  I
was delighted when Bassin USA asked me to do a product review
on Gene Larews products. First, let me assure you I have tested
hundreds of products from various companies, some have not met
my expectations while others have blown me away. I always give
a fair and impartial review of any product. I NEVER test products
in local farm ponds or any other private waters. All my testing
is done in waters open to the public, under the same conditions
potential users would face. I do not wait for the perfect conditions,
in fact, I try to test products under good and extreme fishing
situations.
The Gene Larew product I tested was the Floating Series Fat
Tail Tube. The tube I tested was the watermelon pepper color
and as with all Gene Larew products, the bait was salt impregnated,
and this one had Garlic Scent which is always a plus. I stuck
one in my shirt pocket (garlic helps keep mosquitoes away).
There are many so called-floating tubes on the market today,
and yes, if you take one out of the package and throw it in
the water it will float. But, will it float a bass hook? The
hook I used for this review was the number two Daiichi Bass
Hook that I use 99% of the time for soft plastics. Yes, the
bait floated the hook and I'm sure it would float a number three
hook too.
The first technique I tried was "walkin' the dog"
on the surface. With just short twitches of my rod tip, the
bait worked very well, caution should be used, to not over-fish
the bait. Keep it slow and steady, the bait will do the rest.
The conditions for this technique were terrible, no wind, bright
sun and clear water, but I was simply seeing how the bait reacts
on the surface. I'd rate it three and 1/2 stars out of a possible
four.
Next I tried the old standard Texas Rig, again, I used the #2
Daiichi hook with a 1/4 ounce Gambler bass sinker. I watched
the bait spiral toward the bottom, but my enjoyment of watching
the bait was "spoiled" by a 1 1/2 pound bass that
struck the bait on the fall. I DO NOT peg the sinker when using
tube baits for open water applications, I feel it inhibits the
baits action as it free falls. I tried short hops along the
bottom with little success, then got on to the presentation
of the day, a slow, steady retrieve just off the bottom. The
fish liked that. I guess the soft swaying of the bait as it
swam along minding its own business was too much for the bass.
The Floating Fat Tail Tube has a reinforced head which allows
the angler to catch several fish on one tube, it just won't
split like other tube heads, simply move the hook over a little
when a tear or hole develops.
Next, I Carolina rigged the tube. This time I went to a 3/0
Tru-Turn bass hook. I left about four feet between the sinker
and the bait but drew no strikes, I shortened the distance by
two feet and got bit. The fish were right close to the bottom
and wouldn't rise for the bait. The bait appeared to suspend
nicely, even with the larger hook size. I even tried an old
trick taught to me by Bassin USA Pro Staffer from Illinois,
Dan Galusha. We like to shove a four inch straight worm right
up inside the hollow cavity of tubes baits, this makes the bait
bulkier, thus slowing the descent as the baits spirals downward.
We use a contrasting color worm to give the fish a choice and
we coat the worm with Original Fish Formula Shad, this adds
taste, and smell, which the Gene Larew Fat Tube already has,
but it also makes the worm slicker and easier to insert into
the tube.
I rated this
bait at 3 1/2 stars because I didn't catch a bass over five
pounds on it yet, when I do, it gets 5 stars. It's a terrific
bait and should be right on the top shelf of your tackle box.
Gene Larew Fat Tail Tube:
Size-five inches, just right for keeper size bass.
Material used: Larew's patented
salt, tough plastic, garlic scent and pepper sparkle scale.
Performs as advertised, definitely, yes, it's a very versatile
bait.
Endurance: Should
be able to fish heavy cover and catch several bass off just
one tube.
Scent performance:
The scent seems to last for about fifty casts, maybe longer,
I think after awhile we become a accustomed to smelling the
bait and its not as strong as right out of the package.
User Friendly: These baits
require some limited skill in order to cast without added weight
and to detect light bites, but otherwise very fishable... learn
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