Help with making Snagless Tubes

I did my first exclusive largemouth bass only trip in a dozen years on Saturday. My buddy’s son had a tournement on a local lake. He was in his last master’s class so he asked me to take his son fishing. We had a great time and he ended up doing well on a post cold front day with 20-30 mile an hour winds and temps in the 40’s and 50’s. I also had a lucky day and stuck my best Iowa bass ever, 23 inches and fat I would guess nearly 8 pounds. Waiting on the pics to be sent from my buddy’s camera will post when I get them. Anyway, back to the topic of the post, I was doing very well with a crawtube rigged with a tube jig flipped and pitched around cover but the lake we fished had some really heavy wood that I wanted to get in the middle of and it would have been better to fish snagless. I tried a Texas rig with the barb skin hooked on the tube but this would hang up quite a bit. So I changed to a more traditional Texas rig with the barb sitting in the middle of the tube I had a 5+ pounder on, only to find that when it spit the bait the hook didn’t make it very far through the other side of the tube which is why I lost the fish. I think perhaps my hook was too small to try the buried Texas rig with the tube I was using a 3/0. So like I said it’s been a long while since I’ve concentrated on large jaws but I’d like to do some more of it and I really like the action of the craw tubes. I’d appreciate any thoughts or illustrations on the matter.

Wow! Can’t wait to see the pics of that 23″ bass!

And, as a reminder… for the trouble of sending in a photo you can get entered into the latest online contest here at IDO.

http://www.idofishing.com/forum/showflat.php/Number/781849/fpart/1/making-memories-w-beckman-nets-online-contest

Send pics to: [email protected] along with your username… and you’re entered.

I use the Lindy EZ Tube weights for some weedless applications. Works pretty well for me.

I use a texas rigged craw tube all the time, rarely hang it up in anything. Use a 4/0 or so size gamakatsu EWG hook. Try to rig it so the hook point is flat against the bait. Skin hook the point in deeper and further, but still not on the inside of the tube. Skin it in so the point is covered past the barb. Then peg the weight.

Not sure if you really meant the hook was hanging you up or the worm weight though, but I’ve pitched these in some nasty laydowns and got them right though it. It’s when a fish grabs it down inside of those trees that you’ve got to set hard and pull fast to keep them from burying you in there.

Good luck

Can’t wait for pics. Great fish!
I fish alot of tubes in very heavy cover. Here’s my rig.
4″ mega tube or creature bait, 5/0 mustad mega-bite #37177.
The key is to enter the top of the lure traight down the center exit 1/4″ out the side. Then pinch up the lure and go straight through perpendicular through both sides of tube. Then you can skin hook the point. It is very important that the hook point lies flat along side of the tube or creature.
As for weight I use a bullet weight pegged to protect the front of the tube.
Great fishing!!

The Title SHot jig is hands down, the best weedless jig I have ever used and works great with tubes. Another benefit is that it can really extend your tube life.

i am going to try the new swimbait hooks with the screw and weight. I think they might work nicely. It would be similar to the title shot.

Thanks for all the replies guys, I’ll be adding to the tackle. Can’t wait to try those different rigs out with the crawtubes. Looks like exactly what I needed!

Yep, McBride has some piggies in it. I keep hearing people catching multiple fish over 5lbs as of late.
As for rigging, I don’t think you are doing anything wrong other than not setting the hook hard enough. Make sure you are using a gammie hook or one that is sharp as a razor.

Here is the photo of the 23 incher finally!

Nice work Jon! make sure when you rig the ewg to hold it next to the tube to see where to go through, then you have to go straight through both sides. IF you angle at all the hook point wont want to stay skin hooked and will catch weeds and wood. If you can get down to the qca we can go out and try some. JJ