Tubes...When, Where, and Why

[cassidyta]

I have had some success with small 2 inch tubes in the past, but the bait monkey reached up and smacked me with a pack of Reaction Innovation 5 inch tubes.
So here I am trying to figure out when I will throw them, where I should be targeting, and why do they get hit.


Thanks in advance

[abu4600]

I rig them texas rig and I will pitch them mostly around wood cover. They work best for me in the heat of summer better than any other time of year. I dont know why fish hit them except maybe they resemble a crawdad.

[DJ_Callahan_27]

Tubes are great baits. They can imitate crawdad, baitfish, of any other knida creature in the lake. You can t-rig the 5 inch tube with a bullet wieght and fish it like a jig in and around heavy cover. You can c-rig it and fish it on point or flats or around channel drop offs. You can pitch them to bedding fish. Or you can fish them one of my fav. ways to fish them, t-rig a white 4 or 5 inch tube with an 1/8 or 3/16 oz bullet wieght and fish it in standing timber with alot of brush. Just make long pitches or casts and swim it back to the boat through the top of the brush not letting go to deep. You want it to look like a shad swimming through the brush. Add alittle overcast and slight breeze and hang on.

Hope this helps

DJ

[jooleyen]

Here are some good reasons to throw a tube especially in clear water.

-They have a small profile
-An erratic darting and twirling motion
-Fall through cover nicely

Tubes are my favorite soft plastics for good reasons.

[zooker]

i don't throw a tube tube, but use paca craws...



zooker

[cassidyta]

Funny enough, I was in the store to buy the paca craws when I managed to pick up a pack of tubes as well

[keithdog]

Hey cass, you might want to try this. Last year, I T rigged a 5 inch tube without any weight and used spinning tackle to flip the tube out around shallow cover and slowly work it back to the boat with soft tugs and twitches. The bass loved it.

[CMorg]

Originally Posted by DJ_Callahan_27

Tubes are great baits. They can imitate crawdad, baitfish, of any other knida creature in the lake. You can t-rig the 5 inch tube with a bullet wieght and fish it like a jig in and around heavy cover. You can c-rig it and fish it on point or flats or around channel drop offs. You can pitch them to bedding fish. Or you can fish them one of my fav. ways to fish them, t-rig a white 4 or 5 inch tube with an 1/8 or 3/16 oz bullet wieght and fish it in standing timber with alot of brush. Just make long pitches or casts and swim it back to the boat through the top of the brush not letting go to deep. You want it to look like a shad swimming through the brush. Add alittle overcast and slight breeze and hang on.

Hope this helps

DJ

I seen this somewhere , tv ? or magazine...

[Mac2]

tearing out every third strand on the skirt of a tube frees it up and you get much more movement from the skirt...

[woody]

I prefer using the ones with the biggest profile and that have the softest feel to them.


~Mark

[Jim80]

I have been on a tube kick lately to say , i almost always t-rig them weightless and chuck them on a baitcaster with just two beads in front of it for a click. The outline of the bait and it's action in the water are a nice change up if nothing else is working at the time , I usually just hop and bump them back to me or gently drag it across the bottom .


Jim

[DJ_Callahan_27]

Originally Posted by CMorg

I seen this somewhere , tv ? or magazine...

CMorg, your right I got this from the Bassmaster University's Ultimate Tips & Techiques Series. It's a fun way to fish a tube. Also works very well with a Fluke or Bass Assassin.

[cassidyta]

Well out of boredom I messed around with rigging ideas and cme up with one that I liked. I threaded my line through the tube and added a 1/8 oz bullet weight inside the tube body. I tied on a treble hook that I skin hooked to the end of the bait. It was a very weedless presentation that I tossed into the deeper spots of the tullies.
I let it fall all the way on the intial cast and then worked stop and go swimming it back. This netted me three bass, no monsters in the group, but still fun.

[bamabassman]

now THAT sounds like a great idea cass. for real, i never thought about doing that. thanks pal. this might work in the gater vines we have around here as well as the milfoil and lilly pads.

[3dkicker]

Use them often, on every body of water, and to catch fish. Don't know why I recommend them but they do catch fish. Caught bass on 4" melon tubes this weekend.

Rigging possibilities with the 5". Pretty much T-rigged is the way to go. The way you rigged it is original and worked for you so continue do so. I've also cut a small slit up the tube and inserted a 3/0 jig head. Another possibility is not putting the jig head all the way up the tube but stopping 1/2 inch short. This causes the bait to spiral as it falls. Last thougt would be to rig it weedless, no weight, and swim it over grass or pads. This a fun way to catch fish on tubes.

[twigass]

do u guys peg the weight or let it slide when t-rigging

[zooker]

always pegged..

zooker

[The Doc]

Try fishing them T-rigged upside down, so the head is at the bottom of the hook. It gives the bass something different to look at.

[cassidyta]

Originally Posted by The Doc

Try fishing them T-rigged upside down, so the head is at the bottom of the hook. It gives the bass something different to look at.

That is how I rig my IKA's

[3dkicker]

Originally Posted by twigass

do u guys peg the weight or let it slide when t-rigging

I do both. Sometimes it doesn't matter but if you flip heavy cover you may want to peg. When flipping grass edges I don't.

[BassinID]

I like to t-rig them with a 1/4 oz split shot or bullet weight stuffed inside, along with a rattle. I suppose you can use an insider tube weight, but that seems to be a little expensive to me. I use them around docks and stumps when i want a faster fall than a jig, or I tie on a white or smoke tube with the same rig, adding a 1/4 oz bullet weight to the line, pegged a half a foot up(similar to a c-rig) and fish deep points. This gives the bait a nice rise and fall, always nose in the swimming direction. Early season smallies love it.

[hookset on 3]

Originally Posted by woody

I prefer using the ones with the biggest profile and that have the softest feel to them.


~Mark

Woody, can you give me some brand names of soft tubes. In the last year I tried Yum, Mizmo,and Bass Pro and they seemed a little tough. I used to fish Luck "E" Strike Enforcer tubes,they were so soft,plus they stayed on a EWG hook really nice.

Thanks Hookset

[woody]

Hookset, I've been using -Hooked Up Bait Co.- brand tubes. They are super soft and have a super strong crawdad scent.

Here's the link http://www.hookedupbait.com


~Mark

[Bender]

Tubes are petty much king up here on Lake Saint Clair. I bet people out there are using them 80% of the time out there and 100% of the people have them tied on! I would say that by far the most popular way of rigging is on a tube jig head with anywhere from 3/16-1/2 oz. weight. There are so many people selling tubes around here your head will spin. Up here most are the common 2", 4", and 5" tubes. The differences are in the tail lengths and colors. Some guys are even doing triple laminates!
I was the exception and have been drop shotting most all the time out there and realize that some days they just want something on the bottom so I will be throwing tubes more this year. I will have to admit I don't think I have ever tried them for largemouth, so maybe I can try that this year too.

[3dkicker]

Originally Posted by hookset on 3

Woody, can you give me some brand names of soft tubes. In the last year I tried Yum, Mizmo,and Bass Pro and they seemed a little tough. I used to fish Luck "E" Strike Enforcer tubes,they were so soft,plus they stayed on a EWG hook really nice.

Thanks Hookset

Reaction Innovation Boom Boom tubes are really soft. Cabin Creek carries a line of soft tubes. And there's one more out there that carries some nice tubes but just can't quite remember the name....