A canoe costs several hundred dollars, as does a kayak or a small johnboat. But a float tube, also known as a belly boat, usually costs less than $150 with many under $100. Float tubes give anglers an affordable option to enjoy a day of stream fishing and escape the August heat.
Pick A Good Float Tube
Not all float tubes are created equal. Three main types of belly boats exist on the market: the original round design, the U-tube design and the pontoon design. The original round float tubes consist of a truck tire inner-tube sheathed in nylon cloth with pockets. They work in a pinch, but are a poor choice for stream fishing. Their design makes it difficult for you to get out of the boat in shallow water. Round float tubes can also flip over in current and pin you upside down.
The U-boat, which is open in the front and forms a semicircle around the angler, is a better choice. These are more expensive than the round design, but are safer to use. They are lightweight and easy to carry to the stream.
The pontoon design, however, is the best choice for floating streams. The pontoon style employs two pontoons that feature a spreader bar in front of the angler, and a backrest for more comfort on longer floats. A pontoon design is easy to get in and out of, especially in shallow water. You can prop their legs over the spreader bar and float through shallow shoals. Some anglers drill a hole in the end of a small wooden oar, run a piece of rope through it and tie a carabineer to the end of the rope. They next attach the carabineer to the D-rings on a belly boat so that they can maneuver in current without having to worry about losing the oar. Other anglers wear flippers on their feet to control their belly boats on streams, but a pair of wading boots or plain work boots do best in flowing water. The thick soles of these boots protect your feet from impacting rocks. Flippers make exiting the boat difficult on slick rocks in current or in shallow water.
Smallmouth Streams
Smallmouth streams with fairly deep holes punctuated by riffles are good places to fish with a float tube. You can fish a flowing hole, get out, and walk back up to the top of the hole and float it again. You may also float a section of stream and pack your float tube back out to your vehicle or set up a float of a couple of miles. You cannot cover nearly the water in a float tube that you can in a canoe, kayak or johnboat.
The low flows of August make float tubing on streams a great option. Float tubes are silent in the water, allowing you to sneak up on spooky fish.
Baits To Fish From A Float Tube
The higher profile of a float tube gives fly anglers an excellent platform to present their lures. August is a productive time for fly rodders to tie on a cork popper, deer hair bug or Sneaky Pete and catch smallmouth bass on top. Combinations of red, chartreuse, black and orange work for these flies, but plain black may do best of all. This type of fishing calls for at least a 6-weight fly rod to cast these hefty flies.
The topwater bite improves as the days shorten and water temperatures cool in early to mid-September. Spinning anglers can score with the cigar-shaped topwater lures retrieved in the walk-the-dog style, a minnow-shaped floater/diver or a chugger.
A smoke-colored 4-inch straight tailed worm with blue, gold, green and black flakes, sometimes called "smoke bluegill" is one of the best bets in August. A solid black 4-inch straight-tailed worm also scores smallmouths, spotted bass and rock bass. Shallow running crankbaits with a square or L-shaped lip in minnow or crayfish colors also attract big fish from August through September. August is a big fish month for stream smallmouths - and the day before a major weather front is a great time to trophy fish. Get a float tube, head to a stream and out fish those anglers in expensive boats sweltering in the heat.
