provide any useful information, just derogatory commentary
on others, or pure bull****.

I don´t have to prove anything to a ****ing asshole like you, nor
answer any of your questions.

MC

waterfloating
 

On Dec 29, 11:34 pm, Frank Church
wrote:
"Larry L" wrote :

One problem I have fishing from a personal watercraft is that some of
the energy intended to go into the cast is transferred instead to the
craft ( make a casting motion right now and feel how your butt swivels
and tries to rotate your chair to understand what I'm saying ) making
my "longest" casts shorter than on dry land ( wading )

Am I just doing everything 100% wrong ? Is there some tricky way to
minimize this?

....Larry, I have fished out of inflatables for at least 10 yrs now and I
never noticed that it affected my casting. But then again, I usually fish
to the bank for smallmouth and maybe casting 20-25 feet at most.

Frank Sr.
...is it spring yet?

If you only cast relatively short distances, and overhead, the problem
that Larry mentioned does not occur, or at least not to anything like
the same degree. If you are trying for distance, then the tendency is
to try and use the same technique you use on land, and with many
people this means twisting their bodies around. Unfortunately, this
results in the water craft revolving in the opposite direction to the
body, and ruins the cast in a number of ways The effect is not quite
as bad in a pontoon boat, but still appreciable.

If you learn to cast without twisting your body, then it improves your
casting, and also precludes the movement problems in a small water
craft.

The idea is to use the energy for the cast, not for moving the boat.
There will always be some reaction, but if the cast is in a straight
line over head, and the body does not twist, it is minimal.

For a long time, I used float tubes and pontoon boats regularly on the
Baltic, where it is often necessary to distance cast with
comparatively heavy gear. If you use the wrong technique, the action
of casting will twist the tube around while you are casting,
completely ruining your tracking, and any hope of a straight line
path, and thus the cast.

MC

waterfloating
 

"Mike" wrote

Sorry about the repeated replies to my own posts, but as I think about
this, and how I have taught people in the past, I keep thinking of
further points, which are germane to the basic problem.



I understand that, Mike, and I appreciate your efforts to help

I think your suggestion to try practice casting in a swivel chair sounds
excellent. If I were to sit in my WaterMaster in dead calm water until
all ripples had died down, kept my feet up out of the water so unconscious
kicking wasn't a cause, and cast .... before long the tube would be pointed
in a different direction and ripples would surround it ... clearly showing
that lots of my energy was being transmitted to the boat. Any small part
of that energy that can be used instead of wasted would make for better
casts, I'm sure.

A related problem, that I 'see' as I sit here, Winter dreamfishing, is that
in 'change direction' situations I naturally not only try to cast in a new
direction but try and swivel the boat with my fins at the same time, which
greatly complicates things like 'loading' the backcast as the boat moves
backwards and rotates.

I don't expect to find myself 'cured' by ROFFian replies, your's or other's,
but you do give me things to ponder. One thing I've learned pretty well
from my business where 'winning' was key to income is that BIG things are
seldom what makes the winners, rather it is a long series of LITTLE things,
each applied to the whole ... thank you for some little things to work on.

waterfloating
 

Mike wrote:
Ken Fortenberry wrote:
Mike wrote:
Many instructors will disagree with Kreh. ...
What a display. Ten consecutive posts, nine of them replies
to your own posts, all to prove what ? Even though you really
don't know jack **** about casting from a personal watercraft
you sure can use Google in a desperate attempt to appear expert ?

Pathetic. And very sad. Not to mention virtually useless.

Have you ever actually fished from a personal watercraft like a
pontoon boat ? Sure doesn't sound like it.

Are you going to even try and answer the man´s question, assuming you
know anything at all about it, ...

My "longest" casts from my canoe, the only personal watercraft
I know anything about, are shorter than my "longest" casts made
while standing. I never really gave it much thought or bothered
to figure out why that was the case. I always figured it was
because I was sitting down. I mean I couldn't hit a softball or
a golf ball near as far sitting as opposed to standing either
so no big deal.

So no, I'm not even going to try and answer Larry's question.
But my non response is every bit as useful as your silly armchair
pontificating and Google mania.

I don´t have to prove anything to a ****ing asshole like you, nor
answer any of your questions.

Right, just as I thought. You've never actually fished from a
personal watercraft like a pontoon boat in your life. LOL !!

Carry on.

