Print

Please login or register.
1 Hour 1 Day 1 Week 1 Month Forever
Login with username, password and session length

[Hoop Goobner]

Last year in my 1st tourny of the year (water temp - 46 degrees), I caught a largemouth in 18' of water on a shad colored tube rigged with the standard internally weighted tube jig (I'm thinking 1/4 oz).  All I did was cast it out, let it fall to various depths, and s-l-o-w-l-y swam it back in.  I always think of smallmouths when I think of tubes.  Ironically, all the smallmouth I caught that day were on a jerkbait.  The only largie was on the tube.

Anyhow... do any of you have any experience with fishing tubes in mid-40 degree water temp?  If so, what's your method?  I was only able to catch that one fish on this method, and couldn't get bit again on that day, or other days I tried it.  Obviously a tube will work, but apparently I'm missing something.

Got any tips?

[SlingandWind]

I'm a gitzit fishing fool! If there are spots in your neck of the woods get on the 45 degree angle chunk rock banks and fish it the same way. The thing about gitzits is that you can catch fish on them 365 days out of the year. They will catch all 3 spp of bass. I prefer the crawdad colors myself but then again the lakes I fish are rocky and loaded with craws

[Hoop Goobner]

This worked for me today in the first tournament of the year.  Got a 3 1/2 pounder an hour into the tourny.  But then the wind kicked up something terrible, and I just couldn't fish it slow enough to swim it horizontally. 

When it was calm, I threw a "mini" cast to look at the action of this slow retrieve.  The tube does pretty much nothing.  Seriously.  Its like slowly dragging a toe through the water.  But about 2 casts later (fishing it about halfway down the water column), I got that dead weight feeling and caught the above mentioned fish.  Man, I wish the wind would've cooperated so I could of seen if this method would've produced more.  We resorted to jerkbaits and finished 2nd.  We got beat by over 4 lbs.  Pretty sure they were throwing spinnerbaits and traps. 

[paxpress]

We use them all the time in Pennsylvania for cold water smallmouth.  2.5-4" tubes in a thin walled/profile seem to work best for me.  Add some attractant to help entice the bite even more.

[NateG]

We use them all the time in Pennsylvania for cold water smallmouth.  2.5-4" tubes in a thin walled/profile seem to work best for me.  Add some attractant to help entice the bite even more.

yep we do.....  Tubes are versatile, and I haven't found a wrong way to fish them.

[Ray Emory]

I like using a 3/8 oz. jighead on a tube in cold water to kee contact with the bottom and like you said S-L-O-W working it with a pop every now and then. Alot of times you wont even feel the bite, the rod will just load up and if thats the case, set into it!!  Hooksets are free 

[stratos bandit]

Do you fish your tubes weedless or hook exposed?  I always have alot of trouble getting hung up when tube fishin.

[paxpress]

Do you fish your tubes weedless or hook exposed?  I always have alot of trouble getting hung up when tube fishin.

I use a tube jig head, so the hook will be exposed.  Rarely do I Texas rig one, unless using it as a top water type presentation or skipping under docks.  You will get hung up, but the hookup rate with the fish is better (IMHO).  I get bit a lot when popping the tube free from the snag.