Tubes

[KevO]

I want to use more tubes for smallies this year.  What is your favorite Tube? Color? t-rig or jighead?  What season is the most productive season for tubes?

[Mobydick]

Tubes are good year round...there is no best time to use them in my opinion.

I use Mizmo, BPS, and Zoom tubes.

I like Mizmo's green-pumpkin and red shad, I like BPS's Goby, watermelon red flake, watermelon chartail, pumkin green flake, black blue flake, and black bluetail. I like Zoom's pumkin, watermelon, and black red flake.

I will usually rig them on a jighead unless I am fishing some really heavy weeds or wood, then I would texas rig them.

I did have some luck this summer on the carolina rig.

Good luck!

                                                           Ian

[xxmurrxx]

I like mizmo tubes,

Fav color for my area is green watermelon and browns

On a jighead

[Tin]

I like using tiny tubes around 2.5" in green pumpkin on 1/8 - 1/4 oz heads depending on depth and wind.  Hard to find good heads for them though. These are my go to prespawn/spawn/post-spawn baits. Just something special about it. Think it looks much more realistic in clear water compared to those 3-4" tubes they see none-stop.

[Jig Man]

I always have at least one tube tied on.  Melon pepper is the best color most days, smoke, black and pumpkin seed are also good.

I have found that the 4" work best for me.

I use them with jig inserts, bell sinker inserts, and Trigged, mostly with the jig inserts though.

[Matt 825]

I like Gitzit tubes prespawn mostly.  Or if I am going for a bigger tube, I'll use a Mizmo or whatever I have in my bag.  I like GP and a kind of an auburn/brown color.  I use 1/8 OZ mostly when 15ft and under and 1/4 or 3/8 to 30 ft depending on the wind. 1/2 OZ deeper than 30ft

I havent used tubes much the past few years after the spawn, but years ago I fished a tube all summer long.  

Tubes are a great Smallmouth Bait!!!!     8-)

[fishizzle]

I use Stalker tubes 4" all year in Black with gold flake hook with gamakatsu tube hook  with hook exposed and weight in the tube

[MNGeorge]

Give "fat tubes" a try.  Case and Venom are 2 vendors that sell them for sure.  Roadkill has been the best color so far, but I didn't start using these until late summer last year.  Black neon will most likely be a better choice in the Spring when the Mississippi runs dirty.  I use a 1/4 or 3/8 oz. rattling jig made by Matzuo.  I like the jig because the eye of the hook protrudes away from the nose far enough to poke through the thicker wall of the fat tubes.

[Bronzefly]

I like zoom and gitzit tubes as well - green pumpkin seems to be a great all around color.  I like mine on a tube jig head.  Winter time seems to be the best time for me...

[wnybass26]

My favorite tube that will always be in my bag is the coffee tube by strike king. Any color will get even the most picky fish to bite, the smell drives the smallies nuts!  

[BARON49_Northern NY]

In open water I like a 3" crawdad Gitzit tube on a 1/8 oz exposed hook jig head that is inserted into the tube.  I will got to a 4" tube and rig it texas style when fishing around thick cover.

[KevO]

Thanks everyone.  Looks like the jighead is more popular than t-rigging.   I guess I need to invest in some jigheads now.  

Bronzefly, have you been to the Hollow yet?

[ww2farmer]

Tube dragging for Smallies is one of my go to techniques. What works on Erie travels real well to the finger lakes. I like a 3" greenpumpkin zoom tube. I use a 3/8 oz bite me tube head 99% of the time. Keeps the tube on the bottom. Fill the hollow body of the tube up with gulp juice when a bass bites it won't let it go with that gulp in there, also helps sliding the tube head up, acts as a lube. The Inland smallies on the finger lakes like it just the same, allthough I sometimes go to a 1/4 oz head, as I am only fishing water 1/2 as deep. My buddy swears by 3" BPS tender tubes in melon pepper, but we have both have been in the same boat catching just as many fish with different tubes. For me the 3" tubes get better results than the 4" for SM at least. Rarely, if almost never (be carefull LOL) has using a 4" tube made any differnce, but going to a 3" has.

I also rarely t-rig tubes when dragging, unless there is a lot of "snot" on the bottom. Hook up% long lining a tube t-rigged is not that good. With an open hook, they bite it, they are stuck.

