Tackle tips: Tube baits

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Despite their strange squid-like appearance, tube baits do a great job of mimicking crayfish or small baitfish. They’re a mainstay for anglers fishing for smallmouth bass but can also work well for largemouth bass and a variety of other species.

Profile: they vary in size from 2” to 4.5” and are usually hollow or mostly hollow (some for flipping have a solid head). Natural colors, like green pumpkin or watermelon, tend to be the most popular.

Technique

Tubes can be fished in several ways, but the two most popular are: using an internal jig head; or Texas-rigged with a worm sinker and a wide gap hook.

When using a jig head, cast out and allow to free fall to the bottom and then hop it by raising and lowering the rod (jigging), or slowly drag it along the bottom. It’s weedless with the Texas-rig, so it can be fished the same way, but you can also cast into holes in the vegetation and allow it to fall to the bottom and then raise and lower it a few inches. This method is generally called flipping or pitching.

Tips

• Internal jig heads take longer to rig, so rigging up a few beforehand can save some time.

• Wetting the jig head before sliding it inside the tube makes it easier to rig.

• Try to rig the tube as straight as possible.