Freshwater Fishing News

Tube lures are a favorite choice for catching crappie, sunfish, bass, pickerel and other species. These highly effective lures are often fished on jig heads, but when weeds are thick in productive fishing areas, weedless tube rigs can make the difference between success and a disappointing trip. The effectiveness of these rigs is partly due to their near-neutral buoyancy.

Rigging tube bodies is very easy. To rig a small tube lure for panfish, all that is required is a selection of bodies, few hooks and if desired, a supply of toothpicks. For panfish, an ultralight spinning outfit is essential when fishing weedless tube lures. Line choices should be limited to 6 pound test or smaller, in order to achieve reasonable casting distances. The rig can be fished in a variety of situations, although it is designed for fishing areas of dense vegetation.

When choosing hooks, several styles can be adapted. Regardless of the hook shape, non-offset hooks should be used in order to reduce spinning. Circle hooks work well for this rig as their barbs are naturally turned inward, further reducing snags. For anglers that are not comfortable using circle hooks, kahle hooks or other light wire, non-offset styles can be modified. The important thing is to be able to bend the hook shank and bend into the correct shapes.

The basic weedless-weightless tube lure design can be improved upon by pinning the body to the hook. Pinning helps prevent fish from pulling the body down the hook during the strike. Pinning a tube body can be accomplished by passing a toothpick thru the lure body, into the hook eye and back out the other side of the body. The toothpick is then broken off, leaving little to no material protruding out of the body. If desired, a small swivel can be added about 18 inches above the hook to reduce line twist.

Panfish anglers may also choose to add a short section of nightcrawler or other natural bait on the hook. When rigged correctly, there is just enough room on the hook shank for a morsel of bait. Adding bait should be done carefully as any non-symmetrical shaped pieces will cause the lure to spin during retrieval or otherwise hinder the motion of the rig. When rigged correctly, baits actually act as a keel to help stabilize the rig and improve its action when moved thru the water.

For smallmouth or largemouth bass, the same technique can be used with larger tubes and standard offset shank worm hooks. Depending on angler preferences and local conditions, bass anglers usually select tube bodies in the 3-6 inch range. Like most soft plastics, these designs come in a myriad of colors, shapes, tentacle styles and other attributes. Tube bodies are even available in scented versions.

Fishing the weedless tube lure requires a slightly different technique than standard jigs or Texas rigged worms. Tube bodies can be casted into openings in weed beds and allowed to sink a foot or 2 before slowly being worked back towards the boat. The natural action of the tentacles creates interest from fish without additional movement.

Another effective technique is to cast the lure and immediately jig it sharply across the surface. This method usually works best around sunrise and sunset. Larger tube rigs will float initially and work especially well for catching largemouth bass among heavy surface weeds.

When fishing for smallmouth bass in areas where crayfish are found, choosing the correct color and allowing the lure to sink deeper can improve fishing success.

How to Rig A Weedless Tube Lure

Step 1. Pass the barb down the body and back out the side. Slide the body up the hook until the eye is covered.

Step 2. Tuck the hook point up inside the tentacles of the body.

Step 3 (optional). Pass a toothpick thru the body, into the hook eye and back out the body.

Step 4 (optional). Break off the toothpick flush with the lure body.

Other Tube Rigs

The weedless tube rig can be combined with other rigs to increase its effectiveness. For example, it can be used as the top lure for tandem rigs. Because of their near neutral buoyancy, they work well when rigged in tandem with a jig or other weighted lure. Weedless tubes can also be rigged using the popular dropshot configuration. These can be highly effective when slowly jigged along drop offs, bottom structure or other areas where fish are congregated. When vegetation does not reach the surface, tube bodies can be effective rigged on weedless jig heads. These special jig designs incorporate a bristle in front of the hook point to deflect snags.

Summer is the season when most people fish for largemouth bass. Although this species can be caught year round in many areas, summer can be an excellent time to enjoy bass fishing.

To be successful during the summer season, anglers need to recognize a few seasonal aspects of largemouth bass behavior.