When I fish for smallies with tubes 99% of the time I am dragging them, I make a long cast and drift the tube on the bottom. when the open hook snags on something, pop it, often that triggers a strike.  

[Jig Thrower]

strike king bleeding bait series 4 inch tubes any color seems to work well for me

[HB]

I bought a bunch of 4" tubes @ the bass pro discount outlet, but I'm not sure how to fish them.  I usually cast into pads & grass, so I was thinking that a weighted EWG Texas-rig might be the way to go.  Since the weight is on the hook shank, the tube should fall horizontally -- kind of like a senko.

Do you guys use rattle inserts with tubes?  

[Triton20x3pro]

Tubes are definitely one of my go to baits. My favorite tubes are made by Dry Creek Outfitters and their color I like the most is Buzzard Snot. It's a creative name, but it flat out works. Your best color most likely depends on the color stages of crawdads in your local water.

[coolhandlala]

4" coffee tube by Strike King this last year i had my best year and used these almost excusively for smallies, any color seemed to drive them crazy, and if I got hungry they taste pretty good

[HB]

How did you rig them?  I was thinking that they would be pretty good on a carolina rig.

A shakeyhead jig could be good too.  Unfortunately, most of the lakes in this area suffer from "green goo" during the summer.  People overfertilize their lakefront property & too much phosphorous ends up in the lakes.  Lures that touch the bottom usually end up covered with crud very quickly.  

[zbass]

Most of the time ity is rigged with a jig head shoved up inside or on a texas rig. The jig head allows for an open hook. That is fine in sparse cover. the texas rig is better for thicker cover. Try rigging one with one of those little internal weights you can buy and use it like a jerk bait.

My favorite all around color would have to be grn/pump with purple and copper flake.

[fishizzle]

I don't use rattles.  The smallies can feel them scurrying on the bottom.

[ww2farmer]

I don't use rattles either, infact I have seen more times than not when a rattle in tube while dragging for SM would NOT get bit. Now flipping them in weeds is a different story................but that relates more to the green fish for me.

To combat your slime situation........drop shot the tube, 8" to 12" off the bottom. The small zoom tubes nose hooked on a #1 Gamakatsu DS hook are a darn good and underated DS bait.

[HB]

I don't use rattles either, infact I have seen more times than not when a rattle in tube while dragging for SM would NOT get bit. Now flipping them in weeds is a different story................but that relates more to the green fish for me.

To combat your slime situation........drop shot the tube, 8" to 12" off the bottom. The small zoom tubes nose hooked on a #1 Gamakatsu DS hook are a darn good and underated DS bait.

Thanks for the tip!  I hadn't thought about dropshotting.  

That's a technique I definitely have not mastered... yet  

[bronzewb22]

I like any of Zoom's tubes in a white or silver color as well as greens and browns. I either Carolina rig them or just fish them weightless and weedless on top. I've gotten some boat shaking strikes trying this in lily pad patches

[macbass1]

I will normally have 4 tubes tied on in different colors and styles 1/8 ounce and 1/4 ounce tube head one on a drop shot and one carolina rigged. use nothing but 4 inch triple dipped tubesin a variety of colors best color this year for me seemed to be smallie slayer or the fizz same color just different makers for smallies and green fish and also watermelon copper and brown pumpkin green flake.

[HB]

I like any of Zoom's tubes in a white or silver color as well as greens and browns. I either Carolina rig them or just fish them weightless and weedless on top. I've gotten some boat shaking strikes trying this in lily pad patches

That sounds like a good plan!

Last year, my favorite topwater lure for grass & pads was a 5" GY DT grub (green pumpkin, texas rigged, 1/0 gammy EWG).  To keep it afloat just peg a corkie in front of the hook.  It looks exactly like a little frog in the water.  The tails dangle down while the head stays on top.  I coat everything with crayfish lunker lotion which helps the bait slide through heavy cover -- and the extra scent probably helps.

20 lb Braid on medium spinning gear is the perfect setup.  The thin diameter makes the little bait castable, but it's still hefty enough to yank the bigguns out of the slop.

When bass are hanging out close to shore in the really thick stuff, this will get them every time!