Something for any new Muskie angler to try is the Tiger Tube by Lindy. I was up at the new Cabela’s in Rogers, Mn a few weeks back and they had the Tiger Tubes on sale for $5.99, and this is one heck of a deal for anyone out there looking to broden there tackle supply, normally they run any where from $9.99-$13.99. The Tiger Tube comes in 2 sizes, a 6″ and 8″tube. The 8″ tube is the one that I would suggest for Muskies. The 8″ tube has a 3/4 oz. jighead with a 6/0 hook in the body of the tube, with a 3/0 treble trailer hidden in the flexible tail of the bait. (I should note that most of the hook-ups that I have had with Muskies have come on the single 6/0 hook.) The hook-up percentage with this bait is unreal.
Muskies are the freshwater meat eaters, no fish is safe, but even with this truth, the Muskies have major preferences when it comes to dinner. Muskies prefer soft stuff that they can hold on to, tear apart with ease, and digest quickly. This may surprise some, that the top of the list for a Muskie when it comes to dinner, in most lakes is the Bullhead, thats right I said the Bullhead. Think about it for a moment, a bullhead is a slow moving fish with very soft skin and meat, and Muskies love them. There are some other fish that hit the top of the list as well. Suckers, whitefish, ciscoes, smelt, are all sought after but the mighty Lunge. Why…well they all have one thing in common, they chew up with easy. I am not saying that Muskies won’t eat other fish, but these few would be at the top of the list.
Now back to the topic at hand, The Tiger Tube. Think about the majority of baits that all of us “Muskie Junkies” flog. Hard bait, blade baits, and crankbiats. Sure all of these put active fish in the boat when conditions are right. It does not matter with aggressive fish when they hit a metal or wood bait, because by the time they hit the bait, it’s too late, with a little luck, the hooks sunk and you are yelling “Fish On”. The Tiger Tube is a soft bait that Muskies seem to hold on to longer, and most important, they hit it in the first place. Soft plastics bait feel more realistic, and act in a very genuine manner. This is why inactive fish have a tendancy to strike plastics, they have action that a hard bait just can’t duplicate. Lets say you are fishing a cold front where the barometer is not in your favor, and the fish are not active, and your baits are not producing the way that they should. This is a great time to give the Tiger Tube a shot. The soft plastic bait holds in the strike zone longer, making inactive fish, curious. The Tiger Tube has a great rise and fall motion, which can not be duplicated by any other bait in your box. The long rubber tail on the bait creates bubbles when in the rise or fall, and I am 100% sure that this draws fish. Lots of fish that have come to the boat for me on Tiger Tubes seem to hit the bait on splash down, or on the up-side when working the bait. This bait is prime for deep weed edges, where Muskies lay up on that deep edge of the cabbage or coontail. The rise and fall action allows for a cast to be made, with a count down, allowing the bait to get down to where those big gals are lounging. The bait can also be worked shallow, in a similar fashion to a jerkbait. You just keep the bait high in the water. It is a very versitle bait, that will put fish in your boat if you can take the heat from your friends for using it. Lots of people scoff at it, but they soon will change their tune when you are the one telling them to get the net….Netboy!!!! The other thing that the Tiger Tube works great for is the fish that you have follow to the boat a number of times, and it just won’t eat. Throw back baits are always a must when you are out Muskie fishing, and the tube is the best that I have seen so far. The Tiger Tube comes in 7 different colors, so you should match the bait to the most sought after baitfish in the lake that you are fishing. The salt and pepper works great for lakes where Whitfish and ciscos are present. The smoke and black and red neon work great in the metro where the lakes have a good population of Bullheads, also another favorite on the river. The sunfish and chart/sparkle work great where you have a lake with a good sunfish or perch population. In my boat the chart/sparkle has been renamed the “Bloody Frog, and it has been a great bait around the metro, Forest Lake for example. The copper shad is another bait that works good in a river system, my go to on the upper Miss. These baits worked with a 7ft rod, with a soft tip, but good backbone is the way to go. I like the Shimano Compre and the G. Loomis, both rods seem to have a lot of “touch”. This is important because sometimes the hit is very soft and you want a sensitive rod to feel it. Other times they railroad the bait and almost take the rod out of your hands. So go out and pick up some tubes and give it a try, I am sure that you won’t be disappointed, I know that I sure have not been. Happy Hunting and bring on the open water 
For someone that eats, sleeps, and lives to boat Muskies, this down time in the year kills me. Those Muskie shows this time of year make it even harder for us all to wait the upcomming season. Good luck, and I hope this info helps you put a few more negative fish in the boat this year.
March 21, 2006 at 5:54 pm
#1249400
…In the words of Briank…”My favorite wife would kill me” by the way…can you come help me hang celing fans too 
…Play nice 
but i like reading bobs posts, they are informative, and written well enough for even me to understand (pictures and instructions on how to use lures) and also proven techniques i have witnessed firsthand, also landed and released a few trophies (for me at least) like the 22″ smallie in Dans boat on miss, or the 26″ (not comparable to bobs 32″ ) whale eye on mille lacs that day, (40 whale eyes in just a few hours might i add) or the day on forest when we landed another fellas ski who was 
