Smallmouth Trends
Keep Things Simple WIth Tubes

Photo: BassFan BassFan editor-in-chief and Erie junkie Jon Storm says to keep things simple for smallmouths – pick a good, durable tube (like the Berkley Power Tube, shown above) and devote more focus to location.

In fact, Lake Erie was one of the very first places outside of the West where the original Gitzit from Bobby Garland took root, and it's been slaying big smallmouths ever since.

Sure, the dropshot (and in particular Berkley Gulp! Gobys, Minnows and Leeches) are red-hot for Great Lakes smallmouths, but the dropshot's effectiveness quickly wanes whenever a decent chop appears. And that's more often than not on the Great Lakes. Most pros and guides get off the dropshot anytime they have to move up above a 3/8-ounce weight.

What Goes Inside

Traditionally, the go-to method for rigging tubes on the Great Lakes was to insert a cylinder-shaped jighead into the body of the tube, and pop the hook-eye out the side of the tube.

That changed several years ago when Bite-Me Tackle in particular developed insider jig-heads with beefier, wider, yet more compact heads. The idea was to simulate the larger head of the round goby, which is now the smallmouth's preferred food.

The goby is a bottom-oriented invasive species that's so prolific, they litter the bottom nearly everywhere in Lake Erie. And the tube is a perfect imitation – especially when rigged with the newer-style insider heads.

Observations

BassFan editor-in-chief Jon Storm lives in Dunkirk – arguably the hottest port on Lake Erie for giant smallmouths. That's where most of the top finishers fished at the previous two Erie Bassmaster Elite Series, and it receives significant angler traffic all season.

But Storm's also plugged into the lake-wide info network that includes the top guides and tournament pros. His advice for anglers is to keep bait choice simple.

"For the past two decades I've seen all sorts of tubes come and go," he told The Bass Buzz. "In terms of the baits themselves, I don't think there are many refinements beyond the basic tube shape that are worth pursuing. And the same goes for color. A good, solid green-pumpkin or watermelon is about all you need.

"Just find a tube that's injected the right way – meaning the legs aren't fused together and the baits are consistent from one to the next. But you also want it to be durable. Ever try to push a football-head up into a tube with the boat rocking in 3-footers, then retie? Not fun. And lastly, alongside those two criteria, it's important to have some type of cooked-in attractant or texture that makes fish hold on."

Photo: BassFan Today's bulkier insider heads help the tube more resemble a round goby.

His recommendation for a go-to tube? "It's hard to beat the Berkley Power Tube day in and day out," he said. "It's the most-fished tube in this neck of the woods (the Eastern Basin of Lake Erie), a six-pack costs less than $4, and one tube lasts a long time. Plus the PowerBait formula's cooked in, and that's just a recipe I have a lot of confidence in.

"I've seen so many folks spend time working through different colors and baits instead of believing in what they're throwing," he added. "In reality, bait choice is not all that important in Erie smallmouth fishing. They're either biting a tube, dropshot or spoon. Once you figure that out, spend all your time dialing in your location, not rummaging through your bait locker."

Notable

> Berkley is currently running a special on all PowerBait products. But four bags or jars of PowerBait and get a $5 cash-back rebate.

> About suspended smallmouths, Storm noted: "The next frontier of tube fishing on Erie might actually be a return to the original days of the Gitzit," he added. "Back then, the Gitzit was in large part a drop bait for suspended fish – it performed a death-spiral as it fell. Although Kiriyama won Erie last year with a dropshot, don't be surprised if spiraling become a big rage for suspended fish."