fishydreams

Imagine sitting on an armchair in the middle of a reservoir. The armchair should be as comfortable as the one in your living room. You should be able to rest your arms on the sides and the back should be soft and supportive.

As it happens I have an armchair just like that. It floats, which is just as well since the bottom of the reservoir may be far beneath you! Okay, it´s not really an armchair, not technically, but for all intents and purposes it might as well be. It is certainly just as comfortable. It is a float tube.

Here in Spain they call a float tube a “pato” which is the Spanish word for duck. It is not a bad name, in my opinion, because when you sit in one of these things you propel yourself using your feet, just like a duck does, but using a pair of diver´s fins or something similar. Unlike a duck however you paddle backwards, rather like a person rowing a boat, and you need to turn around periodically to see which way you are going.

Float tubes have been around for a few years now. They began as the inflated inner tube of large tyres with some kind of seat positioned inside but they have evolved over the years to become very practical. The shape has moved on from being circular to being U or V shaped which makes them a little faster. I have long been fascinated by these contraptions but had never even seen one until I bought my first about 8 or 9 years ago. Recently they have been gaining popularity here in Spain and it is not unusual now to see other float tubers out on the water.

You could dismiss the float tube is the “poor man´s boat” which has room for only one and chugs along at no better than an unhurried walking pace. But to do so would be to ignore many of its practical advantages. You can throw it in the boot of the car along with a pair of fins, a pair of chest waders and the few other odds and ends which you need for a day on the water. It is stable, safe, portable, maneuverable and you can get your hands on one for little enough money. One of the greatest practical advantages of a float tube as a fishing platform is that the propulsion and steering is done by the legs which frees up the hands for fly casting.

I love these things. They take you into some beautiful places and you can get very close to the fish without disturbing them. One evening when finning back to the car I actually bumped into a large carp at the surface and there was a big swirl as the fish swam off. I don´t know which of us was more surprised. It certainly gave me a fright!

I have fished a three times from the tube this year. First I fished with Steve Lawler, then with my son Leo and most recently by myself. It has to be said that the fishing was pretty slow on each occasion but I enjoyed myself enormously because of the combination of excellent company and the stunning scenery. Below there are some pictures I took is from the vantage point of a float tube fisherman – a sort of “duck´s eye view” of the world.

If you are a fisherman and are thinking about getting yourself a float tube I would recommend it without hesitation. Okay, you may feel like a bit of a twerp paddling round like some kind of oversize waterfowl but then remember that you are a fisherman. You should be used to getting funny looks!

Conde del Guadalhorce Reservoir

Steve Lawler sitting in his armchair!

The float tube can get you to some out of the way places. This is Zahara Resrvoir.

I traded this float tube for 3 watercolour paintings. Harry Abbott is here in the photo with me. He is an old fishing buddy of mine and I have spent more days out tubing with him than with anybody else.

My original “boat” and everything you need to get afloat.