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 When
most anglers hear the words tube jig, they think of some
clear, rocky, smallmouth infested lake. Yes this is the
perfect bait for those conditions, but a tube jig can
be used in any type of cover and conditions, to catch
some pretty hefty largemouth. The reasons being, is that
it is not a common lure for fishing timber or vegetation
for largemouths, and the fish are not used to seeing a
tube.
A tube jig is extremely versatile, in both rigging and
the bait it imitates. When you alter the color of the
tube, you change what it is supposed to be. A brown or
green tube looks very much like a crayfish, with all its
tentacles to give it motion. If you use a blue back/silver
belly tube, it looks like a baitfish such as Alewifes
or young shad. And perhaps one of my favorite colors is
a bluish green tube with red, blue, and orange sparkle
to imitate a sunfish. With three basic colors you can
match all of the forage a bass could eat.
There are several different rigging methods and techniques
for fishing a tube, to help you cover all the different
situations we encounter when on the water. The most common
is an open-end tube rigged on a jig head. I prefer 1/8
oz, and 3/16oz weights depending on the density of the
submerged vegetation. As a rule, the denser the grass
the lighter the head I will use. To rig the lure, simply
insert the jig head into the back of the tube and push
it all the way to the front of the lure, and than pop
the eye of the head out of the tube. This will create
the tube to spiral as it sinks. If you want to get real
technical, leave a little bit of space between the front
of the tube and the jig head, and you will get a tube
that glides and spirals even more, which is productive
when the weeds are at a minimum. I use this rigging method
when the fish are active and feeding above the grass,
or they are extremely inactive and suspending near the
top of the vegetation. Either way, the fish need to be
near the top of the grass, not buried in it, for this
technique to work properly.
If the fish are active simply cast it out, and the minute
it hits the surface, begin jerking the rod with quick
short movements. Use a 6'6" spinning rod with a limber
tip, such as the Lamiglas XT660 in 3 power, which also
has some backbone to it with 10lb. test line. It is best
to keep a slight bow in the line and actually jerk the
slack, without feeling the lure too much. This will cause
the tube to dart erratically above the grass, for a hungry
bass to inhale. If the fish aren't cooperating as much
as we would like, simply do the same process, except let
the lure fall between jerks, and increase the amount of
time between jerks. What this does is cause you to rip
the lure out of the grass, getting a reaction strike from
the inactive fish. Each time you pause, the bait will
fall into and on top of the vegetation, and when you jerk
the lure it will rip free of the grass, causing the bass
to react and bite it. Similar to if someone throws a baseball
at your head; you react and catch it. It's pretty much
the same principle. This technique secured me a check
during a New Jersey Bass Federation tournament when everyone
else was fishing worms and jigs in the vegetation. The
reason being, the fish are not accustomed to seeing this
bait presented in such thick cover.
If this does not work, than the fish are most likely buried
in the bottom of the vegetation and inactive, requiring
you to use a slow deliberate approach. For this you need
to texas rig the tube jig, like you would a plastic worm.
One thing I like to do is peg the sinker. Some slip sinkers
come with a screw or some mechanism to hold it in place
against the plastic. Lunker City Fishing Specialties and
Gambler are two companies that I know of that make such
products. Or you can simply stick a toothpick into the
hole on the bottom of the slip sinker and break it off,
keeping the lead stationary. The reason I do this is so
the weight will pull the tube to the bottom, and it won't
get hung on a weed, while the slip sinker goes to the
bottom. I also employ a larger weight, somewhere between
a 1/4 oz and a 3/8 oz for the lure can push through the
weeds and make it to the bottom where the fish will be.
I prefer a 2/0 Texposer hook to rig the tube texas style
for a complete weedless setup. My personal favorite is
a Lunker City Toob, which has about a 1/4 in of solid
plastic at the head, to help keep it on the hook. It also
features a enclosed body, which traps air inside it, causing
the bait to sit on the bottom with the tentacles pointing
straight up, adding to the action. If the water is stained
to muddy, or light conditions are minimal adding a rattle
to the hook shank will increase the number of strikes.
With this method, simply work it like a plastic worm.
Use short 6" hops, or lifts to impart the action,
and allow it to settle back to the bottom after each one.
This compact bait will work when a plastic worm or jig-n-pig
will not. It offers the fish a smaller presentation when
they are inactive.
The tube jig is my go to bait, my money bait. The reasons
are simple. It is extremely versatile. It can be fished
in deep water, the shallows, clear water, muddy water,
open water, cover, and any situation I can think of. When
I'm on the water, I always have at least one rod rigged
with a tube bait, you should too. |
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