# fox river float tube



## TroutRanger (Feb 5, 2015)

Hey all, 
I was wondering if anyone has ever used a float tube (without fins) to float the fox. If so, was it do-able? Thanks for any info


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## neazor91 (Aug 4, 2008)

Good luck with that. I fish the Fox 2-3 times a week all summer and would never try a float tube or any other type of floating craft. There's too many log jams, trees down in the river and dense tag alder thickets. You'll be dragging the tube around obstacles all day. There aren't fisherman's paths like on the PM.
If you go, I wish you luck.

Mike


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## PunyTrout (Mar 23, 2007)

TroutRanger said:


> Hey all,
> I was wondering if anyone has ever used a float tube (without fins) to float the fox. If so, was it do-able? Thanks for any info


Not a good idea IMO. Without fins you lose the ability to navigate and run the risk of floating into a log jam and puncturing your tube. With fins you run the risk of having them catch on structure and jettisoning you into the river. 

Even with a canoe, we lost count of the number or portages we had to make from the upper campground to the lower campground.

I've wanted to try a float tube on a different river but realize now that it would have been a disastrous fail.

I started a thread a few years ago and someone claimed it was their preferred method for river fishing for trout. I guess it depends on the river and what stretch you are going to fish. I wouldn't do it though.


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## zig (Aug 5, 2009)

In my opinion, the Fox is not for the faint of heart, under any condition. It's deep, loaded with crap, much of which you can't see, has huge tag alder thickets, and there are holes that look like they could swallow a truck. The first time I floated it was sort of a disaster. I agree with everything PunyTrout and neazor said. Although it can be floated, I really wouldn't do it in a tube, just not worth it man.


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## Stubee (May 26, 2010)

It’s been too long but the best way I found to float the Fox mainstream was with my old Sears 12’ Jon boat, mainly because it won’t tip unless you’ve done something so boneheaded that you’re going under anyway. I sure clamps in rope on the stern handles to tie off on tag clumps and bounce crawler pieces downstream. 

Floating the E Branch down from up by Clear Creek was an adventure that required two chainsaws. And we didn’t have them. The biggest surprise that day was that in spite of the huge racket we made tearing our way through near constant blowdowns we caught one 17” brown trout. Didn’t expect that one. 

Nice territory.


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## -Axiom- (Jul 24, 2010)

In addition to what everybody else said, this river is extremely cold.


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## Curt (Jan 5, 2011)

Stubee said:


> It’s been too long but the best way I found to float the Fox mainstream was with my old Sears 12’ Jon boat, mainly because it won’t tip unless you’ve done something so boneheaded that you’re going under anyway. I sure clamps in rope on the stern handles to tie off on tag clumps and bounce crawler pieces downstream.
> 
> Floating the E Branch down from up by Clear Creek was an adventure that required two chainsaws. And we didn’t have them. The biggest surprise that day was that in spite of the huge racket we made tearing our way through near constant blowdowns we caught one 17” brown trout. Didn’t expect that one.
> 
> Nice territory.


Please remember that the East branch of the Fox is off limits to all watercraft upstream from Cold Creek.


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## zig (Aug 5, 2009)

-Axiom- said:


> In addition to what everybody else said, this river is extremely cold.


Ha! Never even thought about that aspect of it, but very true....


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## Quig7557 (Dec 31, 2008)

Curt said:


> Please remember that the East branch of the Fox is off limits to all watercraft upstream from Cold Creek.


All motors


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## Shoeman (Aug 26, 2000)

Did that 30 years ago. Never again!


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## B.Jarvinen (Jul 12, 2014)

I have never fished this river though I am sure I would enjoy it and is ‘on my list’.

But I do have one question about this - isn’t there a landing right where it crosses M-28?


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## Benzie Rover (Mar 17, 2008)

Float tube on the Fox would be a very quick way to fail the 'Darwin test'.


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## Benzie Rover (Mar 17, 2008)

B.Jarvinen said:


> I have never fished this river though I am sure I would enjoy it and is ‘on my list’.
> 
> But I do have one question about this - isn’t there a landing right where it crosses M-28?


Yes for landing on E. Branch. The landing on the main branch is upstream at the Twp park, but there is walk-in/drag a canoe access to the main branch from the M-28 bridge.


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## -Axiom- (Jul 24, 2010)

zig said:


> Ha! Never even thought about that aspect of it, but very true....


The first time I went up there it was July and I thought I could wet wade it, I didn't last 5 min before my legs started to go numb & turn blue.

I went back to the car and got my waders.


