Tube Jig Tweaks
December 3, 2009
Our Inside Line editor, Heidi, wrote that she liked to bring out her ‘adventurer side’ by pushing herself to do things like eating a weird dish at a sushi joint. She connected this to being adventurous in fishing by doing things differently and used an outstanding quote by Stan Fagerstrom saying, “Never, repeat never, get so set in fishing a given lure in one certain way that you fail to try something different with the same bait if the fish aren’t responding.”
I’m going on record to say that I’m in total agreement that we should do things differently in fishing if the fish aren’t biting. However, unlike Heidi, I’ll never be so adventurous that I have an urge to eat raw minnows or an unidentifiable food.
What does this have to do with crappie fishing? Sometimes the fish want a specific bait look, action or smell so you have to experiment to find their preference. The following are a few tips and tricks for using a Yamamoto 1.75-inch tube.
Rig the tube to match your style of fishing. The most popular method is to rig it on a 1/16-ounce round head jig with a collar and barb. The collar and barb holds the body in place. The 1/16 round head adds another color and is a good all-around choice for a variety of methods.
An insert head, also called an easy-load, is good for vertical jigging. This head keeps the tube horizontal in the water. A horizontal jig is considered the most natural look and one that will usually trigger the most bites.
Tubes themselves allow few modifications. The front of the jig must be left as poured for it to stay on a jig’s collar and barb. However, a variety of permanent markers can change colors and shortening the tails gives you a smaller bait with less action.
Three characteristics are very important when using tubes. One is toughness. A wimpy tube requires constant attention and it will tear quickly resulting in a short life. Strong plastic baits stay in place letting you fish instead of adjusting the tube all the time.
A second important factor for a tube is to have good color. Proven crappie-catching color combinations are critical. Colors should also be bold.
A third characteristic important to putting more fish in your livewell is scent. A few baits have built-in scent (Yamamoto crappie baits are salt impregnated). Any built-in attractant that will cause a crappie to hang on longer is a big advantage. There are good add-on scents with Berkley Crappie Nibbles being the most popular. Kodiak Minnow Paste is another good choice having real minnow flakes and long-lasting smell.
What do you do if you’re not catching fish? The first thing is to make sure you are fishing where crappie are located. Sounds simple but if crappie aren’t in the spot it doesn’t matter what you do with the jig. The next thing is to add an attracting scent. Third, fish each structure longer using a slower bait presentation and action. Bait colors can be changed periodically until you find what they want.
Best colors? There is no right choice that works best everywhere but the rule of thumb is to use darker colors in dark conditions and bright colors in bright conditions. Stained or deep water may call for orange, purple, black and chartreuse. Clear water and bright sun colors include white, chartreuse and pink.
These are the tube basics and some of the things you can do differently when you have are not getting bites. Being different may not want you to run out and eat sushi but it should remind you to adjust your tube jig fishing when you are not getting bites.