For a fishing rig, you do not absolutely need a floor, but a front bay drop-down floor sure makes casting a lot nicer when your leaning on a casting bar. There are usually enough distractions without the need to be balancing on a balloon. I generally do not put the floor or the casting bar on the rig in anything big or technical. Down river has a pretty good front drop in floor to look at. My only problem with it has been considerable wear on the inside tubes; necessitating chafe strips... a pain in the arse.