--
Ken Fortenberry

waterfloating
 

On Dec 30, 12:25 am, "Larry L" wrote:
"Mike" wrote

Sorry about the repeated replies to my own posts, but as I think about

this, and how I have taught people in the past, I keep thinking of
further points, which are germane to the basic problem.

I understand that, Mike, and I appreciate your efforts to help

I think your suggestion to try practice casting in a swivel chair sounds
excellent. If I were to sit in my WaterMaster in dead calm water until
all ripples had died down, kept my feet up out of the water so unconscious
kicking wasn't a cause, and cast .... before long the tube would be pointed
in a different direction and ripples would surround it ... clearly showing
that lots of my energy was being transmitted to the boat. Any small part
of that energy that can be used instead of wasted would make for better
casts, I'm sure.

A related problem, that I 'see' as I sit here, Winter dreamfishing, is that
in 'change direction' situations I naturally not only try to cast in a new
direction but try and swivel the boat with my fins at the same time, which
greatly complicates things like 'loading' the backcast as the boat moves
backwards and rotates.

I don't expect to find myself 'cured' by ROFFian replies, your's or other's,
but you do give me things to ponder. One thing I've learned pretty well
from my business where 'winning' was key to income is that BIG things are
seldom what makes the winners, rather it is a long series of LITTLE things,
each applied to the whole ... thank you for some little things to work on.

My pleasure. I can´t cure many faults directly here, but I can at
least point out what might be causing some of them, and hopefully
indicate something to do to cure them.

Some problems are a little odd, as indeed is this one. You will never
get rid of all movement when casting from a small watercraft, but if
the cast is directly in line with the direction you are facing, and
you don´t twist your body, the back cast will move you forward a
smidgeon IN A STRAIGHT LINE, which will actually tighten up your back
cast ( as a result of the equal and opposite reaction), and the
forward cast will then move you backwards IN A STRAIGHT LINE, which
will also tighten up your forward cast. It is the twisting component
you need to get rid of, and also any tendency to hold the rod out to
your side while casting as this automatically causes a twisting
motion.

If the boat twists while you are casting, it automatically ruins your
cast. The ONLY way to stop that, is to stop the boat twisting.

TL
MC

waterfloating
 

Larry L wrote:
One problem I have fishing from a personal watercraft is that some of the
energy intended to go into the cast is transferred instead to the craft (
make a casting motion right now and feel how your butt swivels and tries to
rotate your chair to understand what I'm saying ) making my "longest" casts
shorter than on dry land ( wading )


Am I just doing everything 100% wrong ? Is there some tricky way to
minimize this?



My advice, Larry, for what it's worth, is to use your fins to stabilize
your orientation, if necessary.

Kick boats and belly boats can be infuriating in that way. Whenever you
change direction with your cast they will tend to rotate. It's
elementary physics. If you cast to the right the boat will rotate to the
left, and vice versa, no matter how perfectly you execute the cast.

Newton said it first: For every action there's an opposite and equal
reaction.

Counteract the rotation with your fins. The greater the change of
direction of the cast, the more effort is required with the fins. Small
changes in direction won't require much effort, if any at all.

Imagine as a worst case casting directly behind you.

--
Cut "to the chase" for my email address.

waterfloating
 

On Dec 30, 12:32 am, Ken Fortenberry
wrote:

Right, just as I thought. You've never actually fished from a
personal watercraft like a pontoon boat in your life. LOL !!

Carry on.

--
Ken Fortenberry


Actually you dumb asshole, I used one at the Danish clave, as anybody
who was there will confirm. I took it along mainly in case somebody
wanted to try it, but I was the only one who used it on that occasion.
Would you like a picture of my boat dumbass?

http://img250.imageshack.us/img250/1237/pontje2.jpg


MC

waterfloating
 

On Dec 30, 12:49 am, Mike wrote:
On Dec 30, 12:32 am, Ken Fortenberry

wrote:
Right, just as I thought. You've never actually fished from a
personal watercraft like a pontoon boat in your life. LOL !!


Maybe you would like some pictures of me fishing from various other
boats and float tubes as well?

Well **** off, I can´t be bothered.

MC

waterfloating
 

Mike wrote:
Maybe you would like some pictures of me fishing from various other
boats and float tubes as well? ...

No thanks. A reasonable answer to the original question, as opposed
to bull**** drivel and Googled links, would suffice. And please put
it one post, not an endless succession of replies to your own posts.

