The Nerd Throne: a near-perfect fishing vehicle

Tool: Float tube

Setup cost: under $400

Imagine a craft that allows you to maintain position perfectly while sneaking up to toss a bait in small holes in weed-beds or under docks where largemouth bass hang out in ambush.

Imagine being able to tu

ck that craft in the trunk of your car and take it anywhere. Imagine this craft will cost you under $400, less than a OK kayak.

Meet the humble float tube, basically a fancy inner tube with a seat just below the water line.

My older sister dubbed it the "nerd throne" during one vacation at the family cottage, a funny, but completely inaccurate moniker.

A descent float tube will cost between $130 and $160. These are air bladders covered by a tough fabric with built-in pockets and a set. There's generally a cross-bar up front that you remove to sit and then reattach to keep the tube from folding in.

It's paired with chest waders (I'd recommend neoprene, about $150) with a pair of flippers that buckle onto hard-soled wader boots ($30).

The waders come in a variety of styles and sophistication. I prefer the basic horse-shoe style.

If you are fishing in a body of warmish water where you comfortably swim for long periods, I'd recommend ditching the waders for a bathing suit and a pair of swim fins. You might still want the waders for those chillier early morning and early evening trips.

I own a motorized (square-stern) canoe, a kayak and a 17-foot center console boat and the float tube beats them all for convenience and producing bass.

You sit in the float tube, which has pouches for all the gear you need, and just kick yourself around. It allows you to perfectly control your position with your feet while leaving your hands free.

Gone is the need for an anchor, or the use of a paddle to keep adjusting position. The nerd throne...ahem...float tube allows unparalled stealth and puts you at a great level to toss lures and bait under docks. It allows you to fish all around the weed bed, including the shallows.

I've ranged comfortably up to a half mile with the tube on the pond. I've also carried it through the woods to hard-to-reach spots, giving me a great advantage over just about anybody else who might trek to these spots.

I won't lie, it looks a bit silly. You get a lot of looks and some good-natured ribbing from time to time. But you'll also get a lot of admiring comments after you pull that six-pound bass out of the pond.

Any bass over 3 pounds will give you a descent ride on the float tube. I actually find being in the tube a great advantage when fighting a big fish. You can use the flippers to move your craft away from the weeds as you try to muscle the big guy away from cover.

I've used it in ponds and a slow-moving river. I wouldn't recommend using it anywhere that has significant current, such as a fast or moderate-moving river. And definitely not saltwater. You wouldn't live that one down, that is if you lived through it at all.

But for freshwater application in gentle to no current, a nerd throne can help you out-fish anybody else on the water.