When do you fish tubes?

[snake95]

I tried YUM tubes last week and to my surprise caught a bass swimming the tube on a T-rig.  

Most of the colors I have are black or green pumpkin.

It seems to me this is a bait that doesn't get a lot of attention these days.  For me, it was pure experimentation that led me to try a tube.

When do you go to a tube over another bait in your collection?  And, for what conditions?  Thanks.

[superB]

If you were to allow me a single bait for the rest of my life, the tube would be it.  I think the versatility is VERY underrated.  There are a myriad of retrieves for a texas rigged tube.

 Swimming, hopping, & yo-yo retrieves mimick a bait fish... dragging & hopping retrieves can mimick crawfish... throw one on erie to mimick goby... or peg the sinker, & you can pitch and flip these things into the gnarliest messes you will find.  Weightless, dropshots, Carolina rigs, you name it! 

If I'm fishing, I have a t-rig tube on one of my rods.  It's my confidence bait.  Throw it anywhere you would a worm, or a jig! 

Green pumpkin is my favorite flavor.  I use it 99% of the time.  When the water is super muddy, I may switch to black.  

[ww2farmer]

The last two years have been a return to "old school" for me, I find myself flipping tubes and using power worms in the places where everyone else is fishing the latest and greatest beaver, craw, and worm style baits..............and I am catching a lot of fish on them.

[drew4779]

55 minutes ago, superB said:

If you were to allow me a single bait for the rest of my life, the tube would be it.  I think the versatility is VERY underrated.  There are a myriad of retrieves for a texas rigged tube.

 Swimming, hopping, & yo-yo retrieves mimick a bait fish... dragging & hopping retrieves can mimick crawfish... throw one on erie to mimick goby... or peg the sinker, & you can pitch and flip these things into the gnarliest messes you will find.  Weightless, dropshots, Carolina rigs, you name it! 

If I'm fishing, I have a t-rig tube on one of my rods.  It's my confidence bait.  Throw it anywhere you would a worm, or a jig! 

Green pumpkin is my favorite flavor.  I use it 99% of the time.  When the water is super muddy, I may switch to black.  

Ditto 100%

[papajoe222]

For me, it's more; When don't you fish tubes.

I have been on a tube 'kick' for the past four or five seasons.  They have replaced the majority of soft plastics that I was using.  Versatility and action are the main reasons I use them.  Even when rigging them with external weights, drop-shot, C-rig, T-rig, or weightless, there is plenty of action from the tentacles. Rig it with an internal weight and it falls like no other. 

About the only times I use another soft plastic are when the water is murky, or at night when I want a bait to move a lot of water when working it and for a jig trailer.

[Cgolf]

1 hour ago, superB said:

If you were to allow me a single bait for the rest of my life, the tube would be it.  I think the versatility is VERY underrated.  There are a myriad of retrieves for a texas rigged tube.

 Swimming, hopping, & yo-yo retrieves mimick a bait fish... dragging & hopping retrieves can mimick crawfish... throw one on erie to mimick goby... or peg the sinker, & you can pitch and flip these things into the gnarliest messes you will find.  Weightless, dropshots, Carolina rigs, you name it! 

If I'm fishing, I have a t-rig tube on one of my rods.  It's my confidence bait.  Throw it anywhere you would a worm, or a jig! 

Green pumpkin is my favorite flavor.  I use it 99% of the time.  When the water is super muddy, I may switch to black.  

This ^^^^

I have one box of tubes and grubs that always goes with me because I know that I could catch numbers and some of the biggest fish on any body of water I go to. 

I learned this summer that on a slider style head they are a great dock fishing bait.

I carry the standard darker colors and a lot of smoke flake colors for when I am fishing them off the bottom.

I probably throw a tube 50% of the time when fishing lakes. The Ned rig has replaced it for the time on the river, that is until I get my hands on the TRD tube.

The cover I prefer to toss them in reeds, weedbeds, lily pads, and the above mentioned docks during  spring summer and fall. The only place I haven't really fished them is on the deep weededge, but to be fair I don't fish any plastic in that situation.

It is a confidence thing for me, while I am sure that finesse worms and other baits would catch fish, these just fit my fishing style perfectly. Also tubes hold gel scents really well. Putting a little in the cavity gives them a shot of scent when they bite down giving them even more reason to hold on longer.

[Bluebasser86]

I don't fish them often enough. Used to be one of my go to baits, but I've strayed a bit with the advent of the beaver style bait that catches fish so well and I have a better hookup ratio with them. 

One place the tube always gets the nod over the beaver is in dirty water. The extra bulk and the ability to easily add a rattle makes it a no brainer for me. Of course, they're an easy decision when I'm fishing smallmouth too. They just go together for some reason. 

