Don't knock it - 'till you try it.

John Rooney

What the f--k is your man like? Or look at the gobshite in the car tube, what's he like. 

That's just some of the reactions that people come out with whenever they see me afloat in my pike tube. I suppose it must be strange to see a Michelin man look alike floating around in the middle of a lake in a car tube. To many it must be amusing but to me it's the most exciting form of piking to hit this country. Need I say any more, yes it was the Yanks that are responsible for this wired but wonderful way of catching Pike. I remember the first time I encountered such a wired looking contraption on Blessington; I was amazed at the mobility that this angler had at his disposal. It wasn't till many years later that I had the opportunity to purchase such a pike tube. A good friend of mine from Co. Down informed me that his local tackle dealer had just taken stock of pike tubes and if I wanted one he could get me one at the right price and send it down to me. Does a one-legged duck swim in circles? Of course I want one. Bear in mind that the tube is just one part of the equipment to take up this form of piking.

Let's take a closer look at this most enjoyable way of catching Pike and explain the ins and outs of tubing for Pike. I remember the first ever trip that I had on my tube, myself and Eddie had discovered a wonderful little lake that was made for this form of fishing. The tube was inflated with the aid of a small compressor that fits into the cigarette lighter in the car. Anyway Eddie already had a few trips under his belt and knew what to expect, but I began to loose my bottle a bit as we made our way down to the lake. Everything that could go wrong went through my head. What if I get a puncture? Or what if a Pike grabs my feet? Or worse still what if I got a dose of the trots?!!! Anyway I found myself at the lakeshore and I must admit I had completely lost my bottle. "Do you get that horrible smell?" says Eddie; "the farmer must be spraying silage again". Yeah, it's either that or I had an accident I thought to myself.

Once afloat it wasn't as bad as I had thought, but it is a weird feeling you get just bobbing around on the waves at water level. "Where was I? Oh yeah the ins and outs of tubeing". Obviously the first piece of equipment you would purchase is a good quality Pike tube, I myself use a Caddis tube which I find very comfortable, there is plenty of room with ample pocket space. Next on the shopping list is a pair of neoprene chest-waders. The source of propulsion comes via your legs, so a pair of larger divers flippers is required. Now for the most important part of the kit, never ever attempt to go afloat without some form of buoyancy aid or better still, invest in a life jacket. We must show the utmost respect for the water, a life jacket will cost you anything from a measly seventy pound, how much is YOUR life worth? The life jacket I use is the K.S. Bodyguard that will inflate itself after three seconds contact with water; it can also be manually inflated via a ripcord. Rod choice is also very important, as I have found to my discomfort, a rod of about ten feet with a short butt-end will fit the bill nicely. The reason we go for a rod with a short butt is to allow for maximum movement of the rod across your body, I find that a long butt rod restricts your movement, as it tends to clatter against the tube. The tube itself is an ordinary van tube that has a custom made cover made from a very tuff and durable material, that accommodates a built-in seat. I must say that the seat is very comfortable and with plenty of pockets in the tube you can virtually take anything with you. Also attached to the tube is a very comfortable back rest that is also inflated and for the lazy angler who just wants to relax the manufacture have sewn in both sides of the tube Velcro straps that can take your rod, leaving your hands completely free.

Now you have some idea what the whole set-up looks like, let's take to the water and see just how easy it is to reach those out of range bays and land a few Pike. As you can see the angler (see photo) looks quite a sight with flippers and tube attached, and many a time I was the laughing stock of the shore anglers whenever I turned up on a lake with my strange mode of transport. But I can assure you that I normally end up with the last laugh when they realise that this funny little man in his strange contraption is actually catching far more Pike than them. That usually wipes the smile off their faces. There is no part of a lake that is safe from your tube you have all the advantages of a boat or even more, you don't have the hassle of towing a boat around the country with you. With a tube you just throw it in the car and away you go.

Getting back to actually fishing in one of these things, it is quite hard to get use to the actual turning of the tube and by the time you have mastered all the manoeuvres that are needed to operate you will end up with muscles like Linford Christy. On entering a lake I like to make a beeline for the centre of it, as this gives me excellent vision of the whole lake, rather than just come across ambush points by chance. I can make up a mental picture of the lake in my mind and work it accordingly. On previous trips I discovered that cruising the margins straight away usually results in scaring the Pike away, so by approaching the margins from the middle of the lake I am less likely to scare fish. Once I have chosen a swim I make my way to within casting range of it, a distance of usually twenty yards. Because Pike are use to baits that are normally cast to them from the shore, I am at an advantage straight away. I am now in a position to offer a bait heading away from the Pike as if to escape it and I find that the Pike are less hesitant in excepting such a gift. As with any form of Piking the most difficult part of the operation must surely be the unhooking of a good Pike and I can assure you that tubing is no different. Because you don't have the comforts of a boat or the shore to carry out such a task you soon learn that a double figured Pike is a handful. But as with everything else practice makes perfect and in no time you get to learn the safest way to unhook a Pike while sitting afloat.

