Belly Boats

Greetings everyone!

This is my first post so I'd like to start by thanking the Broeren's for starting and administrating this site. Also, thanks to the posters for all your great tips and advice!

As for me, I used to fish a lot as a kid. If my bat and mitt weren't tucked in my bike, then the 'ol Zebco was! After a hiatus of many years, (too many!), I've returned to my source of happiness as a kid. Fishing has a way of quieting my mind from the static of life.

So here's my question(s)...

For Valentine's Day, my girlfriend bought us a couple of belly boats. (She's a fishing geek like myself). However, neither one of us has ever used one before. So...

What kind of waders does one need?

What size/style fins should we try?

Is it difficult to "land" fish, especially bigger fish, without losing our gear?

What are some of the situations, conditions, or locations that YOU like to use a belly boat?


I've only been fishing in earnest for the last couple of years and since our gear, (and funds for that matter), are somewhat limited, we thought belly boats might be kind of fun to try. Any comments would be much appreciated.

Thanks again, everyone. Maybe someday we can return the favor with some hot tips of our own!

~Dante

PS... We like to return everything we catch back into the water.