# Bank fishing lures/plastics for smallies



## fliggs9276 (Apr 9, 2011)

Hey all. Wanted to know if anyone could help guide me in the right direction. I haven't been very successful fishing for bass from banks. What type of lures or plastics would be best? I've tried texas rigged worms because I can't stand fighting weeds, but I rarely get bites.


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## jaximus (Jun 30, 2013)

from shore, i use mainly tube jigs. bounce them on the retrieve. you can cover a lot of water quickly with them so if you arent having success right away, move down the shore a bit. target eddies(if on a river w/ current), or weed edges/points/rip rap on lakes/reservoirs. i use worms to target weed pockets from a boat but not overly much from shore. tubes cast much better so i stick to them from shore.


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## fliggs9276 (Apr 9, 2011)

Thanks for the tip! What type of tube jigs do you typically use? What color and weight has been working well for you?


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## Bad Bub (Jan 17, 2006)

fliggs9276 said:


> Thanks for the tip! What type of tube jigs do you typically use? What color and weight has been working well for you?


Cheap ones. You'll break off quite a few. Venom makes a good tube head and they sell them in bulk packs which makes it less painful. I know a bunch of guys that use the bass pro heads, but I'm not a fan of the light wire hook they use. Tends to straighten fairly easy. 1/4oz. With a green pumpkin tube is a pretty universal combo.

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## jaximus (Jun 30, 2013)

Bad Bub said:


> Cheap ones. You'll break off quite a few.


well said!!!

yeah, cheap ones. after a couple of fish even the high quality ones are shreaded. 'zoom' is the only brand i can think of off hand that is fairly cheap. gander house brand ones are pretty decent too. i usually keep an eye on the clearance bins for tubes as well as the 'economy buckets' where its a 1 gallon ice cream type pail filled with random plastics. they usually give you a good mix of size/color

http://www.cabelas.com/product/Cabelas-Bass-Buckets/702054.uts?productVariantId=1224943&WT.tsrc=CSE&WT.mc_id=GoogleProductAds&WT.z_mc_id1=702054&rid=40&channel=GoogleBaseUSA&mr:trackingCode=3B07DE51-F5D2-DF11-82EF-001B21631C34&mr:referralID=NA&mr:adType=pla&mr:ad=28762820711&mr:keyword=&mr:match=&mr:filter=52254560951&gclid=CLPw98X0jLgCFck-MgodhEgAKA

heres one i found after a quick google search. you get a lot of stuff for pretty cheap, granted some you wont ever use, but i like the variety they offer where as if you buy the regular packs of plastics you only get one color/size.

color depends on water clarity. stained water i roll with orange/red/brown/greenish, with glitter. crayfish imitation.

clear water i go with blues/greens/smoke colored.

for jigs, its usually 1/8oz round jigs slide up inside the tube. i like a lighter wire hook so i can bend it free from wood snags. never had a problem with straightening out on a fish.


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## fliggs9276 (Apr 9, 2011)

Thanks jax and bad! Next time I'm out I will give the tubes a shot. I wanted to know do you guys use scent to lubricate the tube? I've never used scent before, is it even worth it?

On the jigs. Do you recommend the eye 90 or 60 degrees?


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## Bassbme (Mar 11, 2012)

I'm not being a wise guy here....... but if you're not getting bites on a Texas rigged worm, are you sure you are fishing where there are fish? You may get more bites on a tube, but I highly doubt it. As far as your question on hook eye angle ..... the 60 degree would be my suggestion. The more forward position of the hooks eye makes it easier to swim and more weedless. With that being said. A tube rigged on an open hooked jig is not something you are going to be very happy with if you can't stand fighting weeds. You would definitely want to use a Texas rigged tube. And even then, they don't come through weeds as well as a Texas rigged worm does. Nothing comes through weeds better than a Texas rigged worm. Except maybe a weightless Fluke type bait. 

Tubes are great baits though. I just wouldn't fish them on a tube jig head if you hate fighting weeds.


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## fliggs9276 (Apr 9, 2011)

Bassbme you are probably right, I'm probably not having success because the fish aren't there, lol. I think i need to do some bank fishing at hoover. People have told me that is a good place along the rip rap. I have been trying rush creek and three creeks herond pond but i seem to come up empty. If you know of any good ponds or places along the creeks for bank fishing bass please let me know! Thanks for the tip on the tube jig eye position.


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## jaximus (Jun 30, 2013)

i use 90 degree hook eyes. i feel it makes the lure walk the dog action better. 60 degree probably would slide through weeds better but i use exposed hook so i dont go through many weeds. 

fish are smart, they hang near weeds because thats where their food is. they eat out of the pockets/edges. they cant chase through the weeds effectively, just like we cant fish in them effectively. i never have issues with the exposed hooks because i fish the edges/pockets. the only fish ive caught deep inside the weeds are the smaller ones that use the weeds as cover.


