20 Best Float Tube For Fishing (2023 Updated)

I love my “cat’. …. I purchased one for my daughter who enjoys and has been fly fishing since she was 10. If you don’t like the stripping basket. DON’T use it. I have not never used one. it’s easier for netting and releasing the trout etc.

I grew up using Insuldry tubes made in Oregon which utilize a ,8. 25-20 truck tube. They are 30 plus years old. but the Fishcats are so much more comfortable. Easier to transport etc. ,. I have had numerous surgeries mainly to correct one that went south.

Yet when I am in the tube I am for the most pain free and I can’t express in words what this type of fishing means to me. it’s like therapy. Fly-fishing is a spiritual adventure for me. something I did with my father since I was 8/9 years old.

Pre/River Runs Through. when the fraternity if fly-fishers was a different gig. Was more about fishing. conservation. Affordable for everyone and fishing pressure was non-existent. The power of media changed things and I’m not sure if it was for the best?? It is what it is.

And everytime I’m out I am grateful. Thank God for the opportunity and also Fishcat. Without these tubes I would be fishing a lot less. 10 out of ten for these tubes. Than you!!.

I do not like ths float tube. The fish basket that sits on the front is in my opinion, useless. The brackets that are supposed to fit in the slots on the float tube are made of the flimsiest, cheapest plastic possible.

Which for me made it impossible to insert them. I finally gave up on it and left it on shore. The space behind the seat is to small to fit anything but a tiny cooler for holding fish. My buddies use a different brand of tube that holds a 28 quart cooler.

I also did not like that the tube does not have a spreader bar that fits between the pontoons. Because it lacks this the pontoons want to squeeze together and this does not help with stability. It seems like it causes the tube and therefore the occupant to ride lower in the water.

Just my opinion for what its worth.

While taking a fly fishing class I had the opportunity to try quite a few float tubes. The Outcast brand seemed the most durable, the Fish Cat 5 was the only one large enough for me, at 250#, (no belly, just big), being 5’9” I “shortened” the seat by inserting a boat cushion under the fabric covering the back rest.

I received a new email this morning from Walmart with suggestions for Float Tubes since I had browsed Walmart. com earlier in the month looking for this as Christmas gift. Having forgotten what I had viewed online I went to a popular outdoor sporting goods store thinking they would have a better selection.

After talking to the sales clerk I purchased this there for $169. 00. The next day, after reading the email from Walmart, I realized they had the same exact item (limited quantities in my store) I re-read the previous reviews from people who used this product as I was buying it as a gift.

I was pleased that I had chosen a good product that actual fishermen raved about but I had paid much more for it. I ran over to Walmart before work and purchased the same thing (the last one on shelf) for $125.

00! I will be returning the other one and saving $44. 00.

I got this float tube in the water for the first time on Friday and I really like it. This is the 3rd float tube I have owned over about 30 years. The Togiak inflates easily with hand or elec. pump, seat position is high, moves well, maneuvers well, and carries well with provided pack straps.

Only down side is it doesn’t fold up very compactly unless you remove the foam blocks from the seat.

Been out on the water a few times. I would like a firmer back rest. This is a personal request. But, it is still an awesome buy

Compared to my other float tube this is more stable, and rides higher in the water. The inflatable seat is comfortable and sitting out of the water ensures that one stays warmer in cold lakes. I miss the Velcro rod holders that were standard on my Creek company tube, also a fly drying patch would have been nice.

The dual bladders are easy to inflate with a high speed pump and they can easily be topped off with a hand pump. The tube very maneuverable and powers along well with my standard US divers fins. Overall good quality and value!.

I am planning to purchase another one of these tubes like the last one that I had for 4 years. Extremely satisfied with past tube so doing it again. I have road up & over some pretty tall waves do to inconsiderate boat operators with no issues, never felt like I would capsize.

The construction & craftsmanship is terrific. It really holds up, even through the abuse that I have put it through. The ability to glide over the water & the maneuverability makes it much easier to propel than some U or H-tube models that I have had.

At 66 years old I am far less tired after a day on the water than with previous tubes.

I bought 6 of them when they were on sale – one for the entire family and even a few friends. They were such a good deal it felt just like I sneaked out the door without paying for them. LOL! Thanks, Academy! You guys run a great store.

I am forever amazed at the unheard of deals I find whenever I go there. The tubes are sturdy and comfortable. I expect them to last a very long time if taken care of. The best think you can do do to ensure a long life from them is to keep them off the ground and away from sticks and briers at put-ins and take-outs.

The main tube has a Boston Valve, which is one of the best, fastest and easiest to operate. It will work with just about any inflator too, electric, battery or manual ones alike. I use a small, cordless Makita blower that gets the job done in a matter of seconds.

It also makes enough pressure that I don’t need to “top it off”. The backrest is a standard blow valve like on a pool float, but the air chamber is small, so a few breaths from your mouth and lungs is all it takes to get it full and up to pressure.

