Weightless soft plastics are highly efficient lures in super shallow water. They stay up near the surface and closely mimic bass forage seeking shallow, warmer water in spring. At this time, bass are looking to bulk up but are not yet expending a great deal of energy. Targeting these lethargic bass with a buoyant soft plastic tube fits the bill.
GEAR LISTING
- KAYAK – Old Town Sportsman BigWater PDL 132 Kayak
- LURES – Tube Baits at Tackle Warehouse
- LURES – Lunkerhunt 4″ Spicy Tube, Pearl White
- HOOK – Mustad Weighted KVD Grip-Pin Hook, 4/0
ROD SETUP
- ROD – Lew’s Custom Speed Stick Casting Rod
- REEL – Lew’s Speed Spool LFS Casting Reel
- LINE (fluorocarbon leader) – Seaguar AbrazX Fluorocarbon, 14-pound
- LINE (braided mainline) – Seaguar Smackdown Braid, Stealth Grey, 30-pound
- LIFE JACKET – Old Town Lure Angler Life Jacket
As a kid, Wired2fish’s McKeon Roberts would wade the shallows of local lakes armed with only a bag of brightly colored tubes and a package of EWG hooks. Years late, he still falls back on this time-tested technique when the conditions are right.
Akin to a weightless fluke, weightless tubes give off the same lazy, slow, yet erratic motion of dying baitfish. The shallows gain a high percentage of a lake’s fish population in spring, making for an exciting time to sight fish. Some lakes have mucky bottoms or a slight stain which can appear very dark. A bright or white-colored tube stands out brightly against the dark, allowing you to detect bites visually. Watching your bait go from bright to GONE is your cue to set the hook!
Roberts’ setup may be light but is easily fished on a supple 30-pound braided line. He’ll add a few feet of abrasion-resistant fluorocarbon to add a level of invisibility and abrasion resistance to the setup. As with any Texas-rigged bait, a tube is very snag-resistant and can be fished in thick shallow cover, including wood and lily pad root-balls, without getting hung up.