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## Curt (Jan 5, 2011)

Quig7557 said:


> All motors


I'm looking at a map of the fox river watershed that I picked up at the DNR district office in Newberry and it definitely shows the east branch above cold creek closed to all watercraft.


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## zig (Aug 5, 2009)

-Axiom- said:


> The first time I went up there it was July and I thought I could wet wade it, I didn't last 5 min before my legs started to go numb & turn blue.
> 
> I went back to the car and got my waders.


The first time I went there I was in my early/mid 20's.... First UP trout camp adventure of my life. Young and dumb. Thought the 2nd week in May would be good...... Yeah.... not so much. Got camp set up on a gorgeous sunny evening, low 60's, woke up to 3 inches of snow. Had flurries for the next 3-4 days. Learned some valuable lessons that week. Lots of valuable lessons.


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## zig (Aug 5, 2009)

B.Jarvinen said:


> I have never fished this river though I am sure I would enjoy it and is ‘on my list’.


I'm pretty comfortable saying I've dipped a line in darn near every good to not so good trout system from east to west in the UP. The Fox system is a place that stands apart from all of them, to me anyway. It's just different, in some good ways, and in some bad ways.


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## Shoeman (Aug 26, 2000)

Here's a quote from Ray



Splitshot said:


> If you like fishing upstream, beach your canoe, walk downstream and fish back up you your canoe. It works well on small rivers where a canoe or float boat will put the fish down. If you have a good gps it will save you hours and hours.
> 
> There is plenty of high ground to camp along the Fox, but be prepared to portage a few times. I floated it a few years ago with Trout and what we thought would take two days took almost four. The best water is at the top. We had a great trip, but didnt catch to many but I think earlier in summer would be better. We went the last week of the season.
> 
> ...


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## 6Speed (Mar 8, 2013)

I would never try that river in a tube, even when I was young and crazy. I've fished it in my old float boat and that was even a challenge. There are some nice fish there though. This master angler brookie took a crawler on the first cast maybe 100 yards down from the campground years back.


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## PunyTrout (Mar 23, 2007)

You can rent a canoe from North Country Outfitters in Germfask. Phone: 906-586-9801

http://www.northoutfitters.com/index.php?page=UP_River_Trips

If I were to do it again I would bring a GPS unit (*Not your phone* which will will most likely not receive a signal.) And I would float and take notes for the more interesting areas to fish and mark them on the GPS. Keeping in mind the spots that are potentially accessed at a later date from Fox River Road after a short bushwhack through the quicksand and Alder caves.


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## B.Jarvinen (Jul 12, 2014)

I do have one other interest in this river - I understand there are large colonies of Nannyberry shrubs (_Viburnum lentago_) along it. “More than I have ever seen anywhere else,” was a quote I heard about it. I figured a canoe would be the best way to check that out. Not easy to find a lot of those in one place.


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## Steve (Jan 15, 2000)

6Speed said:


> I would never try that river in a tube, even when I was young and crazy. I've fished it in my old float boat and that was even a challenge. There are some nice fish there though. This master angler brookie took a crawler on the first cast maybe 100 yards down from the campground years back.
> 
> View attachment 397825


Fished it last September on foot. Yikes what a tag Adler jungle. Also didn't look conducive to floating. All sorts of downed trees in the water. I couldn't wade far without getting tangled I them. The trout that live there are pretty safe.


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## 6Speed (Mar 8, 2013)

Steve said:


> Fished it last September on foot. Yikes what a tag Adler jungle. Also didn't look conducive to floating. All sorts of downed trees in the water. I couldn't wade far without getting tangled I them. The trout that live there are pretty safe.


Catch any Brookies?


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## Shoeman (Aug 26, 2000)

I went through there in a rented canoe. They told me to stay left, left and then a right.....

So did he say left, right, left......

My god we ended up in a bog! It got really narrow and we placed camp. That night it rained like hell. By the time we woke up the river was at the fly of the tent.

Good thing the water was high, we’d still be there!


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## 6Speed (Mar 8, 2013)

Shoeman said:


> I went through there in a rented canoe. They told me to stay left, left and then a right.....
> 
> So did he say left, right, left......
> 
> ...


Yea, the old Splitshot thread and a few others like this tell it like it is. The rewards can be nice but the risks are pretty high. Definitely not a float tube stream!


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## Shoeman (Aug 26, 2000)

6Speed said:


> Yea, the old Splitshot thread and a few others like this tell it like it is. The rewards can be nice but the risks are pretty high. Definitely not a float tube stream!


