FLOAT TUBE QUESTION - Waders or au natrual?

[jimmadsen]

Hey folks - quick question for the float tubers out there.

When I used my tube in the high mountain lakes of the black hills, you couldn't go out in the tube without freezing my arse off.

But now I'm in Oklahoma and using the tube in warm waters of a pond right near home. The last two times I've gone out in the tube I've only used a swim suit, but it made me wonder...is there any reason that I SHOULD be wearing waders?

Other than the occasional little fish nipping at my leg, is there anything else to worry about in the float tube?

Here's a pic of some of what the back part of the pond looks like - I haven't had the chutzpah to go back there in my tube yet.

DSCF0131.jpg

Thanks in advance for the feedback

[NJTroutbum]

I love to tube in shorts. ONly time I don't are when I'm going to be kicking through alot of lilly pads.

[jimmadsen]

Yeah - I have to kick through heavy vegetation to get to and from the pond - skeebs me out a little but that's my only option.

[tailingloop]

leeches

[Uncle Jesse]

What about cottonmouth rattlers? I have done wet tubing but prefer light waders, but that really an old man trying to choose what going to kill him. As a kid I used to swim in farm pond in MS and didn't worry about snakes, turtles or leeches.

[Bamboozle]

I wet wade in trout streams 7 months out of 12 but I always wear waders when tubing.

Too many stick-ups, branches, low weeds, snapping turtles and other weird stuff to freak me out if it brushes my legs.

YMMV

[Lew]

Two words. Swimmers Itch.

[Fly Goddess]

I agree with Lew, around here specially warmer waters, swimmer itch...nasty stuff, but leeches are all over as well.

[jeffro]

Dont mean to freak you out but I've heard Gators are starting to make their way up the Little River by way of the Red River and up into Lower mountain Fork rivers due to all all the chicken processing plants and the abundance of turtles.
They will cross over land to get to ponds.
The mosskins won't bother you unless you get into a breeding cluster like I did one time....yes I was bitten and never even saw it,and yes it hurts you will know it if you get hit which is very rare.

[jimmadsen]

I just googled swimmer's itch...EWWWWW!

And I have seen one snake in the water earlier this year in the water but none since, although it's always a concern since my across the street neighbor found a 7th rattlesnake 3 weeks ago.

I haven't seen any leeches but that doesn't mean they aren't there!

And GATORS? Get outta here! I had to look that one up and wow...never saw THAT one coming! When I was floating along today I kept thinking "good thing there are no alligators here". Little did I know that they have been spotted in the state.

I guess the worst thing is kicking through the mats of vegetation getting out to open water and back again. And it seems there are enough things in there (swimmer itch, leaches and snakes) that make me think I should probably wear my waders while tubing. Bummer. I only get small windows to fish and putting on waders then cleaning them up again prior to drying just takes away from the time to fish. But it's better than parasite infestation!!!!

THANKS EVERYONE for the input and thoughts - great info!

Jim