--
Ken Fortenberry

waterfloating
 

On Dec 30, 12:47 am, rw wrote:


Counteract the rotation with your fins. The greater the change of
direction of the cast, the more effort is required with the fins. Small
changes in direction won't require much effort, if any at all.

Imagine as a worst case casting directly behind you.

--
Cut "to the chase" for my email address.

That sounds plausible, and if you manage to coordinate your finning
with your casting it will also doubtless work, but I have never
managed it in my tubes ( belly-boats) . In my main pontoon boat, I
don´t use fins anyway, just the oars. Often I have been fishing in
very very cold water, and it is best to keep your legs out of it, as
otherwise you cant stay out long without freezing.

If you are trying to make large direction changes in a cast, then you
are going to get some twist anyway. I don´t know how to avoid that.

The energy concerned is always going to be transmitted to the boat, no
matter what you do, but you can minimise the effects.

TL
MC

waterfloating
 

On Dec 30, 1:00 am, Ken Fortenberry
wrote:
Mike wrote:
Maybe you would like some pictures of me fishing from various other
boats and float tubes as well? ...

No thanks. A reasonable answer to the original question, as opposed
to bull**** drivel and Googled links, would suffice. And please put
it one post, not an endless succession of replies to your own posts.

--
Ken Fortenberry

**** off dumbo.

MC

waterfloating
 

Mike wrote:
On Dec 30, 12:47 am, rw wrote:



Counteract the rotation with your fins. The greater the change of
direction of the cast, the more effort is required with the fins. Small
changes in direction won't require much effort, if any at all.

Imagine as a worst case casting directly behind you.

--
Cut "to the chase" for my email address.


That sounds plausible, and if you manage to coordinate your finning
with your casting it will also doubtless work, but I have never
managed it in my tubes ( belly-boats) . In my main pontoon boat, I
don´t use fins anyway, just the oars.

Well, that's the problem, Mike. You need fins. Oars won't do. No matter
how cold it is, you need fins. You have to put down your rod to use
oars. That's one reason I hate fishing from frigging canoes and kayaks.

A big advantage of a kickboat (oars and fins) vs. a belly boat is that
you can get your fins out of the water when you don't want them there,
like when it's really cold, or when you're trying to make time with the
oars.

Other than that, for me, they're in the water when I'm fishing.

And then there's the wind. Always the wind. :-)

--
Cut "to the chase" for my email address.

waterfloating
 

On Dec 30, 1:03 am, Mike wrote:

Something else which may be of interest in this regard. On one of my
pontoon boats I made a "drop keel", which I lowered behind the boat.
It looked like a rudder, but was fixed. It did improve tracking the
boat, and it allowed some direction changing casts without twisting
the boat much at all, but it was a mess on, and something else to
transport, so I eventually gave up using it.

One other thing you can try, if it is possible where you fish, and is
not dangerous, is to use two anchors. Lower one anchor and pay out
rope until you are some way away from it, then lower the other anchor,
and pull up the first anchor rope until you are equidistant to both
anchors. You have to fix the ropes to either side of the boat somehow,
( I just looped mine around the rowlocks. This is a mess on, but it
gives you a relatively stable casting platform. Of course it is also a
mess on changing position. Also best not to use hook anchors for this,
it can be dangerous if they hook up solid on something. I used two
buckets filled with cement mostly.

TL
MC

waterfloating
 

"Mike" wrote in message
...
On Dec 30, 12:32 am, Ken Fortenberry
wrote:

Right, just as I thought. You've never actually fished from a
personal watercraft like a pontoon boat in your life. LOL !!

Carry on.

--
Ken Fortenberry


Actually you dumb asshole, I used one at the Danish clave, as anybody
who was there will confirm. I took it along mainly in case somebody
wanted to try it, but I was the only one who used it on that occasion.
Would you like a picture of my boat dumbass?

http://img250.imageshack.us/img250/1237/pontje2.jpg


MC

Touche, Mike!

Op

waterfloating
 

On Dec 30, 1:15 am, rw wrote:
Mike wrote:
On Dec 30, 12:47 am, rw wrote:

Counteract the rotation with your fins. The greater the change of
direction of the cast, the more effort is required with the fins. Small
changes in direction won't require much effort, if any at all.

Imagine as a worst case casting directly behind you.

--
Cut "to the chase" for my email address.

That sounds plausible, and if you manage to coordinate your finning
with your casting it will also doubtless work, but I have never
managed it in my tubes ( belly-boats) . In my main pontoon boat, I
don´t use fins anyway, just the oars.