[Oregon Native]

Will have to say there has always been a tube for the most part on deck.  I use Dry Creeks 3 1/2 inch with a weight on the inside and it has always for the most part put fish in the boat for me.  Matter of fact if myself or my partner aren't throwing one it's reason to give the other a bad time!!  LOVE tubes

Oh....candy is dandy for a color too.

[jr231]

I find this thread refreshing. Nice to read about something other than senkos or a whopper plopper

[Advantage]

6 hours ago, Bluebasser86 said:

I don't fish them often enough. Used to be one of my go to baits, but I've strayed a bit with the advent of the beaver style bait that catches fish so well and I have a better hookup ratio with them. 

One place the tube always gets the nod over the beaver is in dirty water. The extra bulk and the ability to easily add a rattle makes it a no brainer for me. Of course, they're an easy decision when I'm fishing smallmouth too. They just go together for some reason. 

Same here, threw tubes with great success for years, but had gotten away from them to.throw creatures/beavers etc but have recently started throwing them more often again and as before...having great success with them again! 

[Todd2]

I think it's just a matter of being swamped with a lot of options. Just like some of you, tubes have fallen back in my rotation. But think about it...we have ribbontails, cutter worms, brush hogs, baby brush hogs, lizards, stickbaits, unlimited creature baits, tubes, and a whole lot more. Tubes can hang with all of them at the right time.

[Master Bait'r]

I love tubes for so many reasons. Some great info in this thread!!  Just so many rigging and action options, now with solid TRD tubes too, I absolutely love the sheer number of looks available with one soft bait.  

[Jaderose]

I'm just starting to throw tubes.

[Hog Basser]

well crap....off to Academy again at lunch! 

[crypt]

flip em all the time great for punching.they slide through the cover so easy.

[snake95]

On 8/21/2016 at 7:58 PM, superB said:

Swimming, hopping, & yo-yo retrieves mimick a bait fish... dragging & hopping retrieves can mimick crawfish... throw one on erie to mimick goby... or peg the sinker, & you can pitch and flip these things into the gnarliest messes you will find.  Weightless, dropshots, Carolina rigs, you name it! 

If I'm fishing, I have a t-rig tube on one of my rods.  It's my confidence bait.  Throw it anywhere you would a worm, or a jig! 

Green pumpkin is my favorite flavor.  I use it 99% of the time.  When the water is super muddy, I may switch to black.  

SuperB and everyone else - thanks very much for both the encouragement to fish these things, and some pointers on when and where - even if the best answer is just about everywhere.  I'm relatively new to bass and especially plastic baits - so I really appreciate the responses.  

Glad I could help the boards take a brief rest from whopper ploppers and senkos. 

The time I gave it an honest shot recently, not really knowing what I was doing, it worked like a quiet reaction bait, gliding and swimming past an ambush point - when it got ambushed.   I'll keep on trying some of the approaches suggested.

[iiTzChunky]

I wish I could figure out how to rig and work these. I got a bag when I got my first bag of senkos and have tried them out a few times but I don't get a good action under the water, or at least I'm thinking. And ever video I've seen has them rigged up on a special tube hook which I havnt been able to get. So there just sitting in my plastic creature bag because I never touch them. 

[Tmmytomato]

When do I fish a tube? Always and forever.

[primetime]

I often forget about Tubes but I seem to do well when I use them, and I fish them in the same way you could fish a Frog, Fluke, Creature etc. A Gitzit Tube used to be one of my favorite ways to get suspended bass in cold water on a light Slider head, in a shad color, find deeper water, cast it out, use the reel to let it drop 4-8 feet, reel it up, kill it, and some days it works great.

I learned that technique from a Guide when I was in College fishing for Salmon in Upstate NY, and I stopped rigging tubes on darter heads or light slider heads, for some reason I almost always go with something "New". Tubes will work for sure, I like some of the internal rattle systems to hide the weight and lock the hook but A tube is a versatile bait that can be worked so many ways and I agree, fish do not see them much, This time of year, I feel like Bass must be so sick of seeing a Crankbait run over and under them, constantly bouncing off the dock post they are just trying to relax next to.

Then they have a drop shot worm in their face all day, Shaky Heads, Poppers, Frogs, I find August to be really challenging on pressured lakes especially on weekends. I bet a Tube would be a good punching bait and good frog substitute since they come in awesome colors and are easy to fish on heavy line, light, and so many ways to rig them....

BPS has that new popper head and treble to put a tube into. Apparently more than a few people use Tubes as walkers, topwater etc. Add some packing peanuts, walleye slip floats inside and you have a walking bait with tentacles that can also be fished on a C-Rig and have it float off bottom. 

I will be bringing tubes to my next outing, Last few trips have been really tough, even when you find the bait and see fish they are just tough with all the rain, water color, and pressure.