Hi all I'm new to the form, it looks like it a great place for info and good fish stories.

My qestion is how do you store tubes when your not using them. I have heard and seen two ways, tied in a knot or not. Would like to hear how and why you keep yours the way you do.

Thanks

I tie a loose over hand kinda like they come out of the package. I am no pro though.

put mine in plastic bags for storage reasons More important they swim with action you want so you need to tune them all the time, especially after teen size bluefish beat the hell out of them as they have for the last week. Never really concerned myself too much with storage, but in a circle is good. Make sure you got at least black and red and don't over look the smaller sizes. I hardly ever fish any over 18 inches anymore. My motto is big fish like small tubes. Have fun.

The professor knows his tubes.

Thanks for the info, I think the action I'm looking for is for the tube to look like an eel and can see why keeping them coiled up would help that, is that what you mean by tune them or is there something eles I should be doing?

Thanks again

i store them in bags in a loos overhand knot. when i store them... which isnt often. usually they are hanging off my line or off the leaning post.

18 inch and under good call. red, black and ill add white if you can find them.

Landed the bass but retired that hook as the big blues I have been getting have done a number on the integrity of the hook and was lucky it lasted.

scarlet. favorite color

I store all of mine laying down in a 5 gallon bucket. Anyway you store them you will be fine as long as you reshape them before you let them out. I would highly suggest you make your own, it's a hell of a lot cheaper and it is a little more rewarding when you catch a fish on something you made. Any descent takle shop should have what you need. One thing you should definately do is get your reels spun up with some 45lb lead core line. I've tried them all, 45lb seems to work the best. Good luck.....

I store all of mine laying down in a 5 gallon bucket. Anyway you store them you will be fine as long as you reshape them before you let them out. I would highly suggest you make your own, it's a hell of a lot cheaper and it is a little more rewarding when you catch a fish on something you made. Any descent takle shop should have what you need. One thing you should definately do is get your reels spun up with some 45lb lead core line. I've tried them all, 45lb seems to work the best. Good luck.....

How many colors do you let out? I was on the Cape last weekend and had no luck. I ran 1.5, 2 and 2.5 colors in 35 to 45 feet of water and used both red and orange tubes. I saw others boat with fish on so i know they where there, what was I doing wrong or what eles could I do?

Also is there a tackle shop near Hanson that sell the suplies to make tubes? I get down to Hanover and Pembroke to visit so finding a shop near there would be great.

Thanks

Jim

Here is my opinion, take it for what it is worth. I usually start with 3 colors. More importantly is boat speed. I am lucky as my boat can get down to a very slow crawl. Trim the motor up, put the trim tabs all the way down. You need to go as slow as you can, that being said I sometimes see people going way too fast IMO and hooking up so you never know but most of the time slow is the key. Also your tubes may not be swimming, action, in the correct way the fish prefer. There is a lot of experimenting involved. I also use 30' of 40 lb big game as my leader. Some like shorter some like heavier that is what I like. I used to use a albright between them but now opt for the very small in line swivels.

Also where you are fishing requires different styles. CC Bay tubing is completely different than tubing around the islands or any location with structure. It is also way harder to stay on the fish once you find them. My Bro in law has been a charter guy for many years. All he ever fishes is T&W, that is it. I have been with him on many occasions along the Islands and Westport area and if I employed his style, and he is very good at it, to where I like to fish, CC Bay, I would strike out a lot. So you got to practice and expect to get shut out. Nothing is more boring than trolling for hours with nothing to show for it but it is also one of the best ways to get a large fish in the boat, other than live bait or chum chunking.

I get my tubing from CMS. They will sell you the stuff in lengths. I get all the other stuff at any tackle shop.

PS I have been fishing right next to people, friends, using the same exact tube color, length of colors out and same exact speed and been schooled by them. I have also done it to them. Probably was the actual action of the tube that made the difference that day. It just happens so don't get discouraged.

Thanks for the info Profesor. I like the trim tab idea didn't think i needed them with an ob, now I think I will look in to it. I have been using buckets to slow the boat but I only get it down to 1.8 to 2.3 or so depending on the wind and tide. Also what is CMS?

thanks again

Jim

Great discussion so does anyone care to comment on the "worm": real vs. Gulp vs. other? Anyone ever try an (rubber, flavored aka Gulp) eel on the tube?

