Sort of odd to me how very regional tube fishing is. We rarely hear them talked about, much less see them used here in Texas. It could be two contributors are we have so few lakes and rivers with smallmouth bass . . . and we are more apt to have weedy bottoms, less gravel and rocky bottoms.

 

If I were fishing where the OP describes, knowing Senkos work well, I'd definitely not want the relatively shorter tubes to disappear in the weeds. I'd also want a slow fall rate for more visual exposure in what is described "shallow" lake.

 

My suggestion would be to throw your tube weightless, T-rigged and skin hook the point, using spinning tackle with 6 lbs. straight braid. It'll cast very well doing so. It should sink slowly; and, if not bitten on the slow drifting drop through the water column drop, try to anticipate when it comes in contact with the bottom weeds, then move it like a jerk bait or use an otherwise slow jerky worm-like retrieval, as you try to skim it along the top of the weeds. 

 

Anyway, the last thing you want is to have a 3.5" or so plastic disappear out of sight. Bass in shallow, weedy lakes will very likely be "looking up" for their next meals.

 

Brad

 

 

Wow lots of great info here. Thank you all very much for helping! I plan on trying either SK or Gitzit tubes. I’m thinking a green and maybe a brown ought to do it. And it sounds like the stupid rig is the way to go, or perhaps the Owner Phantom. 

 

Do do you guys fish these in cold water? And what type of gear do you fish them on?

23 hours ago, Darren. said:

I've had mixed results using tubes where you/I fish. I have

caught bass, crappie, pickerel there.

 

I like the Gitzit tubes, but they're not weedless. I'm looking

at doing the TX rig thing with some SK tubes I've had for

years, sitting in a box, unused. Actually did a major change

for tackle storage (back to boxes) and made a box with those

tubes. Plan to try use them this year.

To be honest, I’m not super confident in it. But the bite was way off last year for me, and I also noticed a lot more fishing pressure there. I just want to try something different, that perhaps the fish don’t see very often, if at all. I think it may be more effective as the water warms and the grass starts to really get in the way.