TUBE OR GRUB

[PACMEN]

What type of jig do you prefer.
I have changed almost exclusivly to the tube skirt.
The reason is that I seemed to have tons of short strikes without hookups while fishing grubs.
A lot of the time these are male fish doing this. You wonder how I know this? "The skirts would be pulled down of course."
Sometimes the tails themselves would be torn right off. Other times on the hook set I can feel what I think is the tail stretching and then popping out of the fishes mouth like a rubber band.
I like the action of a retrieved grub far more than the tube and at times I feel that they entice more strikes, but what good is the strike without the hookup?
This is trout fishing I am rambling on about.
Anyway your thoughts?
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[RonPaulFan]

Perhaps you can adapt to that by tying on a trailing hook like this:

http://www.rockymountaintackle.com/prod_...php?cat=21

I've caught kokanee with those and often on the trailing hook.
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[PACMEN]

Forgot this. One other thing I like about the tube is the weight is totally covered. I think this helps a bit on returns after a miss.
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[TubeDude]

[#0000ff]It is never a matter of "either-or"...cut and dried. There are places and conditions where one will outperform the other...and vice versa. The key is to go prepared with a good assortment of the right sizes and colors of both and to change up the options until you find the right pattern for the day...or the hour.

Small tube jigs...1 1/2 inch with 1/16 oz. heads...are probably my number one lure for just about all species...including trout. I also make jig heads in 1/32 oz. and use hook sizes from size 4 to size 6.

I do not use the type of tube jig heads that go up inside the tube. I prefer to use either minnow heads or wobble heads...with barbs to hold the plastics on. I modify my jig molds to have larger barbs or double barbs so that fish do not pull the skirt down on the first peck.

Also, by using the jig heads that go outside the tube, I am able to incorporate a range of color and glitter options...with eyes...that greatly add to the attraction of the jigs.

If you are not a purist, you can also try adding a bit of crawler or a waxworm or mealworm to your jigs for extra appeal. A bit of scent can help seal the deal when a fish is doing a test nibble. Also, the Gulp products have a variety of goodies that are good for tipping jigs.

When I post reports I usually include pics of the fish I catch with the lures that caught them hanging from their kissers. If one were to go back though all the pics I have posted one would note that a very high percentage...of all species...have been caught on those little bits of colored plastic.

Howsomever...I do use a lot of shad bodies, flukes, "twister tails" and other plastics. They are often best because of the action that the tails provide on a steady retrieve. These are generally my plastic of choice for walleyes, wipers, bass and other species. But it is surprising how many of those species I catch on the small stuff while fishing for perch, crappies or white bass. I even catch a lot of big cats on small tube jigs.

I totally agree with your assessment that fish sometimes just nip at the tail of a jig. Many years ago I began making a line of "dressed" jigs with short tails...designed especially to be fished with a bit of bait. I call them "bait bugs". They have caught a lot of fish for me over the years and are especially good...in various sizes and colors...for ice fishing.

I am attaching some pics of some of my fave tube jig setups. And I am also attaching a chapter from a jig fishing writeup I put together. Hope it helps.
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