Crappies tube revisited.

What is everyone favorite brand, size?
I lately fish a lot with tube, especially when bite slow which I can buy a few more bites. I only have those cheap kit pack and don’t know brand tube where I got it long long time ago. At the moment I use 1/20oz jig head insert into tube body, I like it this way less snag and slow fall where I can pop along bottom but line twisted man oh man, make me crazy. Luckily I always use casting gear with tube and every once a while I’ll let the jig spin in the air to clear line twisted.
so what every one favorite brand? I want to try heavier jig head 1/16oz but all of mine is too big to insert without damaging the tube. Any recommendations for tube jig head in 1/16oz. How do you handle line twisted, swivel? Any tips is always welcome or any lures that you guys use when thing slow down? Btw I plan to try hair jig too.

I mostly started out using any brand of tubes, as long as I could get a bag of them "cheap". :biggrin And yes I too inserted the jighead into the hollow tube ... even buying a mold to pour that type of insert jighead. Had to keep buying tubes and making the jigheads, because ... well, they snagged so easily when fished around cover, and the cheap thin walled plastic tubes spit open quite often when the head was inserted and the line eye popped thru the tube.
I kinda "fixed" the snagging part of the equation by buying weedless jigheads. Then I started buying the Bass Pro Shop Squirmin Squirts tubes (1.5"). I enjoyed many years of catching Crappie on those two items. But, there was still the problem of the tubes splitting open, either after a few fish being caught or sunfish yanking the tube down on the hook. I tried using Super Glue products to bind the top of the jighead to the front end of the tube, and that worked "OK" for awhile, but it meant having to tie on a new jighead or scraping the remains of the tube & glue off the head of the jig whenever the sunfish finally got around to nipping off all of the skirt tentacles of the tube.
That prompted me to start buying only solid body tubes of various brands. I haven't went back to hollow tubes since then. And in recent years the tube I've used most often is the Strike King Mr Crappie Thunder Tubes. And I still cast them on a 1/16oz weedless jighead. But, truthfully ... I've gotten away from using tubes, for the most part, and use stinger shad shaped plastics most of the time when casting.

My experiences & observations on "line twist" have shown me that there are two main reasons why the line twists when casting. One is when the cast is made quickly and with the snap of the wrist, which often times sends the jig spinning in the air all the way to the splashdown. That's using a spinning reel, though, as I don't use baitcast reels for casting. The second is when the jig is allowed to fall on a slack line and the jig spirals down, rather than falling straight. I've attributed that spiraling motion to a slightly off center hooking of the plastic bait in most cases.

As far as the insert style heads .... the closest one to the style my mold makes is the Arkie Insert head. The "baseball bat" shape of the lead head does far less damage to the tube when inserted.

Crappie Baits :: Southern Pro Tackle

Midsouth makes a good durable tube,seem to hold up alittle better then any other hollow tube that I have ever used.

I would suggest you contact Snake River on this forum or go to Bobsjigs.com because he produces a great 1.5" solid tube jig. I fish them on a 1/16th jig head. My favorite colors are Black and Chartreuse or yellow and chartreuse. Put some "Slab Sauce" or a crappie nibble on it and you will get bit.


Mike

Attachment 350572

Southern pro and Mid-south . :popcorn

PICO Tubes

Midsouth tubes

The little Creme tube jigs from Walmart works good for the money


Sent from my iPhone using Crappie.com Fishing mobile app

You know what yesterday while fishing for bass and crappies, there this dad and two kids joined me fishing. I tried to hook them up with small jig/baby shad. The kids keep moving around and didn’t catch any. Finally his dad got I think Berkley atomic tube pre rig 1/16oz. I told the kid to just sit still at the dock and you would catch fish with those. He did and caught 3 crappies not a bad size either, in fact the whole family join force and caught a few each with that tube. Me not too shabby caught a catfish on 2.5” paddle tail swimbait, a bass and a few crappies.
i might have to visit Walmart and get myself some of those lol.

I still have and use the Arkie Panfish assortment I won here on crappie.com contest forum some years back...most colors work pretty good in these parts...Haven't tried them with 1/16 oz. as I don't think they would fit inside, but they work great with 1/32 oz. heads. When I need more weight I squeeze on a split shot about 18" up. Works pretty good for me...

Buy a “Baitpump” and fill tube with crappie nibbles


Sent from my iPhone using Crappie.com Fishing mobile app

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by MO Slab

Buy a “Baitpump” and fill tube with crappie nibbles


Sent from my iPhone using Crappie.com Fishing mobile app

---

Or simply use a 10ml oral medication syringe to do the same thing. :twocents

Mid South, Bass Pro and Southern Pro tubes are about all I use tube wise.

i like Arkie solid tubes sometimes when the fish are mean because they are durable on a ball head jig .
i don't insert tubes like shown because it is to difficult to change colors .
and baits when they get worn out .
i like the crème tubes ok but they tear pretty easy .
i also used some tri color tubes before that i am not sure who makes that i really liked .

Midsouth Tubes. They have a bigger "head" that fits the barb better. To me they are more durable and you can't beat the price.

Went out today in hot summer of SoCal it is about 102 degrees. They seem to like anything slow moving, so I picked marabou jig and tube with tail of trout worm jigging along the bottom. Caught about 5 plus bonus bass but missed quite a lot. I’m not sure if my hookset or my hook is not sharp enough. I might have to invest in good files. BTW my old tube last about 20 crappies and started to give in. I still think it last a lot longer than other plastic on jig head (without super glue).

Southern Pro has about the best selection of size and color
The stores are selling less and less tubes for some reason.
So I have to order directly from Southern Pro.


Sent from my iPhone using Crappie.com