Good posts and good ideas before mine... Like most on this forum, I also fish from a float tube. UNLIKE (I believe) most on this forum, I fish nearly entirely farm ponds.
You didn't mention what sort of water (lakes, ponds, or rivers), or the cover/structure you encounter most often... so I'll tell you what works for me.
The (farm) ponds I fish get very heavily weeded within a month or so after ice-out, so it dramatically limits the kind of lures I can use. As mentioned previously - FROGS!!
I use both the soft plastic "solid" frogs and the hollow-bodied frogs (Spro, Snag Proof, Scum, etc.). With regard to the "solid" frogs, you can get small ones, big ones, and ones that float and ones that sink. They ALL work and just that some work better depending upon the conditions YOU fish.
With the conditions *I* fish, I'm usually making very short casts, so I'll even fish small 3.5"-4.5" tubes, weightless! (Think of it as a small frog!) They can be killers! Like with the frogs, some sink and some float.
If you want to make your sinking tube float, you can insert a small piece of sponge or one of those roll-up foam ear plugs into the hollow body cavity... and you can even add scent to either BEFORE inserting to provide a "scent-trail" if you want.
There are lots of options depending on what/where you fish. Think of your float-tube or pontoon or whatever you have as just being a small boat. Choose your fishing EQUIPMENT and TECHNIQUE based on the conditions on YOUR waters.
Good luck! [
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] My problem is, I'm stubborn and just don't change what works for me. Obviously there are other lures that, if I'm willing to change, might improve my techniques.