Hay everyone, I am getting bummed out. Looks like Texas is not a place for tubes or kickboats. Down here the lakes all have Water Moccasins, Cotton Mouths, and did I mention Alligators! I have been talking to a few guys and they do not recomend I take the kickboat out on local lakes. Well I'm hardheaded and did not care about the bug-a-boos, and was determined to get out on the water in my kickboat. The other day I went to a near-by golf course, had a great 2 hours, 23 bass on a Pointer, but I saw a Moccasin it was about 4 to 5 foot long. This gave me the idea to hang the kickboat up on the garage wall and not try the lakes. Travis if you read this please let me know your thoughts on my issue. I have not realy given up yet, but getting discouraged.:(
Thanks for letting me vent, Ex-Cali aka: Jamie...

Whats up Jamie,you ought to try the kayak?Seems like it would be alot safer,Gordon has a cool kayak maybe he could help you out with some ideas on getting setup. :7

On the subject of snakes, I was hit by a rattler at Anderson Lake 3 years ago come May. I was hauling my Kickboat back to my car and stepped on the little guy. It was about 28" long and as big around as a golf ball. I was wearing my neoprene waders and it didn't penetrate all the way threw. The spot where my waders were hit did ooze a tiny amount of venom. Basically the waders saved my bacon. I don't know the length of the snakes fangs but I'm wondering if waders might make you safer there too.
Tight lines,
Wade

Hey, Jamie, glad to see you're still posting and keeping in touch! Yeah, I've often thought of that -- tubing in places like Louisiana, Texas, Florida. It definitely doesn't seem to be the smartest thing to do in that part of the country. It hadn't occurred to me until some time ago how, in this area, it just seems to be PERFECT for our local conditions, at least for the FRESHWATER environment (I don't know that I'll ever go out to the saltwater -- 'specially after seeing that movie, "Open Water" on cable this past weekend! I'll leave the salt to guys like Rob, Joey, & those other salt-tubers down south).

Too bad not everyone can experience the GREAT CALIFORNIA BASS-TUBING EXPERIENCE! I guess we're luckier than we thought!


Hope you're still out there wettin' a line one way or another, regardless! Take care, bud!

Hey Jamie,

Don't worry too much about gators. They are actually pretty docile. You honestly have a about a 0.0000 % chance of being attacked and eaten by a gator. They really don't want to mess with you. Your dogs and cats on the other hand, well, they are more in line with what a gator will hit. The only times you'll have to worry about them is if you run accross a hen gaurding a nest on the bank or still keeping the little ones nearby. You'll know your near little ones because you'll hear them chirping. I never did a whole lot of freshwater fishing when I grew up down there, but on the times I did, there was great fun to be had by throwing buzzbaits in front of the smaller gators. They almost always slap at them, but I never managed to get a hook into one.

Water moccasins, which is the same as a cottonmouth, are a real and present danger, but their bad reputation is much bigger than the threat. They will occasionally approach people more out of curiosity than anything else, but when people see them coming and freak out, it freaks the snake out, and accidents happen. There are a few differnet types of non-venomous water snakes, and they all resemble cottonmouths, and they generally have worse dispositions than cottonmouths. They are harmless, but will take a shot at you if you get near them. A lot of folks will not recognize them as watersnakes and will blame the incident on a cottonmouth. A lot of people who don't take the time to learn their snake ID will see a snake in the water and immediately say "moccasin". You will probably run accross many, many, many more watersnakes than you will cottonmouths. The only time I would be concerned with the cottonmouths would be when launching or recovering my kickboat and there is a lot of brush or other snake hiding cover on the bank. If a snake approaching you really bothers you, I would say go to a local gun shop and order up a .410 derringer, and get some #8 bird shot shells and blast the little bugger if one gets too close for comfort(assuming you are fishing awway from homes). Take some time to learn your snakes, and be concious of where you put your hands and feet, and you should not have any problems with cottonmouths.

