Northwest Fishing Reports

How do some of you transport toons from home to lake? Do you take it ready to go all blown up or do you do it at site.Do you just strap it in the bed of the pick up and go? Or do you have a flatbead trailer to tow with?I saw Marcs set up which is nice.Mine is not so heavy ,its just awkwards to lift and carry too far.

My second question is in winter do you wear breathable waders to row around in or what to do for leg protection in cooler weather?

I have a floattube which is a bit easier to tote around to the lakes I think. But the one thing is that i am in the water a bit more the if I had a toon. i just have basic insulated rubber waders but then I have multiple layers on underarmor, thermal underwear, sweatpants, two - three pair socks and foot warmers like the hand warmers you would use. I still get cold but am surprised on how long I can actually float around in 40 degree water.

I do breathable waders for the tube and wading in the river. I'll never go back to rubber. I have 2 weights of fleece pants I wear under. Depending on the weather I may wear shorts or any combo of the fleece. I'll also wear up to three pairs of sox, all wool.
I also wear the waders in the boat when on the river or if its nasty rainning out. Great raingear and if you have to hop out, not a problem. Good solution all around.

Bodofish wrote:I do breathable waders for the tube and wading in the river. I'll never go back to rubber.

I do agree with you on that and when I upgrade that will be the direction that I will go. I got the ones I have as a birthday present from a friend to get me started tubing.

We just put the toon in the back of the truck blown up and ready to rock. Transporting it from the truck is made easier with the wheel that attaches to it like a wheel barrel. As far as winter clothing goes, it's all about layers. NEVER NEVER NEVER put cotton against the skin and a thermal layer. COTTON KILLS. You need some sort of a man made blend, and for socks I usually do thick wool-type socks, with another pair of socks over them to help pull the sweat away from the feet, then thermal underwear pant bottoms with pants over those and snowboard pants over those with winter boots, then basically the same drill up top, substituting socks and boots for some good wool mits that open into gloves and my boarding jacket. Keeps me warm enough, and if it's gonna be wet too, then I put on rain gear on top of all of that.....yeah, makes it tough to do jumping jacks, but that's tough on my little boats anyhow....hhahaha

Cotton is by far the worse.I still do the wool.Wool keeps you warm even if it gets wet.How often do you see sheep with a cold?

My back and my legs feel like they are 20 years older than me, and I'm 61. So this is the way I move my toon, especially if I'm camping. I use the space in the pickup for camping gear. i.e. tent, cot, cooler, sleeping bag and pad, water bottles, lanterns and cooking gear. Fishing gear goes behind the seat in the locked up pickup. I put the pickup in overdrive and set the cruise control and get about 22-24 mpg.



Join us at Marshall Lake on Father's Day.

trailer ready to go keep a pump because its gonna lose some air to the cold weather. i have both wetsuit with boots type and the breathable ones. i like the wetsuit in this type weather.

Rac, I never store or transport my toon fully pumped. This time of year isn't bad having full tubes but in the summer daytime heating or going over the passes can cause tubes to blow. I have both a manual K-100 pump and a hi volume electric to top off my tubes. Also have a pressure gauge so you have equal pressure in each tube. That makes the toon steer mucho straighter. I just put mine in the back of my pickup. Its a full size 4-door so I can carry all my camping and fishing gear. I have a folding wheel that I use to push my toon like a wheel barrow.
I also dress in layers. No cotton, just layers of fleece. I wear a pair of thin silk or poly pro socks as a base layer and then a pair of Costco's Merino wool socks over them. If its really cold I have a pair of poly/wool blend socks that will go over my knees. Make sure that you have plenty of wiggle room in your boots. Too tight of fit is a guarantee of cold feet. I wear loose breathable waders and a gortex shell jacket to stay dry and stop the wind. In the winter I always wear a poly pro watch cap to keep the ears and head warm. Dressed like this I rarely need to wear gloves in the winter.

Lotech or VHM.Do those small flatbeds travel ok on the freeways?or do they fishtail real bad?Thats what I was thinking about.My toyota has a small lift on it.It killer on the back to lift it up and out.Mine also has that folding wheel on it.

Racfish you da Man I am glad you got a Pontoon.
I drive a crappy, tiny Neon, and I take my Pontoon boat apart in 4 pieces and fit it in the back seat. Then I put the pontoons in the trunk and inflate at the lake or river. It takes about 30 minutes to put it all together plus inflation. Take down takes 10 minutes or less. Waders this time of year are a must, but I don't use them when its hot out. Like Wolverine mentioned be very careful of leaving things inflated in warm weather. I had a float tube bust out all the seams in a couple hours of leaving it inflated...

You guys are the best.I know if I need info on anything that floats flys or swims this is the place to ask.Good luck everyone this weekend.

well this next year Im going to do something different than last year. I bought my first toon last year and only had a hyundai accent to haul it around with. I would completely dissassemble it with completely deflated tubes and load her in. There was just enough room for it and a cooler, my oars, books, waders and that was about it. Let me tell you, its a chore having to put it all together and especially take it all apart after a day on the lake....phew! Pumping up the tubes was the hardest part for me though, would have been easier to use an electric to get it close to full then use a hand pump to top it off. Bout made it so I didnt want to ever take it out, did more bank fishing than toon fishing!

This year though I'll have to arm wrestle the wife over letting me take the minivan and just pull the two bench seats out and take the toon full assembled. I just lost my job today so doubt I'll be getting the mini-trailer I planned on getting to haul it around with.

For waders I only have one pair which is a full chest breathable waders. If its warm out I just take the should straps off and slip it down around my waist. A trick someone told me is if its hot you can bring a small hand towel, drench it in water, and lay it over your legs...which also seconds as a wrag to wipe your hands on

Pictures of my toon in my car

racfish wrote:Lotech or VHM.Do those small flatbeds travel ok on the freeways?or do they fishtail real bad?Thats what I was thinking about.My toyota has a small lift on it.It killer on the back to lift it up and out.Mine also has that folding wheel on it.

I used the wheel the first time then took mine off. It was such a PITA to use it plus it created drag in the water. Mine is one you can remove it, but doesnt fold, it has a "stowaway" position that is sideways but you have to take it out of the one position and put it into a different bracket for the stowaway. If the lake you are at has a launch, just launch it similar to a boat, go down the ramp, pull it out, and make a short drag to water. Course if I have to go a long ways I put the wheel in and just take it out when I get to the lake, then walk the wheel back and put it in my car lol.

reminds me, I still need to get my depth finder hooked up this year...maybe when it warms up or else I can set up the frame in the basement lol.