We’ve all seen how fishing lures with multiple eyes for tying to the line. The Heddon Sonar is one such example. The idea is that each eye will change the balance of the bait and thus how it works in the water. The subtle action shift can make the bait’s effectiveness not so subtle. Quite often the change can take the bait from dud to dynamite. Tube baits are another example of how changing the way they are presented can make a huge difference in how well they work.
Bass anglers have toyed with tube presentation for years. They’ve fished them with a jig head in front of the tube and with the head inside the tube. They have put sinkers inside and used wide gap hooks. They have even cut nose sections off a plastic worm and slipped the cut piece inside the tube as a “plug” so the nose area has more substance to hold a hook without tearing so easy. Every little change to the presentation changes the balance of the tube and that in turn changes how the action of the lure is seen by the fish. Not at all unlike the Sonar, just a small shift in the balance point can trigger fish that just watched the lure before.
Panfish anglers have tube options too. A standard ballhead jig can go ahead of the tube or even inside the tube. Slip-in heads help to load the head in a tube without cutting and re-tying the line. The one challenge with the smaller tubes is shifting the balance so they act different from how they are normally fished and that can be an easy fix too. Plug the tube just like their larger counterparts.. Start by nipping the first ¼ inch off a 1”twister. Slip that nose-piece inside the tube’s body hollow. And use a forceps to seat this “plug” all the way to the end. Now slip the jighead into the cavity. The slip-in heads are great for this since the eye of the hook goes thru the tube wall and helps to keep the head in place.
Rigging in this fashion does two things. First, it sets the point of balance further back making this jig, rigged as such, a great presentation for straight down vertical jigging in deep water. Most panfish tubes are short by comparison to their bass tackle cousins and any change in their balance becomes immediately apparent. You’ll end up with a bait that makes a sweeping circle on the drop, almost like that a Jigging Rapala on the drop. Secondly, you will be setting the hook further back which helps in eliminating short hitters. Giving the tube’s legs a trim an eighth inch at a time can help in the short hit department as well.
With the spawn behind us we’ll begin to see crappies and sunfish in many waters start to acclimate to the wide open spaces. Water temps will rise and these fish will respond by seeking water more within their comfort levels and the direct they go is down. There are a ton of ways to catch these fish but often its nice to drop something with a new twist. All too often people see the fish on a locator and assume that because they are not hitting they cannot be enticed to hit. Very often a simple change in how what is being fished can make a world of difference and plugging tubes is no exception to this. The bonus is that an angler can plug a tube in half a minute while in the boat so nothing special need be done to create a bait.
Using some creative imagination can also add to the idea of plugging. Try using a clear or transparent tube and plug it with a totally different color that will show thru the clear. Try taking two 4” strands of Crystal Flash of a contrasting color off a spinnerbait, tying a knot mid-way and slip the knot into the tube body before adding the plug. When the plug is seated, trim the flash or the tube legs so you have a little “extra” appeal at the hook end. Really, the sky’s the limit on this and the simply change can make a world of difference at the end of the day.
And remember the mention of the Jigging Rap? Don’t stow those winter, panfish sized jigging raps away this summer. If you are marking deep, suspended crappies and sunfish, tie one on and add the first body segment from a Gulp Fish Fry to a hook on the treble and go to work. You might be amazed at the results.