02-25-2003, 07:20 PM
[cool]Hey stormy26. Welcome to the float tubing forum. If you want to try using a tube, 'toon or kickboat for those lovely salmonids, go for it. As I recall, most of the better water on those rivers is in the lower stretches, where there is often not a lot of heavy current. My knowledge of them is mostly what I have gleaned from watching fishing shows on the area, but I can recall thinking on some programs that I could do some serious damage if I had the chance to launch my donut dinghy back there.
I have fished extensively for both steelhead and salmon on the west coast, from northern California to the Puget Sound in Washington. Wherever you can launch and beach your craft safely...and avoid fast shallow water...you have tubing potential. Don't plan to fish the rivers when they are running high and fast...or if there are lots of rocks, overhanging trees, low bridges or other obstacles that could grab and hold you.
Tubes and kickboats are ideal for being able to float down into areas not easily accessible to bank anglers, or too deep for wading fishermen to get to efficiently. Some of my best west coast fishing was in "tidewater" regions of the lower rivers, where they were more like lakes than rivers. I could launch and beach within a few feet of my vehicle, move around out in the fish holding areas beyond reach of shore fishermen, and be all alone casting to active fish that were unaffected by my quiet approach.
I suspect you would like some specific recommendations for type of craft, etc. I'll be glad to help, but I can be more helpful if you will post the answers to the following questions: (1) How big are you physically? (2) Will you need to carry your craft any distance to launch it? (3) How big is your fishing vehicle? (4) What kind of tackle do you prefer (fly/spinning/casting)? (5) Will you be drifting a length of a river, or staying in one slack water area? (6) Will you be using your choice of flotation systems for any other kinds of fishing...like bass or walleye?
If you are already an accomplished angler, you will find that going afloat will increase your opportunities and accelerate your knowledge of the sport. If you don't already know enough to catch steelhead and salmon from the bank or a boat, you will be just as frustrated from a tube.
One of the key advantages of flotation fishing is that it allows you to get "up close and personal" with your quarry. Instead of having to battle those long noodle rods, to cast long distances and miss a lot of takes because of lack of "touch", you can make shorter and more controlled casts and drifts. You feel the bites better and can make more positive hooksets. Then, you can take a ride downstream if you need to follow a big one. Steelheads tend to be more flashy and stay closer to the hole from which they were hooked. Big salmon, on the other hand, can turn around and run clear back out into the lake...pulling you behind them. They are strong and they can strip a reel full of light line on their long runs.
I have enjoyed some great action on drifting bait or flies down through a run, by positioning my tube in the slack water off to the side and then casting at an angle upstream and letting the offering work down through the holding area. I have also done well by backtrolling and bottom bouncing downstream in a modest current. This requires good physical conditioning and good big fins.
Round tubes, Uboats and minipontoons will all work okay in slow, deeper rivers. However, if you plan to run several miles, through fast water stretches with shallows, I would recommend a pontoon craft that features above water seating, and maybe even oars for maneuvering. If your lower extremities sit too low in the water, you are at risk for painful and/or dangerous encounters with shallow rocks or logs. And, you should never try to stand up in your craft in shallow moving water. It is difficult to maintain balance when the current is trying to pull your legs out from under you.
Fill us in with a few more details of what your plans are and I'm sure you can get some good input. As you will soon discover, it is not as simple as the newcomer might believe. But, mastering the fundamentals can be both fun and rewarding.
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I have fished extensively for both steelhead and salmon on the west coast, from northern California to the Puget Sound in Washington. Wherever you can launch and beach your craft safely...and avoid fast shallow water...you have tubing potential. Don't plan to fish the rivers when they are running high and fast...or if there are lots of rocks, overhanging trees, low bridges or other obstacles that could grab and hold you.
Tubes and kickboats are ideal for being able to float down into areas not easily accessible to bank anglers, or too deep for wading fishermen to get to efficiently. Some of my best west coast fishing was in "tidewater" regions of the lower rivers, where they were more like lakes than rivers. I could launch and beach within a few feet of my vehicle, move around out in the fish holding areas beyond reach of shore fishermen, and be all alone casting to active fish that were unaffected by my quiet approach.
I suspect you would like some specific recommendations for type of craft, etc. I'll be glad to help, but I can be more helpful if you will post the answers to the following questions: (1) How big are you physically? (2) Will you need to carry your craft any distance to launch it? (3) How big is your fishing vehicle? (4) What kind of tackle do you prefer (fly/spinning/casting)? (5) Will you be drifting a length of a river, or staying in one slack water area? (6) Will you be using your choice of flotation systems for any other kinds of fishing...like bass or walleye?
If you are already an accomplished angler, you will find that going afloat will increase your opportunities and accelerate your knowledge of the sport. If you don't already know enough to catch steelhead and salmon from the bank or a boat, you will be just as frustrated from a tube.
One of the key advantages of flotation fishing is that it allows you to get "up close and personal" with your quarry. Instead of having to battle those long noodle rods, to cast long distances and miss a lot of takes because of lack of "touch", you can make shorter and more controlled casts and drifts. You feel the bites better and can make more positive hooksets. Then, you can take a ride downstream if you need to follow a big one. Steelheads tend to be more flashy and stay closer to the hole from which they were hooked. Big salmon, on the other hand, can turn around and run clear back out into the lake...pulling you behind them. They are strong and they can strip a reel full of light line on their long runs.
I have enjoyed some great action on drifting bait or flies down through a run, by positioning my tube in the slack water off to the side and then casting at an angle upstream and letting the offering work down through the holding area. I have also done well by backtrolling and bottom bouncing downstream in a modest current. This requires good physical conditioning and good big fins.
Round tubes, Uboats and minipontoons will all work okay in slow, deeper rivers. However, if you plan to run several miles, through fast water stretches with shallows, I would recommend a pontoon craft that features above water seating, and maybe even oars for maneuvering. If your lower extremities sit too low in the water, you are at risk for painful and/or dangerous encounters with shallow rocks or logs. And, you should never try to stand up in your craft in shallow moving water. It is difficult to maintain balance when the current is trying to pull your legs out from under you.
Fill us in with a few more details of what your plans are and I'm sure you can get some good input. As you will soon discover, it is not as simple as the newcomer might believe. But, mastering the fundamentals can be both fun and rewarding.
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