Thanks for the info Profesor. I like the trim tab idea didn't think i needed them with an ob, now I think I will look in to it. I have been using buckets to slow the boat but I only get it down to 1.8 to 2.3 or so depending on the wind and tide. Also what is CMS?

thanks again

Jim

if those are the speeds through the water column, then you might be going too fast. I prefer to be under 1 kt through the water column. What that works out to be over the ground depends on current, wind, etc..... But we have figured out what the rod tip does when the tubes action is at its best. For us with rods that have a medium/medium fast taper, there is a constant pulsing to the rod tip. When we see that, we use whatever speed the GPS is saying for that day. sometimes we need to bump troll, so don't think the boat always has to be in gear. Keep in mind that we are way up in Gloucester and north.

Great discussion so does anyone care to comment on the "worm": real vs. Gulp vs. other? Anyone ever try an (rubber, flavored aka Gulp) eel on the tube?

the real worm out fishes gulp hands down. I've never had any luck with the gulp products. I would say those rubbers are wasting you time and money.

I also prefer a nice big juicy worm over the fake but always have some in case I run out. I got my biggest bass this year with a fresh sand eel on the tube and have gotten many using the sand eel over the years. I have several friends who use mackeral strips too. I also have heard of guys using very small eels. I have gotten bass on the fake stuff too but the real thing is better for me. You need to brown nose your bait guy so he saves you the really nice worms, thanks Mike. Offer to pay more for them.

CMS is a tackle store, rod builder, in Nu Beige

When the bass are on the feed, they'll eat any tube/worm.
When you mark them and they're not eating, but you can make them - that's taking it to the next level.

The smallest changes, especially running the boat, that make the difference.

Pt Jude makes a 10" tube on a Wobblehead that would definitely be well worth picking up...:uhuh:

With the abundance of sandeels we're seeing down here - which we haven't had for a long time - it's working real well

Joe puts them out in black, red and yellow - black is my favorite

Depending on water depth I'll put a 1 oz egg sinker ahead of the swivel between the running line and leader

Sweeten with a worm and you're good to go if you need to downsize your tube offering...:kewl:

Good call Crafty (giving up one of my tricks here)-- I had a few days at P-town this August where the fish were there but went cold after a while on the reg tubes -- I switched out to Joe's wobble tubes and that different action turned them back on. They do a side to side slither, rather than a traditional rotation - turned a few ok trips into limits plus.

Joe says you don't need a worm with them - that may be true - but a big fat real worm on the end worked pretty damn well.

Paul likes that idea:uhuh:

Great discussion so does anyone care to comment on the "worm": real vs. Gulp vs. other? Anyone ever try an (rubber, flavored aka Gulp) eel on the tube?


No but the real thing works. Cutting a 4 or 6 inch piece of tail off a live or dead eel works for me.

Pt Jude makes a 10" tube on a Wobblehead that would definitely be well worth picking up...

which bait shops sell this tube??? Thanks

Hi all I'm new to the form, it looks like it a great place for info and good fish stories.

My qestion is how do you store tubes when your not using them. I have heard and seen two ways, tied in a knot or not. Would like to hear how and why you keep yours the way you do.

Thanks

JCB--Noticed you're from Shelburne...I grew up in Conway. My parents are still there and I go back frequently. Beautiful time of year out there now.

Jonas

How many colors do you let out? I was on the Cape last weekend and had no luck. I ran 1.5, 2 and 2.5 colors in 35 to 45 feet of water and used both red and orange tubes. I saw others boat with fish on so i know they where there, what was I doing wrong or what eles could I do?

Also is there a tackle shop near Hanson that sell the suplies to make tubes? I get down to Hanover and Pembroke to visit so finding a shop near there would be great.

Thanks

Jim
Sorry I am just getting back to you. The last time I bought my material it was at J&J Bait and tackle in Brockton. There is one place in Hanson but they usually only carry black which I do not use. I do more red than anything, I will throw an orange on there if I do not get anything but red really never fails. When I buy the tubes I buy it with a 3/8 inside diameter that is about about 18" to 20" long. I end up soaping up an egg sinker and inserting it right inside of the tube on one end. The other end I use a 7/0 hook. I then use a large swivel that i put in from of the weighted that I then connect to the hook with some doubled up stainless fishing line. This line ends up going back in the tube when you are done. This style has always worked well for me.

I see that someone mentioned that sometimes only one boat will hook up while another strikes out while they are both using the same thing. I have also seen this happen. Usually the reson for this is that the person catching the fish is riding right on the ledge like they should. You really need to use your depth finder to find the ledge. Your GPS will get you close but your depth finder will get you exactly where you need to be. If no ledges are to be found then just make sure you have a bumpy bottom structure. The rockier and bumpier the better.