I looked for that, but must have Splirshot 1.1. Gone!


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## zig (Aug 5, 2009)

As a system I've tried to tackle it a multitude of times..... It humbles me. Frankly, in the trout fishing world, for the first several times, it's like being the nerdy guy walking up to the hot girl and asking her to dance. You think you have a plan, you've thought about it forever, the strategy is there, and then.... it just doesn't work.


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## PunyTrout (Mar 23, 2007)

Here is a snippet from a report I posted about floating the Fox back in 2014.



PunyTrout said:


> Our next stop was the fabled Fox River which I can name on this forum. We planned to canoe from the (censored due to forum rules) down to (censored). The canoe livery claimed this was a five hour float. No way- no how. I'll bet you a hundred bucks it can't be done in that amount of time...(Unless, someone goes there with a chain saw in the meantime.)
> 
> 
> We put our canoe in at the canoe launch and got situated to float downstream on our great adventure. I asked my buddy a question once we were in the water, Do you hear voices? Yeah, I think there are some people ahead. He whispered. There were four people directly downstream not more than twenty yards who were about to launch their kayaks discussing where they should put in considering there was a massive tree that blocked the passage...
> ...



You have been warned...


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## Gordon Casey (Jun 13, 2017)

PunyTrout said:


> Here is a snippet from a report I posted about floating the Fox back in 2014.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Reminds me of the old saying " let me know when your having fun". Why would a person put themselves through that. If your a survivalist or naked and afraid type of person you may be in heaven but those mosquitoes don't really care where they bite. You may be rubbing and scratching areas that may give you some enjoyment.


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## muddyfeet (Nov 27, 2007)

Can you can float it but you will have to portage and weasel yourself with tube over some downed trees. The first stretch of water you try will either make you or break you with the rest of the river. Good Luck!:evilsmile


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## Quig7557 (Dec 31, 2008)

I highly recommend float tubing most if not all rivers in this state. Go in strong too, bite off at least a ten mile stretch if possible. Pack light, no sandwich’s or water, but do bring along a waterproof recording device to document the details. If your weak, bring along a emergency beacon, but expect to face scorn and ridicule from the online community.

If you were to survive these trips, the bragging rights you would have for your nimrod skills, to say nothing of the record size fish you would catch. 

I recommend a river/creek in the refuge, launch off 28, with a plan to reach Manistique by early August. Bring matches and wader patch material.

Have your affairs in order before you launch.

It’s been rumored to those in the under world, that a community of natives will receive you with gifts of gold and fish skin moccasin, appropriately half way through.


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## Stubee (May 26, 2010)

We had no motor and only went downstream on the E Branch BTW.

On the mainstream we fished multiple ways. When we rented a canoe from Germfask we camped the first night and were picked up down by the Seney park on day two. With my Jon boat we a) hid a small bicycle near the pull out spot and one of us would ride it back to get the truck at the launch spot or b) used three guys and we’d rotate on being the ‘spotter’, firewood collector etc. So on a three day trip everybody got to fish two full days.

It’s a great river and worth exploring.


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## TroutRanger (Feb 5, 2015)

Thanks for all the advice.. the only reason I’m interested in floating with a pontoon or float tube, is to get to particular gems that cannot be waded.. hopefully that is cryptic enough. Pm if you have info


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## neazor91 (Aug 4, 2008)

There is good access all along the river. The only stretch that you can't access on foot easily is from 28 to Germfask. The rest of the river has many turnouts and twoj tracks from Seney all the way up to the west branch. Access isn't the problem. The difficulty of floating and wading is. I was up there yesterday. Its unfishable and dangerous at this time. It's flowing over the banks in places. I don't expect it down before June.

Mike


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## Timothy Barner (Aug 6, 2019)

These "unmentionable streams" are difficult in many ways keeping them the treasurers they are.


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## muddyfeet (Nov 27, 2007)

Dear Mother Nature did some serious work on that river over the winter and spring (2019). Certain stretches that would normally have 2-3 portages increased to 5-7. Favorite spots changed drastically and but also created many new ones.


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## PunyTrout (Mar 23, 2007)

muddyfeet said:


> View attachment 533609


That picture would make an excellent jigsaw puzzle.


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## Gordon Casey (Jun 13, 2017)

muddyfeet said:


> Dear Mother Nature did some serious work on that river over the winter and spring (2019). Certain stretches that would normally have 2-3 portages increased to 5-7. Favorite spots changed drastically and but also created many new ones.
> View attachment 533609


Now thats a good stringer of good eating!


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