I stopped carrying a tube years ago as a raft eliminates waders and flippers and is generally an easier package to hike in; although those Wilderness Lite ones look pretty sweet. I also put myself into hypothermia being stubborn fishing a float tube in a high mountain lake in a snow storm back in the day. You can stay warmer in a raft! The obvious trade off is control - but you get used to it. Alpackas are well worth it. For hike in fishing keeping it simple and having a raft with no spray deck and is as light as possible is key. I have 2 Alpackas that cover my needs; of course both are not offered anymore - but you can pick them up used for decent prices. The Fjord Explorer is my favorite fishing raft. All in weighs 7 lbs and has a full row kit. If I am trying to go as trim and light as possible I use a Curiyak. 4lbs all in and rolls really small, has a ton of space compared to their other rafts. That new Scout is pretty sweet - but it is small... If you are 5'10 or under then it would work I would think; if your fishing you have a bit of gear that is hard to manage without a little more space. That being said, it's only 2.5 lbs and rolls incredible small. That new Caribou looks pretty intriguing and weighs in really light at under 5lbs; and seems to be a very versatile boat. Seems on paper like their best current boat for versatility. I can attest to the toughness of these boats. I have loaded my Explorer with 100lbs of gear and used it on many river miles, including a fair amount of dragging. They draft well in rivers, and are okay on lakes. Both my boats don't have a rocker, so are probably a bit better on lakes than others.
Hope I don't sound too much like an Alpacka fan boy as there are other options out there now too. Kokopelli just came out with a new raft called the Rogue-Lite which is under 5lbs all in with the seat and seems like a pretty good value and design for all around use. Generally the really lite packrafts like the Flytepacker are okay for flatwater - but you get that weight with lighter materials. I would never take that on a remote river trip. A packraft like the Curiyak or Caribou you can use for more than just flatwater. I have fished road system rivers in Alaska - going upstream all day, then pull out the Alpacka and float back to the car. I would definitely be interested in an Alpacka that has a larger cockpit like the Curiyak - but with lightweight materials like the new Scout. Hope they come out with something like this. Anyway. I'm rambling now.
