hey y'all this is my first post on the float tube page, I am still real new at tubin may a handful of times but its the most rad way of fishing. I am going after work to the lagoon tomorrow to try my luck, I like to troll to a spot then work that spot for awhile. does anyone have a fav. trolling lure from a tube? well thats all from me, cool site!!
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[cool]Hey, BT...welcome to our humble hangout. If you spend some time wandering around through some of the past posts, I think you will find that we have a friendly and helpful group here, and we should be able to help you fill in the gaps in your tubin' education.
You didn't mention what you will be trolling for. And, I assume you will be using fin power and not a big outboard hooked up to your craft. Do you have a fishfinder rigged up to your tube, or will you just be draggin' and hopin'?
These are all important issues if we are to give on-target answers. Let's start with finding the fish. If you are fishing trout, they are likely to be holding somewhere between the top and bottom in the middle of the day. Early and late they will be closer to the top. Bass will usually be near the bottom, but at what depth? These are things a fish finder can tell you quickly and help you place your bait or lures in the right zone at least.
Slow trolling for trout works good with big flies, small tube jigs or small marabou jigs. Give them a little pump once in awhile as you move along. Add a little piece of worm or fish meat on the hooks for extra attraction. If you are going to fish spinners or lures that need faster speed to work best, make a long cast out behind you and let the lure settle down deep before you start to kick backwards. Then as you kick along at a manageable speed, slowly turn the reel handle to add some speed to the trolled lure and bring it up through the water column. When it gets back in, toss it back out and start again. Make sure you can feel the lure working as you reel it.
For bass, you can bottom bounce tube jigs, lizards, worms, jig and pig, Senkos or just about anything. In Castaic, many of the biggest bass are taken on live crawdads. They also eat trout, so rig accordingly.
Get yourself and your tube in the right depth of water...from ten to thirty feet in most cases...and cast the lure out. Let it sink to the bottom and then move S-L-O-W-L-Y along. Drag it a little, then lift it and let it drop back. Give it little shivvers and shakes and get ready to strike whenever you feel even a little tick...or the slightest backpressure...also known as the "rubber band" feel.
Rig plastic worms or lizards with the Carolina Rig or Texas Rig...weedless...so you don't get constantly snagged up. If you are not sure how those rigs go, just punch those terms in on a search engine and you will probably find lots of good sites with pics and instructions. Also, "dropshotting" is deadly from a tube. You can get quietly right over the fish and drive them nuts with a wacky rigged worm on a dropshot wiggled right in their faces.
Slow trolling and bottom bouncing from a float tube is a very effective fishing technique...especially when the fish get finicky and won't chase the fast trolled stuff from boats. If you use the right size, color and type of lures...fished at the right speed and the right depth...you can score bigtime.
How do you know when, what and how to do all that stuff? Ain't no easy answer. It takes combining what you already know with the unique types of fishing available from a flotation craft. Then, all you have to do is trade a lot of ideas back and forth with the other tubers and practice, practice, practice...for the rest of your life. Tough duty.
Good luck, and let us know how you do.
TubeDude
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Thanks for your insight it goes along way and I am all ears! The type of tube I have is a caddis nevada gold u shape with kicker fins no extras yet. I am starting to get the tackle organized and work on bringing the right lures and stuff to where I am fishing. its so cool being able to get into places that I used to just look at. I dont have a fishfinder so I am going off of the overhang, structure, birds etc.. I trout fish more than anything but this season I am focusing on bass thats why things are a little slow. today I bounced a carolina rigged worm and threw a jig for awhile also a crankbait but nada only a couple of hours. cant wait to get the first one in a tube!! well thanks again and I will be hangin around this site, cause there are not that many sites where you can get good info from fellow fisherman.
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