fear of tube baits

[bigjim]

every single time I tie 1 on, im snagged almost immediately. mostly occurs if im bouncing it off the bottom, if i swim it back not so much. but since i dont often use them im not really sure of the proper method to fish these type baits in the first place. ive always been under the impression just throw it out there let it sink and pop-it let it sink back down repeat. until you pretty much retrieved the bait back to you and do it all over again, but after my 3rd or 4th pop im snagged. on occasion i can get it free but mostly have to cut line & re-tie., ive used them with a off set worm hook and texas rigged them and of course i dont get snagged up nearly as much but when i use a weighted tube jig hook and that hook is exposed ,i'm bound to get hung up. to me its more trouble than its worth and I just bypass them and use something else

[keithdog]

I usually rig mine on and EWG hook with an internal weight sold specifically for fishing tube baits and so far snags havn't been an issue. My retrieves vary from the standard lift and drop, to the slow crawl or near weightless fishing slowiong with twitches through the mid depth column. So many ways to fish a tube. One technique I started using a few years ago with good results was fishing a larger tube weightless on a heavy duty EWG hook and working it on the surface across floating vegitation and slop. It comes through that stuff very well and I get a lot of attention from the bass underneith.

[Mumpy]

I've been using the Jika Rig with mine and cutting a small slice in the head of the Tube and then taking the Bell Sinker and pushing it in and then rigging the EWG hook as normal.

[OkobojiEagle]

There are resources that sell insert tube jig heads with split wire weed guards which might be helpful in your fishing environment.

oe

[arfish]

How do you rig a tube with wire weed guards? Do you slice the tube to allow the guards to pop up? I've been wanting to fish a tube this way, just can't visualize how to rig it without messing up the tube.

[Tavery5]

This is what I use, seem to work well.

[OkobojiEagle]

Originally Posted by arfish

How do you rig a tube with wire weed guards? Do you slice the tube to allow the guards to pop up? I've been wanting to fish a tube this way, just can't visualize how to rig it without messing up the tube.

The best technique for the above rigging I've read (haven't used myself) is a thin metal tube with an inside diameter just large enough to accommodate the wire weedguard being inserted through the tube (outside to inside at the spot you want the wire to stickout from)and pushed to the back of the tube. The wire weedguard is inserted into the metal tube and the jighead head is pushed into the tubebait using the inserted metal tube to guide the wire weedguard back through the top/front of the bait. My explanation is more complicated than the procedure apparently is.

oe

[dhaddix]

Let me start off by saying that the tube is probably my No. 1 confidence bait, even though I fish in an area of the country where they probably aren't a staple in a bass angler's arsenal (central Kentucky). As Keithdog mentioned above, I fish tube baits with a weight placed internally with either an EWG hook, or a tube specific hook (either a Trokar, which I have just started using, or one of the Eagle Claw Shaw Grigsby tube hooks). I have tried the weights specifically designed for internal weighting, but I find the hole through which you place the hook to be quite awkward in getting the bend of the hook shaft through. That being said, I tend to use bell shaped casting weights, like these:
I simply place the stem of the weight up to the head of the tube, and insert my hook through the head of the tube, through the eyelet of the stem, out the side and texpose rig as normal. The neat thing about these weights is that different manufacturers usually have different stem lengths, or they can be easily modified to fit your needs. The further the weight is from the head of the tube, the larger the spiral is on the fall. So you can have a tight spiral or a large spiral, which both are great depending on conditions.

I also find that I have the most success tube fishing when I cast my tube to visible cover and let it spiral down. Like fishing a Senko, I find the majority of my strikes to be on this initial fall. In warmer weather, like springtime through late fall (when bass are not sluggish), after the tube hits the bottom, I snap it up HARD, and then let it fall and spiral back down again. I continut this retrieve until it makes sense to reel in and start over. Almost like I am stroking a jig, but with a tube bait.

I have success with brown hues, but most of my success is with watermelon, green pumpkin, white, or shad colored tubes. It's amazing how much this can imitate an injured baitfish.

Anyway, that's my 2 cents. Probably not anything you guys didn't already know, but thought I would share my insights, as I ALWAYS have a tube tied on.