Summer Spawning

Although bass often spawn in spring, this may not always the case. In some areas it is not unusual to find bass in spawning areas as late as July. The practice of catching largemouth bass from spawning areas is has been strongly debated. To address the issue of catching spawning bass, each angler should learn to identify spawning habitat and then make a decision either to avoid or fish these areas.

Best Times to Catch Largemouth Bass

During hot weather, the best times to catch largemouth are usually the first and last hour or so of daylight. During these periods, bass often feed aggressively and are quick to attack surface lures or slow-sinking choices such as plastic worms.

During the daylight hours, largemouth bass often avoid the sun. They may be found sulking in deep areas near food sources, lurking under overhanging tree limbs, beneath docks or oriented to submerged obstructions such as stumps, downed trees, or other objects.

Aquatic Vegetation

During the summer season, many areas where bass are found experience explosive growth of aquatic vegetation. Although these plants present challenges to anglers, they often provide vital habitats for bass and other species.

The biggest challenge to anglers is usually finding a lure that is suitable for fishing around aquatic plants. Weedless designs are usually the best choice, especially lures that remain on the surface or sink only a few inches. Among the most popular lures for fishing heavy vegetation are weedless frogs, mice, weedless, slow sinking plastic worms, tube lures, buzz baits, poppers, weedless spoons and other surface lures.

During spring, largemouth bass are usually very active. Prior to spawning, they feed heavily as their prey move in response to seasonal changes. In eastern North America, largemouth sometimes make abrupt adaptations to their feeding patterns, as species of fish, crayfish, amphibians show up in ever increasing numbers.

In many areas, bluegills, pumpkinseed sunfish, shad and other forage species move in to spring feeding and spawning habitats almost overnight, triggering bass to follow. Other spring events sometimes attract bass and other predatory fish. In tidal rivers, spring spawning runs attract considerable activity, which in turn attracts largemouth bass.

In some cases bass may eat the spawning species itself. In other cases bass do not feed directly on the spawning fish or their eggs, instead they feed on smaller fish or other aquatic life that are attracted to spawning areas.

Bass may also lurk along spring migration paths, intercepting prey as it arrives. These areas can include restrictions or edges of channels or current flows, especially in creeks or tidal environments.

Bass behavior can seem strange during spring activity. For example, bass are sometimes seen very close to the water’s edge, even within inches of the shoreline. While this might seem unusual, this behavior can be explained by studying the species upon which the bass are feeding.

During spring, aquatic vegetation is sparse in some areas, leaving forage species exposed. Young sunfish, crayfish and other prey are often found around shoreline vegetation, fallen branches or other structure. During these periods, bass do not hesitate to move into very shallow areas in order to feed.

Along slightly deeper edges, beds of spadderdock begin to appear and bass quickly begin patrolling these edges. As more and more leaves unfurl and cover the surface, complex communities take up residence among the pads.

Spadderdock food chains may start with tiny insects and invertebrates, but soon to follow are minnows, sunfish, perch, frogs and other bass forage species. As the process continues, spring spadderdock communities become important feeding areas for largemouth.

The Maryland Department of Natural Resources (DNR) Fisheries Service has partnered with the Maryland Bass Federation Nation and Wheelabrator Technologies, Inc. to hatch, raise, tag and release fish into the Middle River, near Baltimore. DNR biologists are monitoring and compiling information on these tagged fish in response to angler reports of disappointing largemouth bass fishing in the river.

DNR is asking anglers to report any tagged fish caught and report the date, tag number, length of the fish and catch location. This tag-based study will hopefully provide answers about fish behavior and the movement of fish out of Middle River.

“This is an excellent example of how anglers, industry and scientists can work together to develop good data and improve fishing. And we can do it while adding even more inspiration to go out and enjoy some bass fishing,” said Joe Love, DNR’s Tidal Bass Manager.

Wheelabrator Technologies, Inc., a solid waste to energy conversion company with operations in 17 cities, has maintained aquaculture at its facility near M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore since 1986. Since 2006, DNR has provided about 5,000 juvenile bass a year to raise in the Wheelabrator fish tanks. When the fish grow large enough, DNR staff release them into Middle River. In October 2010, a little over 1,000 juveniles were released into the Middle River.

