Advice For Shallow Tube Fishing

[The Fisher]

I just saw the Bass Resource video on TX Rigging a tube and bought some Lazer tube hooks. I fish from the bank and plan to use these in clear water about 2-5' deep. Question, what size weight and tube color works for you? I'm thinking of buying some 3.5" coffee tubes. These would be for LMB not smallies.

[jtharris3]

The coffee tubes work great for that application. I typically throw green pumpkin or goby colors. Weight, use the lightest weight possible. Depending on wind I'll typically throw 1/8 to 3/16 oz.

[corn-on-the-rob]

Pretty much the same guidelines as throwing a worm the same way, except maybe picking more crawfish like colors, but other colors can be great too.

I like green pumpkin w/ purple flake, watermelon seed, really any greens and browns with occasional blacks, whites, chartreuse, shad, etc.

[BASSPATROL247]

In shallow water 2-5ft deep im going weightless in anything under 15mph wind, the tubes i fish are very very thick/dense and heavy for a tube, a guy back home used to pour them for himself and a guide service to fish smallmouths and gave me a bunch of them, but run of the mill tubes i would go weightless whenever possible but usually 1/8 to 3/8 depending on wind and depth. I like grape, white,greens and browns and once in a while fire tiger...

[smalljaw67]

When I fish smallmouth I use anywhere from a 2.75" tube to a 3.5" tube and 3" and 3.5" are my main sizes. For largemouth I use either a 3.5" or a 4", it just depends on where I'm throwing it and the type of conditions. For your situation, clear water from 2' to 5' deep, I'd go with a 3.5" tube Texas rigged with a 1/8oz weight, and colors are easy, green pumpkin, pumpkin, smoke with white and black flake, often called salt and pepper. Another one is black, black is a universal color that will work in dirty water as well as clear so make sure you have at least one bag of black.

[papajoe222]

Not knowing the forage base of your waters, I wouldn't recommend any particular color. If bluegill or minnows are the forage of choice, honey, pearl pepper and green pumpkin purple gold flake. A good all around color, regardless, would be green pumpkin. You can always add some color to them with a Sharpie.

[mod479]

If you're gonna pick up some coffee tubes and targeting LMB, pick up a pack of the magic goby color. It's basically watermelon magic and probably my favorite color for largies. Cant beat good ol Green pumpkin either. Strike king also makes black tubes, they are the KVD pro model though. 

 

If you want to TX rig them, get the yamamoto insertable weights and a 2/0 or 3/0 EWG hook. Make sure the downward bend near the eye has a bit of length to it, or the weights will not spin all the way around when rigging and  wont allow you to have the hook flush against the bottom of the tube. It makes a difference. Good luck!  

[the reel ess]

I find black/blue to be a fantastic color for any craw imitation in stained water like we have around here. If super clear, match natural colors.