some friends i made float the james river in float tubes.  ive always kinda wanted one and this seems to be my excuse to do so.  the problem is that i dont know what option is best.  

these guys just use round tubes and havent really looked into any other options.  i would like to get a pontoon or u boat but am not sure it would work well in the river (although i think it would be better if i went to a lake or pond).  the issue is that they say they spend a lot of time standing in the shallow water.in a round tube obviously the tube will just be around them.  im not too familiar with u or pontoon stlye boats but it seems to me that it will be difficult to get out of them repeatedly and that once i did so it would be difficult to keep the boat with me.  is this true?

is all this adding up to a round tube being best for river fishing, or is there something that i am overlooking.  does anyone here use a float tube in a river?  if so any advice would be very appreciated.

matt

the only reason i say use the round one is because i think the rubber innertubes are a little stronger than the plastic that the pontoons are made out of. i have the round kind for duck hunting on rivers.

After years of tubing I have a new Kayak and it is great. Personally I think however that a u boat makes it easier to use a spinning reel for me. Kind of like a sit on top Kayak over a sit in. But floats move slower and can be better if you want to stop and fish. The Round ones always seemed sturdier to me though, so it is a give and take.

In my other life I was a fly fishing trout guide and owned a couple shops in Colorado. We used and sold the pontoon style boats for use on rivers all the time. The pontoon is not bad if there is a little currentl and you keep the boat pointed down stream. They are easier to get in and out of + they get your butt up out of the water which A. keeps you more comfortable and B. it puts you higher for better hook sets and better vision in the water.

The round tubes are definitly more affordable, I don't know about being more puncture resistant - my guess that would depend on the type of exterior your pontoon has.

I have been thinking about a way to rig a way to stand up on the pontoon so you can pitch and see better when you are not moving. Also, most pontoons have a way to mount a trolling motor for lakes (or a big cooler  ) if you so choose.  One more + for pontoon would be they are easier/faster to row or kick around on lakes and rivers than a round tube.

Good luck, but if it were me i would go PONTOON!

HydrillaGorilla2 if that was your former life why change?

Fell in love and wanted a family. Being a fly fishing guide I could not provide for them in the manner I do now.

C'est la vie. Can't have everything.