just wanted to see how everyone rigs and fishes with tubes ? i have wanted to try using them for a while but just lack confidence in them. ive seen some guys have great sucsess using them and wanted to get a starting point.

Thanks, Fishinjay

Traditional: Inserted jig head, exposed hook.

T-rigged:

a) internal tube weight, 4/0 EWG Offset Worm Hook

4/0 EWG Offset Worm Hook, external bead and weight (barrel or bullet weight)

c) weightless

The advantage to these set-ups is that the tube can be rigged weedless.

C-rigged:

The tube itself is weightless and weedless; erratic action

I suppose it would depend on the species you are fishing for and the type of water you fish. I fish several deeper lakes which contain mostly smallmouth.  I've been very successful using a 3 1/2" watermelon tube with a 1/8 or 1/4 oz. (depending on the depth being fished - try to stay as light as you can) exposed hook tube jig. I fish both the ones with and without rattles. I really don't see a significant increase in my catch ratio with the rattles however(?). I do my fishing in from 8' to 35' of clear water. I cast out & let it settle; as soon as it hits the bottom, I then snap it off the bottom (vary your snap from light to heavy and let the fish tell you what they want), letting it settle again and repeating back to the boat. Once it's directly below, retrieve it very quickly with an erratic, snapping retrieve straight up. This can be dynomite! Have caught lake trout, rainbows, largemouth and smallies this way. When I'm after bass, I always have a rod rigged with a tube. In my experience, tubes perform best in the spring or fall. I just haven't done well with them in the summer time. But I do occaisionally score at that time as well. I don't have any experience with the tube on the C-rig, although I'd like to give it a whirl one of these days. Hope this is of some help to you  ;D

get a heavy size 3/0 hook....i always go wide, 3/0 texposer.....like you qwould use on a senko..

i fish them weightless

now just hook it right through the thick part of the nose....

I cast and let it fall to the bottom, this is a bait that gets picked up off the bottome sometimes, and then retirive short pulls,, lift the rod and let it fall back to the bottom

you will find that the nose-hooked hook will collapse onto the back of the tube as it falls, making it weedless for the most part....

If you have trouble getting the tube to fall to the bottom, its because air is trapped in it....try to make a hole or 2 in the tube to avoid this

I prefer to fish it texas rigged, I also fish them carolina rigged and on a shakey head

Thanks for the thread I've had some similar questions.  Do you always have to retie the jig when you change tubes.  I put the jig head in the tube and push the eyelet through to tie the line on.  It is a pain to retie everything when just wanting to change the tube.

GO BIG RED