# Finally a Tube Bass



## Shortdrift (Apr 5, 2004)

I have caught hundreds of largemouth and smallmouth bass through the years on everything other than a tube bait. Yesterday I made up my mind to stick with the tube until I fumbled my way into catching a smallie on the tube. Well, it turned out to be the magic afternoon as I was able to land my first smallmouth on a tube  as well as lost another and missed a solid strike. Now that I'm an expert with the tube, I can go forth with greater confidence using this method.


----------



## MassillonBuckeye (May 3, 2010)

I was the same way with lipless cranks. Still am actually! lol. Always good to see people succeeding with something outside of their comfort zone. Variety is the spice of life!


----------



## Bassthumb (Aug 22, 2008)

Just gotta drag it, eventually something will pick it up! I caught a walleye on one this weekend. Congrats!


----------



## NCbassattack (May 5, 2014)

Good job, Ron. I've caught largemouth on tubes, but don't throw them much.


----------



## freshwaterexperience (May 23, 2014)

You drag them on the bottom? How do you rig them dragging them


----------



## The Fishing Addict (Mar 19, 2014)

Grand River?


----------



## Shortdrift (Apr 5, 2004)

The Fishing Addict said:


> Grand River?


You got it. Spoke with two other boats and they reported it was quite slow with the low water visibility.


----------



## Shortdrift (Apr 5, 2004)

freshwaterexperience said:


> You drag them on the bottom? How do you rig them dragging them


I just force a jig head into the body from the rear (ouch) and pop the line tie out. Using a fairly light wire jig hook so it can be pulled free from many of the snags.


----------



## freshwaterexperience (May 23, 2014)

Is that for largemouth too or just when smallmouth fishing


----------



## streamstalker (Jul 8, 2005)

Yeah, man. It's great when you finally start connecting on something you've been playing with for a while. Then you know it's a new technique in the arsenal. Never quit learning!


----------



## polebender (Oct 29, 2011)

Great job Ron! You can also Texas rig them for flipping into heavy cover. Use an offset worm hook and rig it like you would a worm, but the hook point just lays inside the open tube. Peg it with a bullet sinker. It will catch lots of largemouth! I also rig them this way on a Carolina rig!


----------



## NCbassattack (May 5, 2014)

You use a tube on a Carolina rig? Never thought of that..


----------



## KTkiff (Jul 30, 2004)

I have caught steelhead, smallies, LM, sheep, rock bass, and crappie on tubes. Oh yeah and walleye.


----------



## polebender (Oct 29, 2011)

NCbassattack said:


> You use a tube on a Carolina rig? Never thought of that..


Yea, it's great to throw around old road beds and creek channels with stumps. Give it a try, the fish love them!


----------



## freshwaterexperience (May 23, 2014)

Ktkiff is there a certain size or color or tube brand you have caught them with also how did you rig it catching them


----------



## AtticaFish (Nov 23, 2008)

Congrats on your catch. Tubes will dang near catch every predator fish out there along with a few of the opportunistic feeders. Just have to use them often enough to put them in the fish's face.

Speaking of confidence... It took a while for me to get a bite on swimbaits just because of the simple fact that i would not get them out of the box often enough. Now they are one of the 1st things i tie on. Blade baits (sonars, cicadas, vibes, etc) are my current NO confidence bait that i simply need to tie on more often because soooo many other people have success with them. Believe it, and they will bite it.


----------



## freshwaterexperience (May 23, 2014)

I'm very interested in tubes right now I think I'm gonna give them a go tomorrow


----------



## AtticaFish (Nov 23, 2008)

freshwaterexperience said:


> I'm very interested in tubes right now I think I'm gonna give them a go tomorrow


Just KEEP THEM ON............ you will get bit and learn the best ways to fish them the longer they are on the end of your line. They can be like magic some days.


----------



## freshwaterexperience (May 23, 2014)

What would be a good size and color to start with and how to fish it in a reservoir or quarry


----------



## ostbucks98 (Apr 14, 2004)

Green pumpkin and thats a general color for any softbait starting out.