I’m willing to bet the folks who are complaining about the color rubbing off on them are slathering on too much sunscreen. Sunscreen has ALWAYS wrecked havoc on PVC and vinyl boats and tubes. I have four $600 self bailing PVC inflatable whitewater kayaks, and too much sunscreen will absolutely strip the color off them in a minute or two.

If you use sunscreen while tubing, just put it on ahead of time and let it dry before shoving off, and be careful to keep copious amounts of it off the tube or boat, that’s all. Anyway, I love my tubes and look forward to many float trips on them.

This was an Intex liner and among all the other Intex products this one’s no different there junk if it’s cheap u can believe your gonna get cheap quality , ppl u gotta wake up if ur paying next to nothing seems to good to b true same rule of thumb applies here ! Trust ur gut listen to a review from a 3rd gen pool installer/daily routes for maintenance, cleaning and chemicalization, and I own my business !!!! Junk !!! And I think this filter is the worst filer on the planet it’s worse than a sum pump that pumps a winter cover off !!! U see the color of the pool that’s why an Intex junk filter liner motor I was embarrassed installing this refuse to install ANYTHING Intex so ppl IN SUMMER 2023 DONT CALL POOL COMPANIES ASKING DO WE SERVICE ABOVE GROUND INTEX POOLS BC NO WE DO NOT ITS NOT WORTH WHAT U WANT TO PAY OR IM GOING TO CHARGE U.

We were so excited to buy a two-person float, with a cooler and cup holders. However, after about 30 minutes of casual floating in a calm river, I noticed that I started to sink down the center of my seat.

It turns out the stitches for the mesh seat had totally undone! It was a goner. I’m 5’1” so I’m not tall enough to sit without the seat. The rest of our float trip totally sucked. Also, the cup holders are not deep enough for your average alcoholic beverage, they’re probably only good for a soda pop.

Bummer!.

I purchased 2 tubes because I’ve used this brand before. One of the tubes was wonderful, the other tube popped within the first 15 min in the water. Thankfully we had extras but very disappointed that this tube popped so quickly.

It bumped a rock in the river, and completely busted. Everyone I was with had this brand and also bumped the same rock but their tubes survived and mine did not.

Went down a river with tube from river run, I could see why they’re appealing but I love to be IN the water not in a boat float trying to maneuver it cause it’s big. My best bet. Get a floatable cooler and get a 33-36 diameter regular pool tube float and ride the river.

You can change positions and it’s not netted like this one. Eh didn’t like it.

Very comfortable. Love the head rest. Recently floated 2 rivers in south Texas. They held up even after hitting some rocks. The cup holders are okay, but not too functional. Does not affect the good quality of the tube.

This is a great product and sold at a good price. The tube is sturdy and holds air to stay full through multiples kids playing with it. We have had these for over 1 year. The product is durable and can take a beating.

It is easy to fill the air in the tube. The color and design is fun and not childish. I would recommend this product to families and friends. We have purchased a second tube to be used since the first one met our needs and impressed by the durability.

The tubes can hold an adult and not just children. In fact it can hold multiple children at once on the tube due to its durability and strength. The seams of the product appear very well put together and can hold the air in the tube for months and months without having to fill the tube up again with air.

You can easily fill with an air compressor or by mouth. The black color of the tube does not get really hot while the tube is in the sun for a long time. The tube has been jumped on, walked on and beat on during pool games.

These tubes were pretty cheap and per the price point, were just okay. They’re probably fine as swim floaties, but we used them to float down a river, so I have ordered some nicer tubes. These are not as durable or comfortable as ones only slightly more expensive.

They have two separate air chambers, so that if one does fail, you’ll still be able to float to your landing. The valve for filling them is just a standard one you could use your mouth to blow into. We used the small attachment on our electric pump.

Nicer tubes have a larger valves that the pump can fill much faster. The rope (or, I should say “string”) that comes with it is very thin and cuts into your skin uncomfortably. It doesn’t seem very strong and I don’t know how much I would trust it.

The tube doesn’t have any other handles to grip, though, so the string is necessary if you’re going to attach your tubes together for your trip downstream. I got these particular tubes because they were available to be delivered in time for some extra people to go tubing with us.

They arrived on time and worked just fine. I missed the features of our nicer tubes though, so depending on what you’re planning to use them for, it may be worth it to spend a little more for the head rest, larger valves, higher quality material, handles, drink ***.

you get the idea. HAPPY TUBING!.

I ordered this tube because I have had success with it previously. The vinyl is thick enough (for pool use–never tried it in a river) and the tube lasted quite awhile. Perhaps quality control is going down, because this time I got a lemon.

We inflated it per the instructions, put it in the hot tub (we’re using it under the cover to push it up so that rain doesn’t pool on the cover) and have noticed that over the course of a week the tube is getting softer and softer.

