Float Tube Fishing Forum E-Zine Volume 7: Issue 1: | Page 23

What most people don’t know or at

least think of is, the waters we get into do

change as the day goes on and the

location of our entry may not be the same

when we exit. This holds entirely true

when you are tubing the saltwater. With

tide changes and current flows and

because of this changesin your location

can be great. Now please don’t worry, in

my experience there is rarely any major

change that causes problems, but if you

are not thinking ahead you might find

yourself wondering how I end up head

over heels in the water.  For Freshwater

you can experience some similar issues

and of course you might find later that

your original launch spot is now filled with fishermen or family having fun in the water.  The reason for secondary egress plans.

As for saltwater entry and exits you will need to find a nice sandy beach location, like a mother’s beach inside a harbor or bay. Side note it has always been a strong suggested and encouraged by our forum that you go with a buddy when float tubing for the first time especially when fishing the saltwater. Currents can be strong and you can very quickly find yourself in a bad situation. I like to use Google maps before I go out and try a new spot in the saltwater for the first time so I can plan my entries and exits. Example of mistakes I have made Huntington Harbor a location I will fish often, and I launch from what we call Castle beach. There is a closer launch site affectionately called Mud beach, and true of its name the mud is there. It is not uncommon to end up stuck ankle high in thick sticky mud. And myself at one point ended up on my rear with a tube in my face trying to get out as I was slipping and sliding, unable to get a good foothold in the mud. I struggled for a good 5 minutes just trying to get out. When I first launched from this spot it was slippery but completely

underwater, when exiting the tide had moved out exposing more of the muddy bottom and making it very slippery and unsafe.

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