Okay, im not a pro but I go now and then. Well make sure you always have your life vest with you at all times and a whistle or blow horn for safety to signal other vessels that get by too close and can't see you. Waders, I heard they have a sale at sportmart right now, check sport chalet also, i think they got a sale going on too. Neoprenes are what I have, but can get hot at times, you might wanna try out the breathable types since they would be a lot more comfortable but do not keep you insulated if the water is too cold. Have a landing net with you because I think DFG requires it, and also a lip gripper would be helpful also, like a berkely lip gripper which is the same concept as the boga grip without the weight scale and under 30 bucks. Makes catch and release so much easier without having your thumbs ripped up. Some would say bring a gaff but that is pretty dangerous around a float tube in my opinion especially with a big hali' shaking you around. If you have not gotten fins, get some US diver ones from Walmart, they're under 20 bucks and are better than many of those designed for float tubing imo. Just be really careful and always aware of what's around you, especially at newport because of all the boat traffic. Oh, if you have questions about livewells or places to keep your fish, check out baytubers.com, that is the best place to learn about tubing the ocean, check the pictures and f&Q's there is so much info there. If you wanna tube sometime let me know, I can always use a buddy to go with for safety reasons. Oh yeah, don't go alone. Hope this helps and good luck

Alex