When Elite Series angler Mike McClelland and the rest of the Zoom pro
staff hit the tournament trail in 2012, they will have another weapon
tied on their rod. That weapon, the new Zoom Salty Super Tube, is the
company’s latest soft bait.
The new tube, available in 3-3/4 inch and 4-1/4 inch sizes, differs from
the company’s original tube because it’s hand-dipped for a thicker,
tougher body. It is also loaded with salt and specifically designed to
meet the needs of pitchers and flippers (4-1/4 inch version) and finesse
guys (3-3/4 inch).
“Tubes are still an ace-in-the-hole bait,†says McClelland, a veteran
angler with more than $1.2 million in tournament wins. “A lot of guys
still use tubes, but many of them just don’t talk about it.
According to McClelland, the 4-1/4 inch Salty Super Tube will be one of
his go-to baits for flipping and pitching. The bigger, thicker body
ensures that it can hold a 4/0 or 5/0 hook, and it won’t ball up when
punched through mats, flipped to water willows or skipped under docks.
“I’ve always flipped a tube. It’s something I keep tied on to help me
get out of a bind,†he says. “It has a different fall than anything
else. A beaver-style bait is similar, a finesse jig is similar, but
nothing falls like a tube. It swings and sways and turns around in
circles…things a creature bait won’t do.â€
The smaller of the tubes won’t be any less popular. A dragging tube, as
McClelland sees it, the 3-3/4†size will be dynamite on a tube head,
where it can be worked over gravel and sandbars in river systems or
hopped to imitate goby on the Great Lakes. McClelland thinks this tube
will be deadly for smallmouth, spotted bass and largemouth.
“The dragging tube is still a great go-to bait,†says McClelland. “It’s a
finesse bait that catches a lot of fish; it will also catch you some
good fish as well.â€
For most of the last decade, creature baits have been all the rage among
bass anglers looking for a soft plastic that works under a variety of
conditions. While McClelland doesn’t necessarily see the tide changing
anytime soon, he does believe tubes continue to enjoy a strong
following. He believes Zoom’s strong entry in the market will be very
well received among the tube-throwing contingent.
“This is the perfect time for Zoom to hit the market,†he says. “They
are hitting the nail on the head by offering this new tougher, thicker
bodied, salty tube.â€
To view the entire photo gallery for both sizes of the new Salty Super Tube – click here.
The new tubes will be offered in 16 different colors including four new colors.
001 Black Red
005 Junebug
019 Watermelon Seed
025 Green Pumpkin
026 Blueberry
054 Watermelon Red
097 Rootbeer Pepper Green
157 White Pearl / Silver Glitter
177 Junebug Red
239 Green Pumpkin Blue
300 Disco Violet
307 Disco Green
312 Disco Candy (new color)
313 Christmas Tree Red (new color)
314 H20 Violet Gold (new color)
315 Smokin Candy (new color)
The new product codes are 120 for the 3.75 inch and 121 for the 4.25 inch tubes.