Now enough talking about the do's and don'ts lets go and catch a few Pike for the photos to appear with this article. The method that I use when tubing is the good old sink and draw but sometimes when I find the Pike are feeding high in the water I will attach a sliding float which allows me to fish at any required depth. It is all about water craft, reading the water is a major factor when afloat, remember you are among the fish and not tucked away under your brolly waiting for a Pike to intercept your bait. You are actually hunting them in their own backyard and I can assure you the Pike knows every nook and cranny, which puts him at an advantage.

Having spent at least fifteen minutes surveying every likely looking hotspot I am now ready to present my bait. Lets move in closer to that sunken tree that I have discovered, it looks really pikey but if approached wrongly you can kiss your arse goodbye. I am now within casting range of the tree and I set my float at around two feet, in case the branches are submerged just below the surface. Nothing happened on my first cast, so this time I set my float at five feet and just as I am about to retrieve my bait I get a violent take that tells me something big and nasty has taken a liking to my roach. As with all forms of Piking an instant strike is deployed and this sends the offending beast hurdling skywards like something possessed.

Now my friends the real fun starts. I start to paddle backwards towards the centre of the lake in order to keep the Pike well away from the safety of the sunken branches that he has been hell bent on reaching. As with all Summer Pike he displays excellent feats of aerobatics that would put the Red Devils to shame. As I mentioned earlier now comes the most difficult part of the operation, unhooking a good double from a tube. Because you are at water level once the Pike has been played out you can get a firm grip of the Pikes' jaw; you can now restrain him with your knees. Remember your legs are actually below surface, you can trap the Pikes' body between them without causing any damage to you or the Pike. You can now safely unhook and weigh him. Of all the anglers I have ever met while out tubing nine times out of ten they will ask the same question. "I suppose a good Pike would pull you all around the lake?" is usually the question. In a way I can see what they mean. There is no difference fighting a Pike from a tube than one from the shore. Just as long as you don't commit the cardinal sin, always check that you have pre-set your clutch. I have seen so many good fish being lost by anglers who just don't bother their arse. The usual result of their actions is a dead fish.

Now lets take a look at the cost of the complete set-up that is required to take up this form of Pike fishing. A good quality tube will set you back about one hundred and fifty quid, the neoprene waders start from around sixty quid and the diver flippers cost forty quid. As I have mentioned earlier you should never attempt to go afloat without a lifejacket and these jackets start at around seventy quid. A total initial outlay of approximately three hundred and ten pound may seem quite expensive but I can assure you that once you've tried it "Your Hooked", and it will be money well invested. So you can see my friends, you can keep your seventeen foot boats and you know what you can do with your rubber dingy. I am a big fan of the Pike tubes and hopefully in the not too distant future I intend to run some sort of competition with owners of Pike tubes. Watch this space!!!

For those of you wishing to experience this very exciting form of piking and don't know where to get your hands on a good quality Pike tube, just give Paul a ring at Anglers World in Navan (046-71866). He will be only too happy to assist you in any way he can with the purchase of your new Pike tube. Like myself Paul is a regular sight around the Monaghan area with his tube. It's no mean feat to actually hook and land a twenty from the tube, but Paul has mastered the technique that's needed to accomplish suck a feat. As with all forms of piking, the Pikes welfare must be first and foremost in our minds. It is essential that wire traces are used in all forms of piking and tubing is no exception. One brand of wire in particular that I have come in contact with is from the Caliber range of specialists' tackle that is available exclusively from Anglers World in Navan. I have field tested this wire for the last six months and cannot find fault with it. The wire itself is very supple and virtually kinkless; another advantage in using this wire is that it eliminates the use of crimps as it ties directly to your swivel and hooks.

Personally for me the tube has given me years of enjoyment. So the next time you come across a little fat Michelin man in a strange looking contraption don't laugh because more that likely it's me and as sure as Boyzone fans are hard of hearing I will end up with the last laugh, it really is great crack. So please "Don't knock it-'till you try it"