----------



## Bassthumb (Aug 22, 2008)

AtticaFish said:


> Congrats on your catch. Tubes will dang near catch every predator fish out there along with a few of the opportunistic feeders. Just have to use them often enough to put them in the fish's face.
> 
> Speaking of confidence... It took a while for me to get a bite on swimbaits just because of the simple fact that i would not get them out of the box often enough. Now they are one of the 1st things i tie on. Blade baits (sonars, cicadas, vibes, etc) are my current NO confidence bait that i simply need to tie on more often because soooo many other people have success with them. Believe it, and they will bite it.


The blade is the ultimate cold water bait. Cast it out keep a tight line or it fouls up a lot (fouls up a lot anyway), work it with slight pulls till it gets to bottom then vibe it up off the bottom, let it fall back (with a still tense line) then vibe it up just a foot or two off the bottom.....rinse and repeat. It will catch everything. I bet you would kill the walleyes in those upgrounds you fish, but you will definitely lose some to the rocks, thats why its nice to use them from the yak or boat so you can get on top of them to free them. I've caught probably 3/4 of my fish this year so far on the blade.


----------



## ostbucks98 (Apr 14, 2004)

I have one tied on the whole year


----------



## Steelhauler (Apr 7, 2004)

Good job Ron. You know it's funny how times change. When I first started fishing tubes on Erie for Smallmouth, the belief was they were a crawfish imitator. I use to hop them with great success. Now with all of the Gobies in the lake, they have become a Goby imitator. Dragging them is far more productive. Same bait, same lake, same fish, but a really different presentation. Go figure!

Wes


----------



## Steelhauler (Apr 7, 2004)

NCbassattack said:


> You use a tube on a Carolina rig? Never thought of that..


NC bassattack,
They work well on a Carolina rig. Another trick if you are fishing weeds is to stuff a piece of Styrofoam packing peanut inside the tube. It will float it above the weeds.

Wes


----------



## rustyolddad (Aug 12, 2014)

freshwaterexperience said:


> You drag them on the bottom? How do you rig them dragging them


I rig them texas style hook up with craws and carolina style with tubes. But usually just hook the tube and throw! I am not that organized.....


----------



## rustyolddad (Aug 12, 2014)

Ron Awesome day for you! Now that you are a tube expert, I can rely on you for advice with bass as well as walleye

Hope you left a few for me, if the lake doesnt straighten up I will have to fish for that bass of yours this weekend.


----------



## OnTheFly (Jul 30, 2010)

I have always said if I could have one bait it would be a tube. Can't catch anything from billfish to walleye on them. Mizmo bass teasers and venom stubbies are my go to.


----------



## ML1187 (Mar 13, 2012)

OnTheFly said:


> I have always said if I could have one bait it would be a tube. Can't catch anything from billfish to walleye on them. Mizmo bass teasers and venom stubbies are my go to.


I'm exactly the same way. The tube to me is the grub to others. 

These two fish ... Same jig head. Same tube type. My two best bass species ... 



Cabelas 1/8 oz tube jig head , red hook. 
Zoom 3 inch tube. Always green pumpkin!

Fish them more OP. Tons of fun.


----------



## odell daniel (Nov 5, 2015)

Shortdrift said:


> I have caught hundreds of largemouth and smallmouth bass through the years on everything other than a tube bait. Yesterday I made up my mind to stick with the tube until I fumbled my way into catching a smallie on the tube. Well, it turned out to be the magic afternoon as I was able to land my first smallmouth on a tube  as well as lost another and missed a solid strike. Now that I'm an expert with the tube, I can go forth with greater confidence using this method.
> View attachment 208776


is that ashtabula ohio


----------



## NCbassattack (May 5, 2014)

polebender said:


> Yea, it's great to throw around old road beds and creek channels with stumps. Give it a try, the fish love them!