In 2009 and 2010, Domino Foods, the operator of the Domino sugar plant in Baltimore’s Inner Harbor, paid to purchase mature largemouth bass through the Maryland Bass Federation Nation Conservation Program for release into Middle River. In October 2010, Maryland Bass Federation Nation members worked with DNR to release 165 mature fish into the river. The mature largemouth bass were tagged by DNR technicians prior to releasing. Once released, largemouth bass adults tend to remain on site for a few days before exploring other parts of the river. As winter approaches, the fish are likely to enter deeper water around docks and harbors. While catch-and-release angling improves the chances of a sustainable fishery in the Middle River, environmental conditions can affect whether largemouth bass ultimately stay in the Middle River or not.

Please report tagged fish to DNR Tidal Bass Manager, Joe Love at jlove@dnr.state.md.us, (410) 260-8257 or Southern Regional Manager, Mary Groves at mgroves@dnr.state.md.us, (410) 260-8320.

source: MD DNR

Although many people associate largemouth bass with summer fishing, these popular members of the sunfish can be caught throughout the fall and winter in many parts of North America.

Bass fishing techniques begin to change as cool fronts begin moving across North America, becoming more frequent each week. Meanwhile the days grow shorter and foliage turns color, eventually falling and littering the surface of lakes, reservoirs and tidal creeks.

Perhaps the most common cold water bass fishing tactic involves fishing soft plastic worms or stick baits such as senkos. Many anglers use a Texas rig with a dark, flexible plastic worm for late fall and winter largemouth bass. Fishing these lures require anglers to pay attention and modify their retrieve. Due to colder water temperatures, bass behave much differently which requires a slower retrieve.

Worms or other soft plastics often work during cold periods by allowing them to sink and then moving them ever so slowly along the bottom. Once the worm hits bottom, the angler must hold the rod at about the 10 o’clock position and slowly move the rod towards the boat, which causes the lure to simply crawl along the bottom. Anglers need only to take up the slack at the end of each sweep. This dead slow presentation will entice bass even when they are lethargic from cooler temperatures.

Once this technique is perfected, anglers should look for productive structure. Stumps, downed trees and other structure that exist very close to a drop off are among the top areas where slow presentations of worms are known to produce. A key factor is the ability of the angler to position the boat along the drop and be patient as the worm is slowly worked from structure down the sloping bottom. Bites may occur anywhere along this path and may range from savage strikes when the lure hits the water to delicate movements that are all but undetectable.

When employing slow fished worms, anglers should watch the line closely as any unusual movement or change of direction by the line can signal that a largemouth has picked up the lure and is moving off its prize. Once slight pressure is felt on the line, a sharp hook set may be required. If a fish drops the worm, the slow bottom crawling can be continued which may entice the bass to return and pick up the rig a second time.

Another popular setup for catching Winter season largemouth bass is the drop shot rig. This simple rig utilizes an octopus style hook tied to the line with a sinker that trails 12-24 inches below. Using hook styles that have a turned out eye is important to keep the hook sticking away from the line. Dropshot rigs can be used with plastic worms, grub bodies, or live baits such as minnows, worms or crayfish.

Dropshot rigs have gained popularity due to their simplicity, versatility and effectiveness. They are suitable for targeting largemouth bass around deep structure, along the bottom or when fish or suspended near channel edges. Dropshots can be casted or simply lowered slowly and worked thru the water column until the bottom is felt. Another application for dropshot rigs involves positioning the boat near pilings or other structures that are swept by currents. Fish often suspend just up current of these structures, waiting to ambush prey that is swept by. This dropshot rig allows fishermen to effectively reach these fish, even in fast moving water.

Spinnerbaits are another effective lure for catching largemouth bass during cool weather. These lures are simple to fish yet yield consistent results even during low water temperatures. Choosing the right spinnerbait is important since Winter tactics require a very slow retrieve. Spinners and swivels should be high quality and in good condition in order to spin at slower speeds. Similar to fishing worms, its important to keep the rod tip positioned fairly high and use a slow sweeping motion when presenting these lures to sluggish fish.

The entire list of cold weather bass fishing lure can be extensive but most selections share a few common traits. Most lures for cold water bass perform will when worked slowly and are capable of covering varying depths where fish may be found.