I do not pretend to know everything about tubing but below are a couple of quick tips that work for me. Hopefully some other people will post some tips that we can all find helpful.

1. Get on a ledge and follow it
2. Stay is under 20 feet of water. I usually hang around 12 - 16'. with the tubes I make that will have me bouncing between 2 & 3 colors with 45lb lead core line.
3. Always get you tube 2' off the bottom
4. Try to go with the current, it looks more natural
5. Use a whole worm, insert the hook in its mouth and come out about 1" down on its belly
6. When you use two tubes bend one so it rotates clockwise and the other so it rotates counter clockwise.
7. Use a good ball bearing swivel
8. Put about 7' of mono on the end of your lead core line. You do not want to do lead core directly to the swivel.
9. Pay attention to your rod tips, if they are pumping a little then you know your tube is working properly. If they are not and your line seems to be cutting through the water then you most likely have some weeds.
10. The slower you go the better. Sometime you may want to put your boat in neutral and let them drop a little.
11. Don't try to set the hook. Keep the human error out of it by leaving in the rod holder until you know the fish is on.

Good luck......

Crabby Cakes

Hey everyone knew here, came across the forum searching google for tube and worm info. Read a few threads, got a lot of good info, but just had a couple more questions.

Was wondering how you guys slow your boats down? I've seen guys using buckets- anyone have advice on bucket setups they have used. Also people seem to like lead core think im gonna give it a shot, but for people that use weights what do you use for a rig?- wondering what kinds of weight, how much and how far away from the tube they put em.
sorry for all the questions, thanks in advance, tim

hi tim, welcome to the site. just take a 5g bucket and drill a bunch of 1 inch holes in the bottom and tie it to a cleat and drag it beside the boat. a bucket w/ holes works better than a bucket w/o holes. between the bucket and trimming your motor up you should be able to slow down to a crawl. leadcore works great. when i use weight in front of tubes w/o leadcore - i use an egg sinker on the main line before my leader or main line- drail weight- leader. how much weight just depends on how deep you want it. good luck

I set my troll valve and can go as slow as I want, can sit in 1 position if I want :rotf2:

I set my troll valve and can go as slow as I want, can sit in 1 position if I want :rotf2:


They are nice...wish I had one on my boat.

buckets are a PIA especially when you forget they are deployed and speed away. But I do see a lot of guys using them so what ever it takes I guess. Luckily my boat is perfect for T&W but to slow it down, extra real slow, I put trim tabs down and trim motor up. Luv lead on jigmasters.

If you go with the buckets - drill out the handles and splice a line through the holes -- handles bust off pretty easy. Also run them off the midship cleats - that way they stay out of the way when you're bringing fish up.
It's pretty damn funny when you forget them, and hit the throttles - everyone gets wet.

Just writing this makes me glad to have a troll valve.

I'm thinking im gonna try the buckets. sorry for my ignorance but professor what does "PIA" stand for and is "lead on jigmasters" -lead core line of the penn jigmaster reels?

pain in the azz

Fishing The Tube And Worm - Charley Soares (http://www.edgeangling.com/Fishing-Tube-Worm-Charley-Soares.html)


This will be the best 12 bucks you can spend to get going.

For outboards I think they make a FLAP of sorts that can attach to the cavitation plate and it is set so that when you are moving slow it flops down and you go real slow, when you accelerate a little more it flops up and there is little resistance. I never used one but I have seen them in catalogs.
As for T&W....I have tried them and they do indeed work...I just have never landed a monster with the method. I did have a big one on once but ususally they are good for catching 20# class fish. (for me anyway)
I still don't get how they hook themselves either if they go for the head
Agree with Charlies book...the guy is the guru of the tube and worm!

I'm thinking im gonna try the buckets. sorry for my ignorance but professor what does "PIA" stand for and is "lead on jigmasters" -lead core line of the penn jigmaster reels?

LOL your not ignorant. Pain In the Ass :uhuh:

Yes lead core on jigmasters. Perfect set up, light, fairly inexpensive, and easy to maintain with minimal parts and easy open reel. Plenty strong enough for any bass in the ocean. If you can find the stainless or chrome over bronze spools all the better as the newer reels come with anodized aluminum spools and rarely last a season before they corrode no matter how diligent you rinse them. I just scored a brand new, old one, on E bay for 12 bucks. I think I got 10 back ups now still in their original boxes. :smash:. I also picked up a real decent reel at a flea market with ss spool for 5 bucks, just needed a good cleaning.

Yes Charlie's book is worth every penny.

on another note:

Hey Jay hope you and the family have a great Holidays.

