bipr8

Do you find that an 18 gal. livewell is a little small? 10 fish in 18 gal. of water scares me a bit. Anyone ever get 10 fish in there before? I fish in a local club that you have to take a non-boater with you. If we each get a decent sized limit, i'm afraid the fish may all be in danger. Comments??

I have fished out of a tube for about 10 years now. I go out about twice a week with it. It is fantastic!!!! Stealthy!! I catch many more fish from a tube than a boat. I bring 2 rods usually, sometimes 3 if I am going to make a day out of it. I lay the poles across the tube TO ONE SIDE OR ANOTHER (there is a meshing that straps on pretty tight like a shelf across your lap). The reel goes on the meshing, the rod lays over the water. I have NEVER lost a pole OR a lure OR pliers (at least that I know of). Put the rod tip (the part that hangs out over the water) to the side you are casting to. If not you may hit the rod tip with the rod you are casting with on the backstroke (hello backlash). Baitcasters are easier to lay on the shelf due to the low profile. GET A U-SHAPED TUBE!!! NOT A ROUND ONE!!! To change lures is simple. Open the bail and change the lure in front of you with the reel on the mesh shelf. The WORST is when you get twisted at your rod tip. That is always tricky...good luck, havent figured a good way to reach the tip it without putting the rod across the back of the tube and bending the heck out of the pole. WEAR NEOPRENE CHEST WAIDERS!!! I am going out tomorrow. The water temp is about 42'!! Usually in the winter, you can only stay out an hour or 1 1/2 hours. I cant take the boat b/c I have a tourney Sun. and dont want to have to recharge the batteries and reorganize the boat. Get BIG flippers too. Tubes are very very easy to handle in the wind too (most people think you would get blown around), but I have more control over my tube than my boat with my foot pedal. BIG pickerel are spooky, so are turtles!! I hooked a MONSTER turtle on braided line while I was in my tube. It surfaced like a whale, the line wouldnt break that easily b/c everytime I pulled, the turtle got closer to me. I had to cut it with a scissors, lost a ton of line, shreiked like a girl and paddled (flippered) across the lake in a panic. Also, a beaver swam by me about 10 ft. from my tube. Scared the hell out me. I didnt know it was there until it was practically in my lap. Anyway, I recomend a float tube. They do dry rot rather easily even if you deflate them during the off-season (I have been through 4 of them (Browning hooked me up when I called them. I wasnt looking for a new tube, I just wanted to buy another bladder from them instead of the whole kit. Instead, they sent me a new one. Go Browning!) The Gunnison Classic Float Tube model "trout unlimited" is the one I got this year. I havent had it out yet, but it looks cheap compared to the others I had. I have had another Trout unlimited one that was great (I thought I was buying the same one that I have now when ordering...guess not or they went to a cheaper float bladder and cover). Good Luck.