Well, that's the problem, Mike. You need fins. Oars won't do. No matter
how cold it is, you need fins. You have to put down your rod to use
oars. That's one reason I hate fishing from frigging canoes and kayaks.

A big advantage of a kickboat (oars and fins) vs. a belly boat is that
you can get your fins out of the water when you don't want them there,
like when it's really cold, or when you're trying to make time with the
oars.

Other than that, for me, they're in the water when I'm fishing.

And then there's the wind. Always the wind. :-)

--
Cut "to the chase" for my email address.

You are right, and on a few big lakes I fish in spring and summer,
mainly for pike and perch, I would do that, but you can´t use fins
for long in Winter on the Baltic. I tried it a few times, and damn
near froze my feet off. I would not use a float tube in those
conditions anyway, it would be a bit suicidal. If anything happened,
you would not last long in that water, a life-jacket is more or less
useless at those temperatures. It will keep you afloat, but it wont
stop you dying very quickly of hypothermia. I know a couple of guys
who wear special survival suits, and I tried one once, but I just
couldn´t cast while wearing it. The life-jacket is more than enough of
a hindrance.

The pontoon boat keeps you clear of the freezing water, but you would
be dead just as quickly if you fell out of the boat etc. I had a
special safety belt on mine with a quick release, and I was never
usually very far from shore, or in relatively sheltered bays etc, and
even then only in more or less calm conditions.

In winter, you can´t usually stay out more than an hour or so anyway.
So you paddle out, fish for an hour, paddle back in, warm up for a
while, and then paddle out again and fish, until you have had
enough! :) Catching fish is usually quite easy, because there are a
lot of them at about the 6m mark in various places, but catching them
from the shore is well nigh impossible except under certain
conditions. Usually after a storm, during heavy overcast, or at
night.

TL
MC

waterfloating
 

With regard to the wind, that is a more or less permanent feature in
Winter on the Baltic, so what a few of us do is use it to our
advantage. As you quite rightly say, it is more or less pointless
trying to fish properly from a constantly moving boat, and the wind
will also blow you away pretty fast which could be very dangerous.
There are only a few pontooners on the Baltic in winter, and virtually
no float tubers. it is just too cold and dangerous for that.

Anyway, those of us who do pontoon ( did, in my case, I am getting too
old for that now) use a longish anchor rope ( say 30-40 meters at 6m
water depth). lower the anchor, pull it in with a reverse breakaway
knot, and then pay out the rope anchoring the boat by the stern
stanchion. ( you can see the anchor winder on my boat in the picture).
The wind blows you until the rope is more or less taut, and you
commence fishing. You do move about quite a lot, but it serves well
enough as a fishing platform. This also ensures you have the wind at
your back, making it easier to cast and fish, and you don´t ( seem to)
get so cold so quickly.

TL
MC

waterfloating
 

Something that occurred to me after my post (which happens to all of us
from time to time) regards what is IMO the single most frustrating
characteristic of belly boats and kick boats.

When you use your fins to orient the boat, you inevitably take yourself
farther away from where you want to cast. Your energy can't be converted
into rotation with perfect, or even close to perfect, efficiency. You
will cause some translational movement, and it will be away from where
you'd like it to be. The casts get longer and longer.

I've fished schools of risers, getting no takes at all, or maybe few,
and then had to turn around 180 degrees and fin or row back into the
action, usually putting them down. That sucks.

--
Cut "to the chase" for my email address.

waterfloating
 

Mike wrote:
With regard to the wind, that is a more or less permanent feature in
Winter on the Baltic, so what a few of us do is use it to our
advantage. As you quite rightly say, it is more or less pointless
trying to fish properly from a constantly moving boat, and the wind
will also blow you away pretty fast which could be very dangerous.
There are only a few pontooners on the Baltic in winter, and virtually
no float tubers. it is just too cold and dangerous for that.

Anyway, those of us who do pontoon ( did, in my case, I am getting too
old for that now) use a longish anchor rope ( say 30-40 meters at 6m
water depth). lower the anchor, pull it in with a reverse breakaway
knot, and then pay out the rope anchoring the boat by the stern
stanchion. ( you can see the anchor winder on my boat in the picture).
The wind blows you until the rope is more or less taut, and you
commence fishing. You do move about quite a lot, but it serves well
enough as a fishing platform. This also ensures you have the wind at
your back, making it easier to cast and fish, and you don´t ( seem to)
get so cold so quickly.

