Bass Tube Baits 

      

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Everyone knows hollow pieces of plastic vaguely resemble squid, but come in colors that you would never imagine. However, these colorful bits of plastic called bass tube baits will ring the dinner bell for Mr. Bass Hog as they slip through brush, grass and rocks.

During the spawning season, bass move into thick cover in shallow waters. Trees overlapping the shallow water, tree branches in the water and grass combine to make a mat that is almost impregnable. There are very few lures that can slip through such entangling cover to penetrate where the Bass Hog hide.

However the Texas rigged tube bait will penetrate the thick mat and offer Mr. Bass Hog a chunkier meal than what a worm might. It gives the bass a more compact meal, plus it has a bigger silhouette than a worm when fishing in what I call stained water, or muddy water.

I believe the time you cast the lure and the fall created action is what causes most of your strikes; it just looks so natural. When it falls, a tube will glide from side to side and spiral down very much like a wounded shad that has been hit by another fish.

A tube also imitates a crawfish, but its not a bait that I like to drag on the bottom. I would hop it off the bottom at short jerks, then let it fall back to the bottom. If you are real good, you can skip this tube where you would never be able to place a worm.

Most folks that use the tube bait do not pay attention to the bite. It may be very light and most of the time it occurs on the downfall. Other times you will see the line start off towards the deep water before you even know the fish is there.

What I am telling you here is most of the time it will feel mushy, or they will just sit in one spot with it in their mouth and not even swim off. This is something that you will have to practice and see what I am talking about.

I use Strike King 3.5 Model Pro Tubes and I like the ones that have the bleeding effect, it seems to work for me.

You can either use a Jig Head, or a regular bass hook, but make sure that the weight is right up against the tube even if you have to peg it so it will not seperate from the tube. This is because you do not want the line to end up on a log and have the tube on the other side. More than likely the tube bait will get hung up or break off.

Weight Size Matters

I have seen guys with 1 ounce weights try to penetrate the grass mats, wood, or brush. The Tungsten weight is smaller and can be used in all of the lakes where lead is not allowed. I suggest that you start off with a 1/4 ounce and if no bites, try going to a 5/16 weight. The reason behind this is 1/16 of a ounce can make the difference in the fall action and cause you to get more bites. 

I like using my regular line and that is Powere Pro Braid 65 pound test that has a 12 pound diameter. Other folks use 17 to 20 pound monofilament. Attach whichever line you prefer to a heavy action rod so you will have the backbone to get Mr Bass Hog out of what ever you are fishing.

Early Spring Bass Fishing Recommendation

In the early spring, I recommend using the tube in 4 to 5 feet of water or even on the bass bed. This is not to say that it can not be used in 10 feet of water or better, but I am talking early spring and the fish are moving up out of the deep water. Up North where the Smallmouth Bass are the big chase, I bet every fishing guy you run into has a tube tied on.

I have attached a picture showing you how to rig the tube two ways. The first one is just like a Texas rig worm.

Insert the hook through the nose about 1/4 inch and then bring it out under the tube. Twist it 180 degrees and stick the hook back in the tube. This will allow you to fish it weedless, making sure that there is no kinks in it. You want the tube to hang straight.

The second way, look at the third tube and see that I have inserted the head of the jig hook up through the end of the tube and worked it up to the head. I just let the eye poke out to tie my line on. This one I use around docks when I want to skip the tube under something that I am not afraid of getting hung up on structure. I would leave the hook showing.

Get out there and try what I have showed and explained to you and see if you do not get a hold of MR. Bass Hog.

I would love to see the pictures and hear about how much this article has helped you.
 
Keep the Hooks Wet!

Steve McGoldrick