Haven't caught any bass on either one yet, but I've hooked quite a few catfish with tubes.

I combine the best of both worlds and put a tube on a swing head jig. Works well on rock bottoms right before the spawn and before the weeds start to grow up. During summer I'm throwing tubes texas rigged and swim jigs with either Keitech swimbaits or Kalin's grubs as trailers. Not much success with skirted football head jigs or finesse jigs but those bites seem to always be bigger just too far in between for me.

For LM skirted jigs dominated for me.  I gave them a go for river SM with limited success but also probably didn't give them a great shot with everyone around me catching fish on a tube.

When I'm fishing a river I always have a 4" tube tied on.  Catches way too many fish to not.  I've never really had any luck with jig and trailers on rivers.

Its a 1 2 punch for me get some on a tube and follow up with a jig a big jig. Didnt Keith Combs win on Mille Lacs with a jig and full size craw at the aow tourney.

On the small river that I fish all the time a 3.5-4 inch green pumpkin zoom tube gets hammered by the smallies.  I usually only use a 1/16 or 1/8 tube jig on like 8 lbs Berkley xl line.  Throw it out let it sink and slowly bring it back making sure it ticks the bottom.  I think they think they are gobies.  This also works for large mouths up shallow in lakes with sand and light vegetation bottoms.  I need to learn t-rig those so they weed less 

On 3/20/2018 at 6:19 AM, TOXIC said:

On our annual trip to Lake St Clair those smallies see their fair share of tubes and to be honest in the early years that's the main bait I threw.  As time went on, I found some alternative plastics that gave me 75+ fish days.  Not suprisingly, the Yamamoto double tail Hula grub has been a top producer on a 1/4 oz gamakatsu football head jig.  Likewise a 5" senko on the same jig head has been my secret bait for years.  I rarely throw a tube anymore.  

 

 

I have used this grub before Gary Y bought out Triple S.  My favorite color is 297 and I will put a little orange or Chartreuse when the water has color or the crayfish are in their molting colors.  We killed the SMB and Walleye last summer on Mille Lacs.  It was about 50-50 with the tube.  But they definitely caught several more walleye.

 

What is your favorite color? 

15 hours ago, 8pt172 said:

I have used this grub before Gary Y bought out Triple S.  My favorite color is 297 and I will put a little orange or Chartreuse when the water has color or the crayfish are in their molting colors.  We killed the SMB and Walleye last summer on Mille Lacs.  It was about 50-50 with the tube.  But they definitely caught several more walleye.

 

What is your favorite color? 

297 is always a favorite as is 305 Baby Bass.  Yamamoto now has Perch and Goby colors as well.  I stay with the natural colors except for the Yamamoto DShads.  I throw those in Bubblegum.  Smallmouth in the spring tear those up weightless dragged like a tube on a 4.0 Ewg Gamakatsu hook. 

That Yammamoto Hula Grub has caught some nice largemouths for me and I plan on trying them for smallies this year..

On 4/3/2018 at 1:15 PM, Abby said:

That Yammamoto Hula Grub has caught some nice largemouths for me and I plan on trying them for smallies this year..

I’ve had really good success in the summer texas riging on a 3/0 ewg with a 1/8 bullet sinker in the little stream i fish. The key is to keep it moving just enough to constantly tick the rocks. Too slow and you hang up, too fast and you lose contact. Just right and you get hammered. The only gripe i have with a t-rig hula grub is they dont hold up very long when the fish are hitten em.