TL
MC

I use an anchor when the wind is strong. Where I normally fish
stillwater the wind is usually gentle (otherwise I don't go out), so I
position the boat upwind to take me over the best water, using my fins
for orientation.

A couple of years ago, on Lake Billy Shaw in the Duck Valley Indian Res.
of Nevada, Willi and I encountered serious wind. He had a bare-bones
belly boat and I had a kick boat with an anchor. We ended up anchored
and tethered together in the channel, to some good effect.

--
Cut "to the chase" for my email address.

waterfloating
 

Mike wrote:
Ken Fortenberry wrote:
No thanks. A reasonable answer to the original question, as opposed
to bull**** drivel and Googled links, would suffice. And please put
it one post, not an endless succession of replies to your own posts.

**** off dumbo.

Ah yes, your standard rejoinder to anyone who dares label your
bull**** drivel for what it is, bull**** drivel.

I'm proud to be of that number. I just wish I had the T-shirt.

LOL !!

--
Ken Fortenberry

waterfloating
 

On Dec 30, 2:10 am, rw wrote:
Mike wrote:
With regard to the wind, that is a more or less permanent feature in
Winter on the Baltic, so what a few of us do is use it to our
advantage. As you quite rightly say, it is more or less pointless
trying to fish properly from a constantly moving boat, and the wind
will also blow you away pretty fast which could be very dangerous.
There are only a few pontooners on the Baltic in winter, and virtually
no float tubers. it is just too cold and dangerous for that.

Anyway, those of us who do pontoon ( did, in my case, I am getting too
old for that now) use a longish anchor rope ( say 30-40 meters at 6m
water depth). lower the anchor, pull it in with a reverse breakaway
knot, and then pay out the rope anchoring the boat by the stern
stanchion. ( you can see the anchor winder on my boat in the picture).
The wind blows you until the rope is more or less taut, and you
commence fishing. You do move about quite a lot, but it serves well
enough as a fishing platform. This also ensures you have the wind at
your back, making it easier to cast and fish, and you don´t ( seem to)
get so cold so quickly.

TL
MC

I use an anchor when the wind is strong. Where I normally fish
stillwater the wind is usually gentle (otherwise I don't go out), so I
position the boat upwind to take me over the best water, using my fins
for orientation.

A couple of years ago, on Lake Billy Shaw in the Duck Valley Indian Res.
of Nevada, Willi and I encountered serious wind. He had a bare-bones
belly boat and I had a kick boat with an anchor. We ended up anchored
and tethered together in the channel, to some good effect.

--
Cut "to the chase" for my email address.

There is a principle difference for me in using a belly boat ( this is
the only belly boat I have now, the Kinetic Poseidon V-Boat. I don´t
know if there is an English equivalent, it is a "V" boat, and
basically a cross between a float tube and a pontoon boat;
http://www.villmarksbutikken.net/d4WAnMBjUYf.24.idium ) and a pontoon
boat in various situations. On the Baltic it is merely a fishing
platform which allows you to reach water of a certain depth. Then you
anchor and just use it as a casting platform.

On lakes etc, I use both the pontoon boat and the V-boat for actively
seeking fish.

I went with a group of pontooners to one of the Baltic islands once,
and conditions were so bad that the only way we could fish was to hook
up four boats and anchor all of them. It worked all right, and we got
plenty of fish, but it is not something I would do again. Conditions
were really too bad, and it would have been more sensible not to even
try it.

I have often fished with two boats hooked up as well. It is always
better to fish with somebody else in winter on the Baltic. Doing it
alone would be very dangerous indeed.

You are right about the orientation problems with the kick-boats ( I
take that to mean the fin driven boats generally? ) as well. What I
often do when Pike fishing is to propel the boat slowly along with the
fins, and cast to the side in to the cover etc I am searching. This
prevents twisting to quite an extent, and one covers a lot of ground,
which usually means more fish. I have only targeted trout a few times
from tubes, so I can´t really say much about it. But I gave up trying
to target surface feeding carp with the float tubes, for the very
reasons you mention. These fish are very very wary, and usually in
pods, but if you spook them, they may not appear again that day. I
never managed to get more than one fish out of such a pod, and often
not even one. It was often a great deal of effort and stealthy
paddling for little return.

I wanted to try one of these for a long time; http://www.prophish.com/

but I never did get around to it, I don´t suppose I will now.

