Tube Question

[*Hootie]

First, let me start off by saying, I hope this isn’t so long that no one will read it. I have a question concerning tube baits. I have always thought that tubes were primarily a smallmouth bait. But I have heard that some guys are using them for largemouth In the lake I fish. This lake does not support smallmouth.

I would like to know if I am hearing bull hooey, or not. Are tubes a good bait for Largemouth. If so, where do I start, what size tubes? What colors?, technique? The lake I fish is just a small {150 acre}, county park lake, a very fertile green lake. It has a great bass population, 1.5#, to 3#, some 5’s & 6’s occasionally. Cover is mostly wood laydowns, stumps, fallen trees. No weeds very few rocks, except for the dam.

What do you think, would I be wasting my time and money?

Thanks for any replies,

Hootie

[*Hootie]

I would also add, the lake has very limited clarity, about a foot at best.

[Jigfishn10]

During an outing last fall with a bunch of folks from Bass Resource, I landed this nice LMB, 4.8 lbs, on a Yum F2 Tube here in MA:

I was turned back onto tubes (another bait, for some reason, I stopped using throughout the years) from another member here who convinced me that tubes will work for all bass species. I used them the whole season with great success. So, go out and get yourself a bag or 2 and try em out, you'll love em!

Good Luck!

[SAC2]

they work for all bass species, i have caught some big perch, crappie, and pickeral on them as well. they imitate many types of forage quite well with their erratic action, and a great all around bait!

[smalljaw67]

Tubes are great for all bass species and it is why you see them made from 1" up to 8" and it is versatile. I fish tubes a lot for smallies and largemouth so I may be able to help you. In a lake where you will be fishing laydowns and other forms of cover you need to use a 3.5" to 4" tube, these sizes make it easy to texas rig which is how you want to rig them. Try to use the lightest weight possible, so if you are fishing shallow lay downs use a 1/8oz bullet weight pegged and texas rig a 3.5" tube with either a 2/0 or 3/0 EWG worm hook, make sure the hook is through both sides of the tube and then just skin hook the point of the hook into the plastic to keep it weedless. The same deal for the 4" tube only you will want a 3/0 or 4/0 EWG hook. The bullet weight is good but if you can get them you can find a product called EZ Tube, it is a weight that goes inside the tube and it has a hole in the top and the side so you can texas rig the tube through the weight and the offset on the hook holds the weight in place. Only use the easy tube on tubes that don't have solid heads, a lot of tubes have the first half inch or so of the tube solid to better hold a hook but it keeps the EZ Tube weight to low to rig so you need to use a bullet weight with those tubes. Once rigged you fish them more like a jig than a worm, just make the cast and let it fall, give it a shake or two and then lift and drop again, the reason is the tube is really effective as it falls. good luck and be sure to try the tube.

EDIT: I almost for got, you want to use colors like natural pumpkin or green pumkin when the water is clear or at least 3' of visibility, if it is darker try black, black/blue flake, or black/red flake (black neon). I know you said the lake is fertile and green but it can have good or poor visibility.

[Raul]

Tubes are excellent largemouth bait and Texas rig is not the only way you want to rig them, like with many soft platic baits there´s a big bunch of ways to rig them, out of the rigging methods the one I like the most is with an internal tube jighead, that makes the bait sink with a spiral motion that´s deadly, closer to the head tighter the spiral, further back towards the tentacles the wider the spiral; the only problem with internal tube jigheads is that it leaves the hook exposed something you don´t want to do in cover because it hangs up easily, for cover you need a much more weedles way of rigging ( stupid rig ), you can still obtain the benefit of the spiral motion but without the hanging up problem.

In important thing to consider is the weight, heavier sinkers kill somewhat the action of the bait, also does heavy line, so choose the lightest sinker you can depending upon conditions and the same applies to line, doesn´t mean that if you use heavier sinkers and/or heavier line you´ll be fishing with a "dead" bait, it only means that the action won´t be as good as fishing with lighter line and/or sinker.

[*Hootie]

I am learning a lot here guys. Thanks a bunch!

Hootie

[jkarol24]

I prefer to flip a 4" black and blue tube with a 3/8 bullet weight and a 4/0 or 5/0 superline EWG hook around cover. I fish it just like any other texas rig or jig that im flipping.

[Sam]

I would like to know if I am hearing bull hooey, or not. - Nope. As the guys say above, you can catch largemouths on tubes.

Are tubes a good bait for Largemouth. If so, where do I start:

what size tubes? - Depends. You will have to throw a few sizes to find out what the bass want.

What colors? - Depends. White has always been good but then anything that mimics a baitfish or bluegill can be excellent. As usual, match the water clarity and forage with your color.

Technique? - Throw out and let it sink slow with light weight. Throw out and let it sink fast with heavier weight. Drag on the bottom. Hop on the bottom. Using a heavy weight throw it into the grass. Throw it into the structure on the lake like you would fish a plastic bait. Move it around. Bounce it off structure.

The lake I fish is just a small {150 acre}, county park lake, a very fertile green lake. It has a great bass population, 1.5#, to 3#, some 5’s & 6’s occasionally. Cover is mostly wood laydowns, stumps, fallen trees. No weeds very few rocks, except for the dam.- Great! Throw to the dam and let it fall. It will curl down to the bottom. Put the eye of the weight in front and it will swivil down fast. Put the eye of the weight back from the nose and it will swivil down slow. Remember, if you cast it out you want it to look like a dying baitfish. They will hit it as it sinks into the depths.

Go to YouTube and see if you can find Ike's video on rigging tubes. He takes a bell weight, wets it with slivia, inserts it into the tube. You have to see the video to find out how he adds the hook. Check out what other pros sa about tubes and how to rig and fish them. Go to the pros of your choice web pages and read what they may say about tubes.

What do you think, would I be wasting my time and money? - Maybe yes and maybe no. You will not know until you give it a try. When the bass are on their beds next year you may want to give the tube another shot, too.

Thanks for any replies, - Welcome

Hootie -Sam

[NebraskaBasser]

As you're learning, the TUBE is a very versitile bait... let me add one more technique.

I fish from a float-tube and fish lakes like you describe and "down-to" smaller farm ponds. In addition to the cover you describe, I'm guessing that you'll ALSO have weed cover of some kind - moss, pads, reeds, etc.

I like to fish my tubes Texas-rigged, weightless... and fish it like I would a hollow-bodied frog. This obviously makes for a light-weight rig, so you might have to use a spinning reel (I'll also use a spincast outfit now and then) to cast it far enough.

You can buy tubes that float... or you can make a "regular" tube float by inserting one of those foam ear-plugs into the body. THEN... just fish it like you would a hollow-bodied from, in the heaviest cover you can find... pausing in any little openings you can find.

Does EXPLOSIVE sound good to you??

[Alpster]

Get a weighted hook (weight molded on the hook shank) and bury it in the tube.Texpose (cover the hook point) in the tube and it will skip under anything. Deadly technique.

Ronnie