Float tube or Pontoon?

[canadagrown]

Looking at purchasing a float tube or a pontoon for fly fishing when the ice melts. Which is a better purchase? They are both similar price to I am looking for personal experiences and a few pros and cons. Thanks in advance!

[buckstop]

Pontoon...heres why;

I moved out to Alberta for a work contract 2 years ago. Brought my two floattubes for me and my girlfriend. We road tripped on my time off sampling the inland lakes here in Alberta and one long trip to Kamloops. The float tubes were useless at most our destinations. Wind and wave height kill your float tube trips in alberta where the wind blows up your a s s on regular basis. I fished lakes like Muir, Windsor, and numerous foothill waters.

I was at a huge disadvantage in BC when the winds came up and the guys in pontoons had no problem staying on fish all day, with a better casting view. Soon as I got back to alberta i went and bought two OUTCAST 9' pontoons.

The tubes are nice and compact, but so is a 8' or 9' pontoon. They pack down pretty quickly and I can store my two new pontoons in the back of my pickup along with a spare tire, and numerous bags and boxes of fishing gear.

Pontoons are pricey, but you wont regret it. I fish alot, and they are hands down the better option.

Some many benefits to pontoons its impossible to mention all them. Better casting, better view, better hooksets, more comfortable, easier to use in wind and waves, easier to anchor up, better for fighting fish, ability to store more gear...yadda yadda yadda.

[diamonddave]

X10 What he said:wave:

[Rumtan]

Pontoons can be used on lakes streams and rivers.....tubes on lakes deep enough for your lower body

[Harbercraftguy]

X100,000,000,000 ect. float tubes (unless backpacking into lakes ) are terrible.

[pikester]

X100,000,000,000 ect. float tubes (unless backpacking into lakes ) are terrible.

Exactly, float tubes are only good for small lakes that you have to pack into. Even then I've seen some guys build little one or 2 wheeled carts like a little rickshaw so they can haul their pontoons into backcountry lakes. Also, pontoon boats have a package tray behind the seat for your gear & lunch (& maybe frosty beverages:evilgrin:?).

[Skinner]

Be sure to get on with a motor mount on it so you don't have to row all the time. I use my pontoon boat with my trolling motor all the time, even more than my boat.

[fishstix]

i have had an inflatable u-boat for 15 years. It has never let me down. The only real issue ive had is loading all my stuff abord. I have a small cooler that gets towed behind with all my nourishment items (sandwich, beer,fruit, beer) One big pro for the tube is you can pack it into a backpack and carry it easily.
Last summer i went to rawson lake. 4.5 km hike up the side of a mountain. Good luck lugging a pontoon boat up that. even if the pontoon boat has the olio wheel (wheel barrow wheel) the trail is too narrow.
A pontoon boat probably is more stable on bigger lakes when the wind comes up, but dont forget even big fishing boats go down in choppy water.
I guess to deceide which to buy you would have to look at what kind of fishing you want to do. On a big lake, unless you have a motor, you cant hit all the spots. on a small lake you can go anywhere. If mobility is an issue,and you dont think you will be hiking into lakes, then a pontoon boat should be ok.
HAve a great time on your floating unit which ever you choose!

Fishstix!!