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## grub_man (Feb 28, 2005)

Smallies from the bank in a lake are going to be a challenge this time of year. You can find tons in May when they are still bedding in large numbers. Then as June starts and progresses, the smallies back off the banks a bit. You'll still find them at times when the conditions are right.

If you want to get them shallow, check at night. They'll typically move in and feed after sunset and before dawn, and at times just once in the middle of the night. At night, you'll want your lure to be easier to find, things like spinnerbaits, noisy topwaters, crankbaits, and the like work well. Plastics can work well at night (step up the size a bit and add a rattle or bead to a T-rig), but when the fish are feeding, they are very aggressive.

Look for places where the fish are. They will move up onto shallow flats adjacent to deep water at night to feed, and will move in periodically on steep blanks, dams, or causeways. The steep banks like dams and causeways offer structures that give access to the deepest water around, and often fish well for the bank fisherman.

Joe


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## fliggs9276 (Apr 9, 2011)

Well the tube paid off! I landed a couple in the pond today. I was using a green pumpkin tube with orange flakes. I didn't use the tube jig because I kept loosing them and that got old after the sixth time. I used a Texas rig and it seemed to work well. I was concerned at first the hook was too big but I pinched in the tube enough for it to stay weedless. Thanks for the tips!


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## getyourbassingear (Apr 28, 2011)

fliggs9276 said:


> Well the tube paid off! I landed a couple in the pond today. I was using a green pumpkin tube with orange flakes. I didn't use the tube jig because I kept loosing them and that got old after the sixth time. I used a Texas rig and it seemed to work well. I was concerned at first the hook was too big but I pinched in the tube enough for it to stay weedless. Thanks for the tips!


I fish a lot of tubes and both styles work well under the right conditions for swimming tubes I always use exposed hooks. Bouncing off the bottom I nearly always use a weedless rig. You've got the right idea with some "fleck" in your tubes and as far as scent goes I like garlic but as always its personal preference. As someone else mentioned get yourself some small spinnerbaits such as a strike king rocket shad and inline spinners like mepps with natural browns and blacks. Those spinners are hard to beat for summertime smallies in creeks. good luck


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## Bassbme (Mar 11, 2012)

fliggs9276 said:


> Well the tube paid off! I landed a couple in the pond today. I was using a green pumpkin tube with orange flakes. I didn't use the tube jig because I kept loosing them and that got old after the sixth time. I used a Texas rig and it seemed to work well. I was concerned at first the hook was too big but I pinched in the tube enough for it to stay weedless. Thanks for the tips!


Glad the tubes worked out for you. I'm a little confused on your description of your Texas rig, as it pertains to you saying that you had to pinch the tube for it to stay weedless?

I'm not sure what kind of hook you used, or how you rigged it on the hook. These two pictures show the style of hook I use, and the way the tube looks once it's rigged on the hook. I'd say it has to be considered the best way to Texas rig a tube. Not because it's the way I do it, but because everyone I know rigs them this way. The hook is a Trokar TK190 tube hook, but there are other hooks that have the same shape. The Shaw Grigsby HP hook is the same shape and is designed for use with tubes, but there are other styles of hooks that will work as well. Owner's Wide Gap Plus hook, would be another hook that works well on tubes. Other than a few subtle differences the rigging is pretty much the same as it is with the Trokar or Shaw Grigsby hook. 

Notice the way the hook is run completely through the bait, and how the hooks point lays along the back of the tube. Making the bait weedless after you have the hook in place is a simple matter of pinching the body of the tub right below the hooks point and pulling it back towards the eye of the hook. With the body of the tube slightly stretched, just lift the body of the tube up slightly so the hook point starts to make a dent in the back of the tube, then stop pinching the body of the tube and let it return to its' original shape. The hooks point should slip inside the plastic on the back of the tube. The closer to the surface the hooks point is, the easier it is for it to break free of the plastic when a fish hits. It's pretty much like fishing an open hook, but it's weedless. I hope my description makes sense


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## fliggs9276 (Apr 9, 2011)

Bassbme I was using a 4/0 offset hook which I thought was going to be too big for the tube I was using because the tip off the hook was real close to where the skirt started. So I just pinched the inside of the tube with the hook tip. It looks like the hook you have in the picture is better choice or I could use a 3/0.

Have you ever used buzz tubes?