TL
MC

waterfloating
 

On Dec 30, 2:22 am, Ken Fortenberry
wrote:
Mike wrote:
Ken Fortenberry wrote:
No thanks. A reasonable answer to the original question, as opposed
to bull**** drivel and Googled links, would suffice. And please put
it one post, not an endless succession of replies to your own posts.

**** off dumbo.

Ah yes, your standard rejoinder to anyone who dares label your
bull**** drivel for what it is, bull**** drivel.

I'm proud to be of that number. I just wish I had the T-shirt.

LOL !!

--
Ken Fortenberry

A T-shirt is no substitute for a brain.

**** off dumbo.

MC

waterfloating
 

"rw" wrote



When you use your fins to orient the boat, you inevitably take yourself
farther away from where you want to cast.


I have a pair of foot thingies that I "think" were called paddle pushers,
years ago when I got them I bought my first float tube in Blues Lakes
sports in Twin Falls, it was the very first time I'd ever seen one .... many
many many years ago .... and these 'pushers' about the same time I wore
the fabric out on that first tube, I had it so long and drug it over so many
places, let it slide around in the back of the truck etc .... I'm on my 4th
or 5th tube now ... again bought in Twin Falls, this time at the new
Sportsmans Warehouse Silver Creek is the only place I use it now,
preferring my WaterMaster where it's legal


You 'walk forward' instead of 'fin backwards' with the pushers. A fin juts
out to the side and as your leg goes forward it folds in, then as your leg
moves backwards it folds out and thrusts you forward These things have
got to be collector items now, and never worked well .... the best use I
ever found for them was moving along a bass pond casting to the tules along
the edges, you could move fast 'enough' and never had to do that irritating
turn around and fin backeards to go forwards stuff


Your post reminded me of those pushers .... my only reason for posting

waterfloating
 

On Dec 30, 3:27 am, "Larry L" wrote:

Your post reminded me of those pushers .... my only reason for posting

Sound interesting, do you by any chance have a picture? I have never
seen anything like that.

Could you also explain what "tules" are?

My main reasons for wanting to try the Prophish boats was that the
power conversion is far more efficient. You can pedal a lot longer and
more easily than you can either fin or row. You don´t need your hands
to do anything except fish. The boats are a lot faster than other
pontoon boats as well. Also the mechanism is geared so you can move
forwards, backward, or even sideways if you want.

My first tube was a tyre inner tube from a lorry with some canvas
around it as a seat. Wasn´t very good at all, and a joke compared to
modern float tubes, but I caught a few fish while using it, and it was
an "adventure" at the time! :)

TL
MC

waterfloating
 

It´s OK, I found them;

http://www.fishmastermfg.com/paddlepushers.htm

very interesting. First I have heard of anything like that.

TL
MC

waterfloating
 

On Sun, 30 Dec 2007 01:22:33 GMT, Ken Fortenberry
wrote:

I just wish I had the T-shirt.

Ya want a "Dumbo" T-shirt? We celebrated the day wayno handed those
out at Penns. Great shirt. Laughed our asses off at you. I am sure
wayno has some left, and i could probably getcha one for a nominal
fee.

Davey

waterfloating
 

"Mike" wrote


Sound interesting, do you by any chance have a picture? I have never
seen anything like that.


Thanks to the wonders of the digital age ... taken only moments ago in my
barn

http://www.kimshew.com/flyfish/pusher1.jpg

http://www.kimshew.com/flyfish/pusher2.jpg


As you can see they strap around the heel of your boots They don't work
too well and I'm sure they haven't been made in years



Could you also explain what "tules" are?


That is Californiaspeak for bullrushes ... big emergent plants ... cat
tails? ( sort of )

waterfloating
 

On Dec 30, 4:13 am, "Larry L" wrote:
"Mike" wrote

Sound interesting, do you by any chance have a picture? I have never
seen anything like that.

Thanks to the wonders of the digital age ... taken only moments ago in my
barn

http://www.kimshew.com/flyfish/pusher1.jpg

http://www.kimshew.com/flyfish/pusher2.jpg

As you can see they strap around the heel of your boots They don't work
too well and I'm sure they haven't been made in years

Could you also explain what "tules" are?

That is Californiaspeak for bullrushes ... big emergent plants ... cat
tails? ( sort of )

Thanks! Bullrushes are what we have in many places here as well.

I am quite intrigued by the paddles, they don´t look as though they
would give you very much propulsion though. Could you wear them as
well as the normal fins? I am just trying to visualise how they work.

TL
MC