Power Tube Can Be A Double Whammy

Photo: FLW Outdoors/Rob Newell Vic Vatalaro throws a Berkley Power Tube on a ball-head jig because he believes it gives the bait a better action on the fall.

The tube was highly effective on fish that were suspended next to large bridge pillars.

"I had it rigged on a light-wire, 90-degree 2/0 hook on a 3/16-ounce ball-head (jighead)," he said. "A lot of people use tube-heads, but the bait falls totally different. With the tube-head it kind of falls straight, but with the ball-head it rotates and sashays left and right."

He has great confidence in the tube under such conditions because he thinks it does a good job of imitating two different food types – a crawfish and a baitfish.

"It's kind of a double food source. It's a crawdad on the bottom, and it's a minnow when it's swimming. It could be a bluegill, a perch or an emerald shiner. Those green colors like watermelon and green-pumpkin give you the best of both worlds."

At Dardanelle, he threw the tube on a 6 1/2-foot, medium-action rod paired with a spinning reel spooled with 8-pound Berkley Trilene 100% fluorocarbon line.

"I'd cast toward the pillars and when I'd feel the tick and the fish would start to swim, I'd just reel down and pull back. The harder the fish pulls, the deeper (the hookpoint) goes into him. And when he opens his mouth and tries to adjust it, he pulls it in even farther.

Photo: Berkley Vatalaro says a Berkley Power Tube in a greenish hue can imitate either a crawfish or a baitfish.

When using a hook that light, it's crucial that the rod isn't too stiff.

"A medium-action bends a lot and you want it to bend, or else you might break or straighten that little hook. That would've happened on 8-pound test with a heavier rod."