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## Bad Bub (Jan 17, 2006)

fliggs9276 said:


> Bassbme I was using a 4/0 offset hook which I thought was going to be too big for the tube I was using because the tip off the hook was real close to where the skirt started. So I just pinched the inside of the tube with the hook tip. It looks like the hook you have in the picture is better choice or I could use a 3/0.
> 
> Have you ever used buzz tubes?


Make sure your using an extra wide gap hook. I used to use a 5/0 gamakatzu g-lock hook with 4" tubes. The hooks worked pretty well, but now I use the same hooks bassbme showed in the picture. Its amazing how will those hooks work....

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## Bassbme (Mar 11, 2012)

Ah, ok Fliggs. I just wasn't sure what you were trying to explain. I understand now, and have that same problem from time to time depending on size of the tube, and which manufacturers tube I'm using. Dropping down to the 3/0 will help on some 4" tubes. 3/0 works well with most 3 1/2" tubes, but you may find you need to drop down to a 2/0 on certain brands. And no, I've never used a buzz tube. I'm not familiar with them? 

Bad Bub..... I'm with you... I am absolutely loving these Trokar hooks. The only thing that I've found so far that can sometimes be a pain is that the ridge separating the two sides of the point actually cuts through the plastic of a bait when you Texpose it. I go through a lot more baits as a result. Oh well..... everything in fishing has some sort of trade off ...... right?


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## Bad Bub (Jan 17, 2006)

Bassbme said:


> Ah, ok Fliggs. I just wasn't sure what you were trying to explain. I understand now, and have that same problem from time to time depending on size of the tube, and which manufacturers tube I'm using. Dropping down to the 3/0 will help on some 4" tubes. 3/0 works well with most 3 1/2" tubes, but you may find you need to drop down to a 2/0 on certain brands. And no, I've never used a buzz tube. I'm not familiar with them?
> 
> Bad Bub..... I'm with you... I am absolutely loving these Trokar hooks. The only thing that I've found so far that can sometimes be a pain is that the ridge separating the two sides of the point actually cuts through the plastic of a bait when you Texpose it. I go through a lot more baits as a result. Oh well..... everything in fishing has some sort of trade off ...... right?


Same. And I sent them a message on Facebook about welding the eye closed. Sometimes I throw the big vibra king tube through lily pads with braid. That non-welded eye makes me nervous...

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## dacrawdaddy (Aug 31, 2008)

I do most of my fishing from shore and can tell you one of the very best baits is a stick worm. They are very heavy and allow long distance casting and can be rigged several ways depending on the water you're fishing. Stick worms will catch bass in rivers, lakes, and ponds. Hollow body frogs are great this time of year and are as weedless as anything you can cast which is nice for shorebound angler.


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## getyourbassingear (Apr 28, 2011)

is that a bobber stop on top of your weight bassb?


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## Bad Bub (Jan 17, 2006)

getyourbassingear said:


> is that a bobber stop on top of your weight bassb?


Looks like the sinker pegs made by 6th sense. Those are what I use, and you can get them from tackle warehouse. I find myself pegging my weight more often than not nowadays. Definitely hangs up less, and I don't notice fish "dropping" the bait any more often like I thought they would.

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## Bad Bub (Jan 17, 2006)

http://www.tacklewarehouse.com/6th_Sense_Peg_X_Stoppers/descpage-6SPEG.html

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## Bassbme (Mar 11, 2012)

getyourbassingear said:


> is that a bobber stop on top of your weight bassb?


Bad Bub was absolutely right. Even down to the manufacturer !!! It's a sinker stop, but I am betting the idea came from a slip bobber stop. They work great. I used to peg my sinker with flat toothpicks. Not the best idea, but serviceable. Then I switched to the rubber T stops that you slipped through the weight. Great idea, but when you change weights, you have to use a new one. These work great. I never take them off, even if I am switching to a bait that I want to use weightless. I just slide the stop up against the knot and you're good to go. The 6th Sense ones are $1.79 for a group of 9. There are other manufacturers that make them as well. I ordered mine from Tackle Warehouse, but they have them in the store at Land Big Fish. The ones at LBF are another manufacturer but they're all really the same thing.


LOL and I see he beat me to the link


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## dstiner86 (Jun 5, 2012)

I've had luck with rebel craws and these 3in or so long skinny rebel cranks with a minnow pattern... also joe flies and a green spinner with a white twisty tail grub on it. 

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## getyourbassingear (Apr 28, 2011)

very nice gents ill have to give that a try lord knows I love tubes


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## jason_0545 (Aug 3, 2011)

ive never fished for smallies but my fav bank lure is a rattle trap hands down, if you can find some rocks with them i like your chances just my 2c


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