[bigjim]

i will have to mess around with all these ideas and see what works best in my area, id really like to add them to my arsenal

[Bassboss]

Originally Posted by dhaddix

Let me start off by saying that the tube is probably my No. 1 confidence bait, even though I fish in an area of the country where they probably aren't a staple in a bass angler's arsenal (central Kentucky). As Keithdog mentioned above, I fish tube baits with a weight placed internally with either an EWG hook, or a tube specific hook (either a Trokar, which I have just started using, or one of the Eagle Claw Shaw Grigsby tube hooks). I have tried the weights specifically designed for internal weighting, but I find the hole through which you place the hook to be quite awkward in getting the bend of the hook shaft through. That being said, I tend to use bell shaped casting weights, like these: I simply place the stem of the weight up to the head of the tube, and insert my hook through the head of the tube, through the eyelet of the stem, out the side and texpose rig as normal. The neat thing about these weights is that different manufacturers usually have different stem lengths, or they can be easily modified to fit your needs. The further the weight is from the head of the tube, the larger the spiral is on the fall. So you can have a tight spiral or a large spiral, which both are great depending on conditions.

I also find that I have the most success tube fishing when I cast my tube to visible cover and let it spiral down. Like fishing a Senko, I find the majority of my strikes to be on this initial fall. In warmer weather, like springtime through late fall (when bass are not sluggish), after the tube hits the bottom, I snap it up HARD, and then let it fall and spiral back down again. I continut this retrieve until it makes sense to reel in and start over. Almost like I am stroking a jig, but with a tube bait.

I have success with brown hues, but most of my success is with watermelon, green pumpkin, white, or shad colored tubes. It's amazing how much this can imitate an injured baitfish.

Anyway, that's my 2 cents. Probably not anything you guys didn't already know, but thought I would share my insights, as I ALWAYS have a tube tied on.

I read a very good article buy in BASS MASTER by Shaw Grigsby which highlighted a similar was of rigging. Tube rigs are EXTREMELY versatile baits, no real wrong to wish them. First way I tired them was weightless in reeds fished liked a jerkbait.. they worked! Not it you usually think of when you think fishing a tube, but it worked well. IMO, the beauty of a tube is its ability to imitate a multitude of forage species. Crawdads, bait fish, and mayflies to name a few. One of things that make the tube so deadly is it's spiraling fall, something about it just drives fish nuts.

hope this helps!

[Jrob78]

Here's another way to rig a tube with a jighead and make it weedless.

http://blog.wired2fish.com/blog/bid/...ig-Illustrated

[bigjim]

Originally Posted by Jrob78

Here's another way to rig a tube with a jighead and make it weedless.

http://blog.wired2fish.com/blog/bid/...ig-Illustrated

thanks for this

[ydoc]

[QUOTE=Bassboss;379284] <snip> First way I tired them was weightless in reeds fished liked a jerkbait.. they worked! Not it you usually think of when you think fishing a tube, but it worked well. <snip> QUOTE]

I fish a lot of farm ponds with heavy weed growth. I LOVE fishing tubes weightless/top-water, the same way I'd fish a hollow-bodied frog!!! At times though, I have trouble KEEPING the tube on the surface... even just the weight of the hook will - after a while - cause the tube to sink.

I've experimented with a number of "inserts" (i.e. foam) to keep them afloat. One of the best ideas/tips I've heard to remedy this is to use the foam ear plugs. They're cheap and can be squished/rolled-down to allow insertion. I can hardly wait to try 'em!

LOVE TUBE FISHING!!

[3dkicker]

I've recommended the Venom tube jig heads many times to those who want an exposed hook presentation. They don't hang up as much as other hooks. If you fish a typical round ball jig head exposed you can expect to hand up and lose baits. I know guides who lose 50+ baits a day fishing exposed hooks on some bodies of water.

Texas rigged would be the way to go if you don't want to hang up as much but the bait will not spiral as it falls.

Weightless is an excellent way to fish them. I like to fish them over grass or in small ponds.

I don't fish a lot with the internal weight system. I've used it in the past though and it's an alternative to try.

Another thing to think about is the rod that you fish the tubes with. My recommendation is a very sensitive M to MH rod with a fast action tip that matches the weight of the jig/tube combo. That way you can feel the bait when it gets in thick cover and you can work it through the cover a little better. Less sensitive rods with more give seem to hang up more for me.