My son hooked up dragging a tube on the bottom of the lake today. I was dragging a football jig and nothing. When I switched to a tube I started hooking up also. All largemouth there are no smallmouth in this lake. We were just dragging slowly sometimes they would hit it sitting still. Anyone else ever drag a tube like this? We ended the day with 22. A very effective technique that I never tried before.

Jig, T-rig or what?

What color jig?

What color tube?

We had it on a 1/4 oz. tube jig. We were using green pumpkin varieties

MIght try it now!

Sometimes bass like that subtle smaller profile. I downsize a lot when the bite gets tougher

All the time. 

I should use tubes more often for largemouth. I tend to use them strictly for river smallies, and I just don't think about them otherwise.

 

On jigheads I like to hop tubes so I can get that crazy spiral fall going. For dragging on the bottom, i rig them weedless on an Owner bullet ultrahead or a widegap Spider Slider head.

Tubes are awesome

I Texas rig my tubes and short hop them. On my lake, color doesn't make a difference.

Hootie

Tubes are one of my new favorite baits. Those things are bass slayers. 

Tubes are one of my new favorite baits. Those things are bass slayers. 

Amen bro!

 

~Kevin

Often, but never for largies. Kinda the gold standard for deeper cold water smallmouth in my neck of the woods.

I really only fish tubes when small mouth fishing, but I use that technique. Buddy of mine flips a tube quite a bit and has good success. 

The last day I went fishing , I left my sack of soft plastics at home. I searched through all my gear and found a bag of black Fats Gizits . I didnt drag them but  caught a lot of fish with them texas rigged and learned a little bit. Next time im going to insert a piece pf plastic worm and use a screw lock hook to make them  more durable .

I've been fishing 4 inch tubes in a, uh, let's call it "experimental" fashion lately.

 

I've been putting a 1/8 egg sinker all the way in there, then sealing it it up with a chunk of senko (lube up a discarded 4" senko with megastrike, then push it all the way in. Cut the senko flush to the opening in the tube). Then I rig it backwards like you would a fat ika, but with a 1/0 EWG.

 

It has a different action than an ika or a tube - it's pretty neat and the fish love it. It will sink slower than expected and it wiggles back and forth on a steady retrieve. It's also pretty darn weedless if you skin hook it.

 

It's not without it's problems, though. You pretty much need some kind of fish attractant to lube the senko chunk, otherwise it's just too d**n hard to squeeze in there. Also, it's annoying to get the hook rigged up properly. Even worse, it's tougher to get a hook up on this rig than most others - they'll bite it all day long but the hook doesn't always want to set.

 

A different kind of hook may help there... I just use the 1/0 EWG because it's short enough to not intrude on the egg sinker and it's weedless.

 

Anyway, it's goofy and a lot of guys might find it more hassle than it's worth, but it's a fun way for me to fish something that generally collects dust otherwise.

If I'm dragging a tube, I prefer to rig it either with an internal weight and a stout worm hook, or I'll 'stupid' rig it with a 3/16oz. or a 14oz. jig.  The only negative to internal weights or jigs is that you loose the feed back that you get from the sinker or jig being on the outside. I get a lot of bites when the tube tumbles over an obstruction before it settles back to the bottom.

I fish for smallmouth using 3.5" tubes most of the time with an inside style jig head, but when I fish them for largemouth I use them differently. I'll pitch tubes to cover and when I do that I like using a 4" tube Texas rigged with a 1/8oz bullet head pegged, if I'm dragging a tube across points, I use the same 4" tube but I rig it weedless with an internal weight and it is very effective as many people don't do it.

Dragging a tube is a technique that has been around a long time. 

 

I'm usually doing it for Smallies but as you found out - they appeal to the green bass as well.

 

Congrats on putting some in the boat - it's been a tough couple of weeks here.

 

A-Jay

When it's on, dragging a tube for smallmouth is tuff to beat

This Saturday I was using a craw tube on a Carolina rig and caught one that ripped the claws off the bait. I said what the heck and threw the claw-less tube back out and dragged it back in a couple times and caught another one. This time the bait was gone for good.

When it's on, dragging a tube for smallmouth is tuff to beat

 

Yes sir! Can take 3 rods to our local smallie hole and dominate! Tube, 1.0 square bill, spook. Of course, in the winter months I'll replace that 1.0 with a jerkbait!

Thy work great for smallmouth.

My son hooked up dragging a tube on the bottom of the lake today. I was dragging a football jig and nothing. When I switched to a tube I started hooking up also. All largemouth there are no smallmouth in this lake. We were just dragging slowly sometimes they would hit it sitting still. Anyone else ever drag a tube like this? We ended the day with 22. A very effective technique that I never tried before.

 

Congrats to you! Dragging tubes is a favorite of mine...Try rigging it backwards and let me know how you make out.

Congrats to you! Dragging tubes is a favorite of mine...Try rigging it backwards and let me know how you make out.

 

And if you really want to get crazy - Push it instead.

 

 

 

A-Jay