5 Easy Ways To Rig & Fish A Soft Plastic Tube

It feels like I discover a new bass lure or rig every other day. New materials, different innovations, or strategic tweaks to current designs constantly catch my eye, but that doesn't mean I've forgotten about the classics.

A perfect example is the soft plastic tube. Once considered a go-to bait by most bass anglers, the tube has seemingly spiraled into a niche category appealing to mostly smallmouth anglers up north. But that's where many anglers have it all wrong. While the tube is undoubtedly among the best smallmouth lures on the market, it's also a killer largemouth bait.

To help shed more light on the soft plastic tube, here are five different ways you can rig these proven fish catchers. The tube displayed in the article is the BioSpawn VileTube, which puts a unique twist on the classic tube design.

Here are five different ways you can fish with a soft plastic tube.

1) Texas Rig With Bullet Weight

Hook: 3/0 Stickies EWG Weight: Heavy Metal Tungsten 3/8 oz Lure: BioSpawn VileTube

• A classic soft plastic bait for flipping and pitching near brush piles and timber
• Great for dragging along the bottom while searching for a bite
• The compact body enables tubes to slip in and out of cover on a Texas rig, remaining weedless the entire time

2) Standard Tube Jig



Tube Jig: Strike King Tube Jig Lure: BioSpawn VileTube

• The most common way to rig a soft plastic tube
• Great for dragging, scooting, and hopping along the bottom in hard water areas
• Very popular among smallmouth anglers on the great lakes
• Mimics crawfish, baitfish, and gobies

3) Weightless Texas Rig



Hook: 3/0 Stickies EWG Lure: BioSpawn VileTube

• Killer action on the fall should be fished similar to fishing a wacky rig or fluke
• Great for fishing shallow or targeting suspended fish in open water
• It provides a similar but slightly different shimmy and shake of a weightless fluke

4) Carolina Rig



Hook: 3/0 Stickies EWG Weight: 1/2 oz lead bullet weight Swivel: Eagle Claw Lure: BioSpawn VileTube

• Excellent for dragging offshore while fishing near the bottom
• Popular rig and bait combo for fishing smallmouth bass in current
• Use craw colored tubes in the spring and white tubes in the fall

5) Wobble Head Jig (Swing Head)



Jighead: Heavy Metal Tungsten Swing Football Jig Lure: BioSpawn VileTube

• Wobble heads Intensify the action of the tube with the back and forth rolls and swings
• Stands out near hard bottom areas like rocks, shell beds, ledges, and offshore rubble piles
• Excellent around smallmouth, especially when trying to mimic crawfish or gobies
• Allows you to fish deep while staying in constant contact with the bottom