Mr. Sandman. Jim, you just haven't been lucky yet. If you keep at it you will land a real big one sooner or later.. Very effective for large fish. Don't overlook the small 14 to 18 inch tubes.

Head of the worm, not tube. Tube is just the delivery system, something to catch their eye, cause them to feel the vibration.

I talked to my boat motor mechanic and he said he would not drill holes in his motor for one of those plates when I was thinking about it, but I do know people who swear by them. I just realized I can go plenty slow enough and didn't need it. I have fished with Jay and his trolling valve is nice and he gets that big steam roller to the perfect speed.:uhuh:

Merry Christmas Paul -- 117 Days til Launching Day!

Here's my Christmas Tube present -- (this is part of my morning charter orientation) watch the tips like a hawk, but resist any and all temptation to grab the rod when the fish first hits. Little bass will just pile on, but big fish will bump it a couple of times first, and then come back around and crush it.
It's kind of like, bump.. bump.. pause.. bump - CRUSH. If you try and set the hook yourself on the first one you'll miss your good fish. Let it hook itself right in the rodholder.
Be patient, if they don't come back - reel up, it got your worm.

Also - crank it tight in the outrodder, and then pick it up -- most fish are lost just getting the rod out and situated.

Happy Holidays.

I do so much T&W fishing that I steped down 1 pitch size on my prop to to get SLOW!!

Anyone ever use and dig yellow sand worms?? I find they work realy great when i have time to go dig them

It's kind of like, bump.. bump.. pause.. bump - CRUSH. If you try and set the hook yourself on the first one you'll miss your good fish.

Happy Holidays.

I'm no pro, but have tube and wormed alot in my kayak... I know the bump.... Pause...bump.... Crash. And always assumed that was the fish slamming the head of the tube, then finding the hook.
Posted from my iPhone/Mobile device

funny I leave the rods in the holders too. I also much prefer the horizontal rod holders in the port and starboard holders. if you read Charlie's book he says always hold the rods so to each his own . I need to drive the boat and fish 3 rods at once most times so that isn't going to happen. I very rarely miss any fish once they find the tube. I do really well fishing fresh sand eels on the tubes too. IMO I don't think the fish hit the tube very often, although I talked to a Montauk charter capt once and he told me they don't use anything but the bare tube so until a camera is mounted on the tube i really don't know what is going on down there but they certainly work, especially on large fish. IMO if you are obsessed with catching a big fish this would be my best advise to use, other than live bait.

I really don't know what they're doing to it on those bumps - I think about it all the time. I wonder if they tail slap it, and then come back around to eat.

I like the Tube-Cam idea - anybody that builds one can come field test on my boat. I'd love to know what's actually happening down there.

I always keep the rods in the holders parallel to the surface of the water and perpendicular to the side of the boat... Like this:
37217


I have seen them slap the tube with their tail on several occasions, but I think most of the misses are just that, misses at the tail end of the tube.

anyone ever use a chartreuse tube and worm??

I like the Tube-Cam idea - anybody that builds one can come field test on my boat. I'd love to know what's actually happening down there.

Find someone that is about to undergo one of those medical test wherein they swallow a mini-cam to get a few view of the digestive tract. Upon retrieval (somewhat messy) tell the Doc you accidentally flushed before finding the camera. Take the camera and insert into a tube.....have fun!

BTW: Niko gave me the idea from his comment: "pain in the azz"

The PillCam, about the right size for most tubes. You might also need the $26 image grabbing software used by the Taliban/Al-Qaeda to intercept the drone-cam?

anyone ever use a chartreuse tube and worm??

yes. never got much on them. i have pretty much every color, size and style you can imagine. Must be 30 or 40 tubes down my cellar. I pretty much now use red in the day and black at nite in the 16" range. Got a few special tricks with them but I ain't sayin.


maybe I will ask around WHOI if they aren't using any of the underwater sonar, cameras that i may borrow one for some research:)

sounds like u all troll in a straight line....goin to fast? try makin "S" turns, every time u change your heading in the s you'll make the worn slow to a crawl ....as with wire, lot of big girls hit the jig when the line is slowing down going into the curve.

Has anyone here used down riggers for trolling tube and worm? seems like it would work real well....

where i fish i don't go deeper than 25ft... downriggers would be overkill. weighted keel with a big weight if you need it.

last year we put a 4oz egg sinker on the keel... went pretty much straight down. good for when your fishing lobster pots.

full disclosure... didn't catch anything that day. but looked like it should work :)