Wednesday, February 23, 2011

Float tubes a tool for the north woods.

My wife purchased a float tube for me for our last western trout fishing excursion to Henry's Lake State Park outside of Island Park, ID. Got home and thought, "I wounder when I would use this thing again?" I had a total blast and was surprised by how easy it was to maneuver and hold steady in a desired position even in a steady wind.
Wisconsin has over 15,000 inland lakes many of these lakes are remote forested lakes which require a "carry in" only approach to fish them. Often times these small lakes are spring feed and have very clear, cool water filled with trout, bass, pike, panfish, walleye, and even muskie. Float tubes are a great tool to explore these remote lakes around the state that offers some of the best fishing you could imagine. I will even fish out of my float tube on Madison's 10,000 acre Lake Mendota. I have floated rivers fishing for brown trout, small mouth bass and pike. It is a very versatile fishing tool that will allow you to have beautiful lakes that you will only share with some friendly loons.
Wisconsin is Also home to over 200 spring ponds which are almost exculsively managed for native brook trout, but some also have rainbow and brown trout which have migrated up from outlet creeks and rivers. For the larger spring ponds a float tube is a great way to cover a lot of water effeicently. Often times these spring ponds are surrounded by bogs so shore fishing isn't the best. Slowly and gently fish these spring ponds in a float tube and you will cover much more water and catch a lot more fish.


* I use the pictured above float tube by trout unlimited called the kennebec with thruster fins.

2 comments:

  1. Even though I have not float tubed in a few years, I have at least (30) years of float tubing experience. What a pleasure float tubing has been for me. By the way, did you get into some of the great fish form Henrys Lake?

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  2. Oh yeah caught a bunch of really nice cuts in Henry's Lake. Very nice spot we had 3 moose that would hang around the campsite in the early morning and late afternoon. Also had a blast catching brookies on Targhee Creek.

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