If snakes and gators really bother you, there is always the option of trading in the bass gear for some poppin rods and soft plastics and get yourself into some redfish and speckled trout wade fishing action down on the bay or surf. The only thing you have to worry about there is rattlesnakes in the salt grass, stingrays, and man-o-wars. Send me your email, and the next time I'm down I can show you some redifsh and trout stuff that might make you stop bass fishing.


Take care, and I hope to see your name on the first Sharelunker caught from a kickboat.

Travis

I wouldn't use a float tube here in the rivers of Missouri, either. Maybe in the lakes would be OK. But the cottonmouths in the rivers just seem to be alot more aggresive. I have had enough encounters with them in a canoe, while floating, than I care to deal with. I had about 6 or so try to get IN the canoe(while beating them off with a paddle!)on just one float trip! If the smallie bite wasn't so good, I might just leave the rivers to the snakes, lol.

Jaime,
Don't worry about those pesky reptiles. Your a Texan now. Go buy a couple of guns and holsters and get real old west on the gators and snakes. Shoot enough of them and start making shoes or belts with their skins to supplement your fishing supplies. Seem like an easy enough solution. Good luck out there!

T

Jamie,

I'm not sure if rattle snakes or portuguese man of war sounds any more inviting than gators and cotton mouths. I'm down with Terry, shoot em up and send us some belts, or atleast some Texas T-Bones. Dude, at least YOU don't have to deal with JAWS....Brrr!!

Dave.

Thanks for the replys guys. You guys crack me up! I think I will become a gun totin' Texan, I think it would look cool to have a sawed-off straped to my back while fish'n out of the kickboat. Thanks again, you have sparked the fire to keep my tubin' roots going! I will try to get some pics of a gator near the kickboat or maybe a Cottonmouth in my lap.
Still Tubin', Ex-Cali....
P.S. I will post any belts or hat bands that I will have for sale after some fish'n trips:7, LOL...

Hey Jamie,
Just read all the post and yeah I'm with them get a gun. I would get a Glock 19. I heard divers in Florida use them as a shark gun. Something to stun them in the water as we all now bullets do not travel far underwater. Just in case a gator gets close and you have to abandon ship. Also, since I myself own a Glock 19, think you can pick me up some hi-cap magazine. Although it's illegal to buy them in Cali I'm sure it's legal over there. We just have to figure out how to get them over here J/K. On the other hand, I heard snake meat is a delicacy. Yum yum, hey tied one to a 7/0 gamu and see what kind of lunker you can pull out of there. Keep tubin dude and hope to see you here in Cali.

Binh,

Whats up with you having a tupperware gun? Everyone knows real men shoot 1911's.}(

Don't you mean Ruger Super Redhawks?
Tight lines,
Wade

Dude I got a 1911 as well. Kimber custom tactical elite if you don't mind me saying. Also 45 sig, glock, So I am a real Man dude

Well, damn. I guess we're gonna have to get together and have a shoot some time. I'll bring the HK, the AR and my .45
You can bring all the ammo and we'll have a big time. :7

Peace

Travis

I just came from Florida. I was there for four years. I hung up my float tube for the same reasons as you. I bought a 11'8" Kingfisher kayak made by Mainstream. I was surprised how stable it is. It's realy set up for the bass fisherman. It's a sit-on-top kayak with a wide enough girth that I've actually fished from it standing up. It's only 48 pounds. I got it at Bass Pro Shops for I think $350. I just slam it on top of my Xterra and go where ever. I've fished around gator and never got messed with. Do your research on kayaks but the Kingfisher is good entry level kayak. It's not as fast as the others but it's extremely stable and holds a crap load of gear.

Yoe Jamie
Go to your local sheet metal shop and make a pair of Pants like the ones the Tin Man would wear and slip your fins over them and you'll be good to go. And get some of that off spray, the kind they use for Gators. Oh yea baby :+

Rich

P.S. On the other hand, just break down and get a Ranger Z521 bass boat.:7