Tube Bait Fishing

[twigass]

hey guys got a question for ya, i just got done with a tournament on Hubbard lake here in Michigan, i caught my limit and it was tough even for every1 else, but my question is how do you properly work a tube bait cause i apparently forgot how to, couldn't catch a fish on 1 and the guy who won the tournament used tubes. the lake is very clear, lots of crayfish, and mainly a smallmouth lake no steep drop offs and very little weeds they just appear as dark spots, and thats what i fished and caught my fish from and they all came on the jerk bait. i did the usually tried 7 diff colors tried hopping it even tried dragging it 1 fish that was undersized, might have been the day but seems like it is happening to me more and more. any help would be greatly appreciated

[CamG]

The thing with tubes is to find the right weight of tube jig. Some days, smallies love a slow, erratic fall with lightweight jigs. Some days they like a super fast, straight fall with a 1/2 to 3/4 tube jig. Color doesn't seem to matter much for me, as long as I play the water clarity. Clear water I throw watermelon, green pumpkin or smoke/clear. If it's stained, I'll usually start with a purple...that's usually about the only color I have to go to.

[Mac2]

Helps a lot to free up the action of the skirt by tearing off every 4th or 3rd skirt tentacle. I've had good luck bubby rigging......using a wide gap hook texposed and crimping on a single splitshot in the middle of the hook belly, underneath the tube halfway along the exposed hook.

When dragged on bottom, the shot plays catch and release, dipping the nose slightly and twitching the tail......also making a little tick noise when contacting with pebbles, etc. Having the weight centered underneath also provides a horizontal fall, slowing the tube on the fall.

The following info describes making rattles for tubes out of drinking straws. These work extremely well, are cheap to make, and you can probably make a season's worth in a half hour or so.

Glass E Beads from Hobby Lobby or most any craft department
Drinking Straws......I like the fat ones from Subway or Sonic
Scissors
Candle
Diagonal or Side Cutting Pliars

Cut the straws into one inch pieces. Use the side or diaggonal cutters to press the end shut, exposing a sixteenth inch exposed on the flat side of the pliars and pass this exposed plastic to melt the seam.....a couple moderate passes will do.....maintain the gentle pressure on the pliars
to let the seam cool a tad. Now place two E Beads, make sure the label on the pack says "glass", into the rattle and now seal the other end.

When cool, place one end seam against the end of your thumbnail and push it in, buckling
the end in and making two little pointed legs in the process. This step gives the rattle a vertical wall at the end of the tube keeping the beads from sticking in the slanted ends.
This also generally rounds the pressed ends back out again making it easier to slide into the tube before rigging the hook. When both ends are buckled, the rattle is complete.

Some folks have a difficulty understanding the above buckling. It's probably my description. Let's try thinking this way....after sealing both ends with the beads inside, the flattened out seam ends make the rattle look somewhat like a pillow. When some folks fluff a pillow in making a bed, they hit it on the ends, making the center area puff up and in effect, buckling the ends of the pillow in..........same thing with the rattle.

If rigging normally with an insert weighted hook, put the hook in and then sneak the rattle inside the tube, going past the end of the hook and above the hook shank. Once inside the tube you can use this little trick to help it stay in........simply use your thumb and forefinger to pinch down on the back end of the rattle, spreading the buckled end a little, making the points dig into the tube plastic on the inside. In effect, you are UNbuckling the back end of the rattle a bit without removing the buckle altogether.

[3dkicker]

Color and size play a big role in those lakes. I've got customers who are very specific about the size and color tubes they buy. Also the drop rate or fall rate is very important. Sounds like the smallies were feeding up on baitfish and your bait and presentation didn't match.
Did you ask the winner about his presentation? Was it weightless? C-rigged and floating? There are many ways to fish a tube and get completely different presentations.