I will give it a try, but it's so hard to put the speedcraw away..lol


----------



## polebender (Oct 29, 2011)

NCbassattack said:


> I will give it a try, but it's so hard to put the speedcraw away..lol


Yea, I know what you mean when you have a favorite. But if the fish there aren't used to seeing tubes, you might just be able to go on a really good streak for a while!


----------



## NCbassattack (May 5, 2014)

Some guys throw them, got a friend that swears by them.


----------



## KTkiff (Jul 30, 2004)

freshwaterexperience said:


> Ktkiff is there a certain size or color or tube brand you have caught them with also how did you rig it catching them


I am not a tube expert as it's probably the last thing I bring out. But I usually use 3.5 or 3.75 inch in some pumpkin type color. In the fall I use a white tube and that's usually when I get multiple species. I just shove the tube inside through the skirt up to the head and then pop the eyelet through the tube. I don't have a brand preference but have been known to use zoom or KVD coffee tubes.


----------



## Shortdrift (Apr 5, 2004)

odell daniel said:


> is that ashtabula ohio


That is the Ash area but through the years I have caught large and small mouth all along the shore from Ash to Port Clinton as well as all the Islands, but never before on the TUBE.


----------



## NCbassattack (May 5, 2014)

Try a speedcraw on those smallies Ron. They eat them up in the New River.


----------



## Bassbme (Mar 11, 2012)

freshwaterexperience said:


> What would be a good size and color to start with and how to fish it in a reservoir or quarry


A good size to start with would be 3 1/2 - 4". Generally, color choice depends on what you're trying to imitate, and water color/clarity. In darker water I like colors like black with blue flake, dark green pumpkin, or darker browns. In clearer water I like more natural colors. Lighter browns, lighter green pumpkins, and some of the different watermelon colors. 

My favorite tubes are from Dry Creek Outfitters. Specifically their 3 1/2" full body double dipped tubes, but there are a lot of good tubes out there. As previously mentioned, Zoom and Venom both make good tubes. And I have friends that really like the Strike King Coffee tubes.

How you fish them depends on where you're fishing them. If you're fishing them in more open and more snag free cover types, then the open hook tube jig head that has been mentioned is a good choice. Just be sure you check your hook point often, as even a slightly rolled hook point can cost you fish. 

If you're fishing them in cover or more snag infested water, Texas rigging them is your best bet. I personally only use two different hooks if I'm Texas rigging a tube. Either a Shaw Grigsby HP hook, or a Trokar TK190 tube hook. Hook size could be anywhere from 3/0 - 5/0 depending on the size of the bait, and the thickness of its body. 4/0 seems to be the best fit for most of the tubes I use.


----------



## BASmead (Jan 11, 2008)

there's 2 basic ways I've had great success with tubes. bumping the bottom with an 1/8 or 1/16 oz jighead in a river or stream environment is an excellent crawfish imitation. I usually favor darker, more natural colors. I've had a lot of great days with 3 in black tubes. Best case scenario, you can kick up some real craws and see what colors they're wearing that day, because it changes throughout the season. Sometimes they sport crazy blues or oranges. The other way I've had great days with largemouths with bigger 4-5 tubes just texas rigged weightless on an EWG. Pretty versatile presentation. You can dead stick it, swim it, jerk it on the surface and imitate just about any kind of forage. i also prefer natural type colors with this rig, but I've had great days with white too. 

the bait I've never been able to build confidence in is the jig. I know they work, just never for me for some reason.


----------



## Bassthumb (Aug 22, 2008)

That was me too 3 years ago basmead. Couldn't catch a fish on the jig. Now I love it, no better big fish bait, Just toss it and drag it on bottom slow retrieve always contacting bottom until you get the feel for what a bite feels like. Once you get the feel of it, it will always be in your arsenal. Now is a good time to tie it on, head to a marina, the fish are in there thick now, so you know they are there and just keep it on the bottom, no need to get fancy till you get the feel of it.


----------



## NCbassattack (May 5, 2014)

Used to hate jigs myself. I just made myself use them, and finally figured it out. After catching an eight pounder in a tourney at Badin Lake, made me a fan for life.


----------

