After two near misses on conventional muskie lures, the author returned to catch this wary muskie on a tube.

After two near misses on conventional muskie lures, the author returned to catch this wary muskie on a tube.



It was getting close to noon, just about the time my partner and I had each briefly hooked the monster muskie on back-to-back casts the previous day. Each time, the 50-inch brute was barely hooked, giving us hope it may hit the following day if we rested the spot for 24 hours.

We slowly glided into casting position with the electric motor, hearts pounding with the excitement of knowing a big fish was probably in the area. Cast after cast put lures across the small weed bed and the nearby gravel finger.

Excitement turned to disappointment after 10 minutes. But just before I was ready to fire up the big motor, I decided to try a "secret" over-size bass lure a friend gave me.

I swam the 8-inch tube through the tips of the sunken weed bed, periodically snapping the rod to activate the thin tentacles. Upon reaching the small gravel bar, the lure was allowed to sink to the bottom, where a hopping retrieve brought it back.

In the clear waters, a long shadow appeared behind the jig. Small twitches changed the lure's action and made the tentacles quiver. When I saw the flash of a white mouth, I instinctively set the hook, driving the scalpel-sharp trailing treble hook into the muskie's jaw. Minutes later the 50-incher was landed, and after a couple quick photos she was carefully released.

Was this a fluke? Or was my first impression of this lure on target when I thought muskies were going to love it?

Weight the tube with a 1/2- to 1-ounce jig (5/0 hook.) Attach trailing trebles (3/0 to 5/0) with 60- to 90-pound braided wire leaders crimped. Hold the trailer hook on with a plastic piece cut from a milk carton. Use a snap-on rattle in darker water.

Weight the tube with a 1/2- to 1-ounce jig (5/0 hook.) Attach trailing trebles (3/0 to 5/0) with 60- to 90-pound braided wire leaders crimped. Hold the trailer hook on with a plastic piece cut from a milk carton. Use a snap-on rattle in darker water.



Our short trip ended with my partner and I boating seven muskies over 40-inches. Besides the first tube-caught fish, I got a 41-incher on a tube as we returned to a spot where the fish followed a spinner several hours earlier. And when a 45-incher followed my partner's crankbait and turned away, I flipped the tube to the direction it was headed, gave it a couple pumps and caught the fish. Tubes definitely put three extra muskies in the boat we wouldn't have caught with conventional methods.

When "Bob" first showed me the 8- to 12-inch tube lures at a sport show where we were both speaking, and explained how to rig and fish them for bass, I was sworn to secrecy. Bob is a big bass specialist, having caught several hundred bass over 10 pounds in recent years on lures. I can't even reveal Bob's real name, or even where he fishes, but I can tell you how to rig and fish these lures for muskies, something I have yet to make public.

Ask savvy bass anglers what type of lure they turn to when conditions are tough, and most will say a jig-type lure. Jig & pig, along with a weighted plastic worm, certainly has its followers. But more and more anglers rely on tube-type jigs, especially if they fish deeper or clearer waters.

This is truly a finesse lure. When I thought about tough-to-catch muskies and the commonly fished spinners, crankbaits, top-waters, and jerkbaits that were generally tossed at them, none of these lures fit the finesse profile. So I could see there was a serious presentation gap, and thought big tubes just might be the lure to fill the void.

Another key to catching these big fish, that have often been caught and released several times, is to give them something new. Many times a new lure gets red-hot for a year or two before the fish "catch on." Right now, the tubes are new, hot and very different from the more common muskie presentations.

Since that first experience with giant tubes, I've gained more and more confidence using them and have success with several different techniques. My favorite way of using them is on following muskies. These moody predators are notorious for following lures to the boat then swimming away. A high percentage of these fish will hit a tube flipped back at them, or at least follow it back again.

The trick is to use a lighter-weight jig head inside the tube so the lure doesn't sink too fast out of the fish's strike zone, since they generally swim away at a mid-depth range. A half-ounce head is ideal.

Toss the lure back toward the direction the fish swims away. Let it sink for 2 to 5 seconds, depending on depth of the water and how deep the muskie was holding. Then jig the tube in with 3 o'clock to 1 o'clock pumps of the rod.

If a fish just follows it back in, make as large a figure 8 pattern in the water as possible with the lure, while giving it short twitches. A baitcasting rod 7- to 7 1/2-feet long is ideal for this tactic, and for tube fishing in general.

Using the big tubes along deep weed edges is also very effective. A half-ounce jig head is best if you want a slower, more finesse presentation. An open-hook can be used around easy-to-tear through weeds such as "cabbage." However, if you get into the more clingy vegetation such as coontail and milfoil, a weedless jig is preferred.

A little work is needed to get a weedless jig into and through the tube, but it can be done. Excellent weedless muskie jigs are made by Stanley Jigs, (409) 876-5713, and Odyssey Lures, (651) 653-6810. Stanley also makes great open-hook jigs up to 1 ounce for tubes that sport a size 5/0 hook.

Another good source for jig heads with sharp, wide-gap hooks is Bass Assassin Lures, (904) 294-1049. The company's SW series has a 7/0 hook (in various sizes) that really digs in. For big tubes try Jacks Jigs (800) 858-Jack, or check some saltwater catalogs.

Three-fourths to 1-ounce jig heads are sometimes needed for faster retrieves and deeper waters. Heavier jigs let you get into tight inside turns along an edge and deeper than the range of conventional cast muskie lures.

Deep tips of points, sunken humps, or suspended fish can all be fished by a properly weighted giant tube. The surface has just been scratched about how to use these lures. Muskies love their action, but what about slow-trolling them deep along an edge, with fast erratic speeds over a sunken weed bed, or waving behind a big buzzer-type blade. Let your imagine work.