Weedless tubes

[Wishing2BFishing]

I have tried all types of things for weedless tubes but I am never happy with the presentation. To begin with, I like the eye of the hook/jighead to be on the top of the tube and not protruding from the nose. Also, I generally prefer to bounce a tube in a vertical manner. It seems that many of the weedless rigs that I tried just didn't give me the correct dropping motion. I have tried the weights that get attached to the hook on the inside, clasp weights on hooks, and I even made a tube jighead that I saw in the Bassmaster mag (a Kahle hook with a split glued onto the top - the hook was just too small for the 4.5" tubes and the next size up from the 3/0-4/0 was an 8/0). Anyway, I am curious to see if anyone has found/developed that perfect weighted weedless tube.

[fishin' fool]

I sometime rig finesse tubes like a jig worm (shaky head) and have good success on them. Last year I riged this on the Mississippi river with a grey tube to imitate shad, and I sware I had about 7 or 8 fish in a row, cast after cast!

[JB]

try texas rigging them like a worm

[Lilmoosecountry]

Originally Posted by JB

try texas rigging them like a worm

Thatz the only way i use them. When you fish them this way a air buble forms in the tube. They have a very slow decent. That is if you use a light bullet weight. I like working dam wall with them. The fish almost always hit them on the Decent.

[3dkicker]

If I'm reading your post correctly, you want the eye of the hook to be on top of the bait. You want it to be weedless. You want it weighted so it falls vertically and not nose first.

I've got it but can't remember the name. It's a company from Europe that makes removable weighted hooks but they aren't lead. They make multiple sizes and they are color coded. You can remove the weights from the hooks to change sizes. The hooks will meet your specs. I picked them up just to use the removable weights but I threw the rest away because the hooks were too small for my 4 and 5" tubes. They might work for 3" tubes.

Other than that I don't know of anything else that meets your specs

[Raul]

You can rig a wedless tube with an ordinary oversized hook jighead ( 2 or 3/0 ), Gamakatsu makes them in several weights. When rigging first measure where you want the jighead to be in the length of the tube ( for what you want it´s normally around the middle of the tube; insert the hook first in the tube cavity, hook the bait where the jighead is going to be and pull the hook as you dress it to insert the jighead, once the jighead is inside the tube cavity rotate the hook until the hook eye faces up, now you have the tube rigged with the jighead with the hook eye facing up and the hook protruding from the tube, insert the hook in the bait, now it´s weedless, press on the bait above the hook eye to expose it and tie your line; if you want to you can t-expose the hook point.

[Wishing2BFishing]

Over the weekend, while waiting for my brother to show up to go fishing, I went down in the basement and started to experiment to develop a "perfect" weedless rig (at least perfect for what I am looking for). Specifically, I want the tube to be weighted, the eye of the tube to protrude out of the top of the tube, and the hook to be inside the tube. This is what I came up with:

I used a my standard favorite tube which is a 4.5" Strike King Flippin' tube. After some experimentation, I decided on the appropriate hook; a 5/0 Gamakatsu EWG. I then bent the eye up. For the weight, I went back to the various things I purchased for the weedless rig. None of them worked with the bent Katsu. Digging a little further, I found an old box of weights with metal wire spun around the top and a big hole to tie on to. The BPS Catalog calls these sinkers (Bass Casting Sinkers). Anyway, I pushed the sinker into the tube with the big wire "tie-on" circle facing towards the nose of the tube. I then inserted my modified Katsu' and presto.

When I went fishing, the tube worked just as I wanted it to. Although I did not catch any fish with the tube, the eye stayed out of the top of the tube so my presentation would be primarily vertical which is what I was going for. The hook stayed in place even with my poor flippin' skills. Neither the weight nor the tube came dislodged from the tube while I was throwing into the weeds. All in all, seems like a good result. Now if I can get on a tube bite, I should be in business.

[bamabassman]

wishing, post a pic please. sounds interesting.

[3dkicker]

I second the request. I'd like to see what you've come up with.

[bothomas]

wishing, I'll check but I think I've got some of the rigs your looking for. Bought at gander mtn. but I can't remember who made them.

[bothomas]

Wishing, the hooks I bought are Owner Phantom Tube Hooks. bought at gander mtn.