How to Fish With a Weedless Tube Jig

Bass fishermen use weedless tube jigs when the fish are in cover such as vegetation, or under docks and other structure. When anglers rig weedless tubes, they bury the hook point inside the plastic tube so that it does not get snagged on items in the water. Tubes have a curved top and tentacles that undulate in the water. Most bass anglers use 3- to 5-inch, natural-colored tubes, although tubes are available in a wide variety of colors and sizes.

Things You'll Need

  • 8-pound-test line
  • Bullet-shaped sinker
  • Size 1 to 2/0 hook
  • 3- to 5-inch plastic tubes
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Instructions

    • 1

      Slide a bullet-shaped weight on the end of 8-pound-test or heavier fishing line. The weight should be sufficiently heavy that it will drag the tube to the bottom and hold it there.

    • 2

      Attach a size 1 to 2/0 hook to the end of the fishing line using a Palomar knot. Use a size 1 hook for 3-inch tubes, and larger hooks for larger tubes.

    • 3

      Insert the point of the hook through the middle of the top of the tube. Push the hook out of the tube about 1/8 of an inch below the top.

    • 4

      Slide the tube up the shank of the fishing hook so the eye of the hook is inside the tube and snug against the top.

    • 5

      Insert the point of the hook into the side of the tube. Push until the point of the hook is just below the surface on the opposite side of the tube.

    • 6

      Cast the tube to likely areas, including beds of vegetation; underneath and around boat docks; under trees that hang over the surface of the water; and to the edges of beds of emergent vegetation such as bulrushes, cattails and lily pads.

    • 7

      Allow the weedless tube to sink to the bottom. Retrieve the tube slowly along the bottom, pulling on your rod tip every so often to cause the tube's tentacles to undulate. Vary with the way you retrieve the lure, and the speed at which you retrieve it.

    • 8

      Set the hook with a firm, upward motion of the fishing rod when you feel a bite. Sometimes, fish inhale the tubes and you will feel a sharp jerk. Other times, a bite feels like nothing more than extra weight at the end of the line.