It must have a slow leak. The tube does come with (two) patches and perhaps I will soap the tube and see if I can find the leaks. I suspect that there is nothing wrong with the body of the tube, but that the leaks are either around the inflation plugs or (more likely as other reviewers have noted) along the midsection seam.

I’m just too unmotivated to return it as defective for a refund, but I won’t buy another because I can’t be confident that I won’t get another lemon. Very disappointed because I like the product. I believe I’m being generous giving it 3 stars because a leaking tube is a defective tube and deserves none.

But I am giving some stars because I have had good tubes in the past. I hope other buyers don’t get a lemon as I have.

This tube easily will outlast 10 of the River Run tubes you can buy a Wal Mart. Sturdy, secure, and no chafing from rubbing against plastic or rubber. The backrest on some other tubes seems like a nice feature until you actually want to maneuver by paddling with your hands, then it just gets in the way.

Dimensions are spot on for an average sized adult and the kids can hunker down on the floor through the rough stuff. Would buy again, but won’t need to for quite some time.

I love it! We have a cabin that sits right on Patoka Lake in Indiana. So all Spring, Summer, Fall and part of winter, we are there. We enjoy water skiing and tubing along with other water activities.

We’re water people! Lol! This is great quality for the cost. I did not expect to like it this much. Very nice and sturdy. Van really take a beating and NO HOLES! None! Very happy with this one. Will be buying 3 more this Spring.

Def. reccommend!.

This is a very wide tube. I wouldn’t recommend it for river tubing. It was difficult to maneuver around and through rapids and easily got stuck on rocks, especially in the center where the cooler was.

The cooler was a bit of a joke. The connecting straps on the lid were too long so it didn’t close well. We didn’t have anything that needed keeping cool but my guess is that if we did it wouldn’t have worked well.

And, it was supposed to come with a repair patch but didn’t. The center of the tubes were also too big, I could sit Indian style no problem. Having the headrest on the same side made it unevenly balanced and we floated backwards most of the time and we couldn’t change positions, like if we wanted to ride on our stomaches.

This might be great for the lake but I do NOT recommend for the river.

Bought two of these and took them out for a test run. I am slightly disappointed because it did not hold air very well. The rope does not go all the way around the tube. It was not as thick as I had hoped it would be.

You do get what you pay for. I’m not expecting these to hold up for the whole summer. It is great for kids to play with because it holds their weight better. I am only 177 and it did not hold up as well as I had hoped.

I bought this tube to use for fishing, fly fishing specifically, in Colorado. The river, the North Platte is more of a stream by my Delaware River standards, and while I easily could have just waded to fish.

I am not as young as I once was and wanted something I could sort of wade in when necessary, or sit in. the idea being to protect myself from injury should I slip and fall. It worked pretty well, though being designed to sit in, while standing a couple of times the bar pulled out due to the absence of my weight.

I did have a nice time using it nonetheless, in lakes you might need flippers but I just had on water shoes as I had my feet on the bottom during most of my trip and fished stationary most of the time.

For the money. a pretty decent deal. I inflated it with a small pump at home, though you could just blow it up on site, the pump I bought separately also plugs into the car. It fit in the back of my Buick Envision inflated.

I have an original Caddis float tube that is round and it works fine. However, it can be a little tricky sometimes to try and step into the little hole in front with your fins. I bought this float tube because the bar in front allowed you to slip into the float tube without being a contortionist! It works as well as my old Caddis tube and it has a few upgrades, such as: ruler on the stripping apron, more storage pockets on the sides, back storage area, removeable bar in front, all this at a reasonable price! Some of the CONS that I see are: no bungee cords to hold the stripping apron securely, no rubber innertube (which is more durable and the valve seems to hold air better), it seems like the valve for the U-shaped tube leaks a little air throughout the day on the lake.

Overall, I guess I mainly bought this tube for the ease of access into the front of the tube. It does that better than my old tube and has a few more perks than my old tube. It is rated for 250lbs. and holds my 230lb.

body just fine. I bought this on-line for $83 and when I went to pick it up they automatically price-matched the tube at $78 because that was what the store price was. That was a very nice surprise!! Thanks Wal-Mart!.

I bought this last week an took it out a few times over the weekend. Great float tube felt stable in it and its really easy to maneuver. I got a pair of z2 zoomers swimming fins with it, they are a must.

You can move pretty easily without them but you move a lot faster with some decent fins. First time out on it I caught a 6 lb bass. You get tired quickly but its nice to float around in while resting.

Tons of storage built-in overall a great cheap float tube.

I like the float, itll keep you mostly up out of the water, and I’m an above average weight dude. I had tho let some of the air out of the seat so that I would sit back further and level.

This is my second Outcast/Fish Cat 4 and I like it better than the first. That being said, the graphic in this product review shows a line basket that is reversed. The taller front edge should be mounted away from person in order to prevent your line from slipping on to your fins.

The proper configuration also allows you to have the scale facing the angler.