Best Tube Baits For Bass in 2023

Hello, fellow angler, I know first-hand that catching fish without bait can be incredibly frustrating and time-consuming. It’s important to use the best tube baits for 2023, a popular angling lure that involves fixing (rigging) the line and hook to a lure. 

If you don’t have the correct bait or tube jig you could end up wasting hours of your time without having any fun on the water. No one wants to go home empty-handed after a long day out on the water. Why not try experimenting with tube bait? 

Before we begin, what is the purpose of a jig? Jigging is the practice of fishing with a jig, a type of fishing lure. A jig consists of a lead sinker with a hook molded into it and is usually covered by a soft body to attract fish. Jigs are intended to create a jerky, vertical motion, as opposed to spinnerbaits, which move through the water horizontally.

The best tube baits for bass are a game-changer and can significantly shorten the time you need to spend out on the water on those days when you don’t have the patience that fishing requires. 

Take home a huge bass for the whole family!  

Keep reading to find out the best tube baits for bass. 

OUR TOP PICK

Berkley PowerBait Fishing Soft Bait

[5stars]

Berkley PowerBait Power Tube , Breen Green, 4 1/2' (6 Count)

The Berkley PowerBait Fishing Soft Bait comes in an array of innovative colors designed for high underwater visibility, so they are sure to catch the eye of any feeding fish in the area. 

This tube bait is designed with molded-in tentacles that provide subtle or lively motion, increasing the likelihood of enticing a fish. 

The scent and flavor are released immediately, meaning that fish hold onto the bait for longer, thus increasing your chance of taking home a bass!  

Pros

  • Multiple colors – This bait comes in a wide variety of colors to choose from to ensure underwater visibility and the most realistic-looking bait. 
  • Power Bait’s scent dispersion technology – Release the scent the instant they hit the water, acting like a blood trail that entices fish, so you are guaranteed to get a bite! 
  • Multiple sizes – Provides you with an array of choices.  

Cons

  • A couple of customers claimed that the tube material gets shredded easily, making it difficult to reuse these lures. 

EDITORS CHOICE

Strike King Coffee Tube Regular Bait

[5stars]

Strike King Coffee Tube 3.5'' / Crazy Craw (CT3.5-12)

The Strike King Coffee Tube Regular Bait is scented with real coffee bean granules and coffee bean oil to entice fish. 

The coffee granules cause fish to hold onto the tube longer and mask the plastic scent of a regular tube bait, so it appears as realistic prey!

The Strike King brand has over 50 years of experience producing fishing tackle, so you can rest assured that you’re buying good quality tube bait!

Pros

  • Natural organic scent – is incredibly attractive to fish as it imitates real food, meaning that you’re more likely to get consistent results every time!
  • Natural earth tone – Designed to mimic a bass’ real prey so that they won’t be able to resist! 
  • Strike King Salt Impregnated Tubes – These tubes entice and ensure that bass holds their bite, ensuring that you don’t have to go away empty-handed! 

Cons

  • A couple of customers claimed they preferred real bait over these tubes. 

BEST VALUE

Zoom Salty Super Tube-Pack of 8

[5stars]

Zoom Bait Salty Super Tube-Pack of 8 (Green Pumpkin, 3.75-Inch), One Size...

The Zoom Bait Salty Super Tube Baits are hand dipped-making them durable and built to last. 

All Zoom Baits are impregnated with salt to encourage the fish to hold on, allowing you extra time to pull them up! 

These tube baits are versatile and can be used to fish in a variety of different conditions, ensuring that you get the most out of your fishing trips! 

Pros

  • Multiple colors – Zoom Baits come in an array of realistic colors so that you can get the most out of your bait. 
  • Soft body – This allows for great action in the water, so you’re guaranteed to get bites every time. 
  • Salt impregnated – Encourages the fish to hold on for longer, making it more likely that you won’t go home empty-handed.

Cons

  • One customer claimed that they preferred the old plastic blend used by Zoom Bait. 

RUNNER UP

Big Bite Baits 4″ Craw Tube 8-Pack

[4stars]

Big Bite Baits Craw Tube-Pack of 8 (Crawdad)

The Big Bite Baits 4” Craw Tube Bait combines a tube and craw in one bait! 

Catch big bass with ease! This tube bait features a bigger profile to attract the biggest of bites. 

Realistic bait! The tentacles provide a subtle action through the water while the claws make the tube bait look like a crawfish in a defensive position. 

Pros

  • Solid head – Makes rigging easier and ensures that each bait lasts for a longer period, allowing you to get the most out of your bait. 
  • Multiple colors – Provides you with versatility and the most realistic bait to make fish attack!  
  • Subtle action – The bait’s movement in the water mimics the movement of a crawfish to ensure you are more likely to get a bite!  

Cons

  • One customer noted that the color was a different shade from what they were expecting.  

RUNNER UP

Best Fishing Soft Baits Kits Plastic

[4stars]

Best Fishing Soft Baits Kits Plastic (Tubes Kit #23, Soft Lures)

The Wtrees Fishing Soft Baits are specifically designed to make catching fish easier! 

This fishing bait is impregnated with a large amount of salt in the body, making the fish hold on for longer! 

The Wtrees fishing bait provides excellent action in the water to ensure you get consistent bites every fishing trip.  

Pros

  • Biodegradable water-based formula – This means that you don’t have to worry about contributing to ocean pollution. 
  • Multiple colors – Designed to mimic a bass’ real prey so that they won’t be able to resist a bite. 
  • Soft texture – Provides excellent movement in the water to imitate the movement of a real fish. 

Cons

  • One customer noted that the plastic of this fish bait arrived slightly misshapen. 

Best Tube Baits For Bass Buying Guide

Best Tube Baits For Bass


Best Tube Baits For Bass Buying Guide

There are a few things to consider when purchasing tube baits, but it mainly comes down to the color, size, and scent of the bait you choose. 

You will want to ensure that you purchase good quality tube baits, as they will need to withstand the teeth of a bass. You’ll need a durable bait, as you don’t want to end up with the bass being able to easily bite through the bait and coming off the hook after you’ve caught it.

To avoid disappointment, you should always make sure that you’re choosing a durable bait that can withstand a strong bass! 

Check out the factors below before purchasing tube baits for bass.

Color  

An important factor that you will need to consider when purchasing tube baits for bass is the color. The majority of baits come in a wide range of colors that make the bait look more realistic and mimic the types of fish that bass are prone to eating. For best results while tube fishing, it’s a good idea to consider your environment, whether it be open water, deep water, cloudy water, clear water, etc.

Typically speaking, seasoned anglers will usually recommend choosing the color of a lure based on the color of the forage species that the bass tends to eat.

To make the appropriate choice when looking for a tube bait, it is important to have a foundation of knowledge on the location of where you intend to fish and the type of fish that the bass is eating. 

Don’t be overwhelmed by the large variety of colors to choose from; they’re supposed to make fishing easier in different conditions!

Generally speaking, tube bait colors tend to mimic forage species colors. This is particularly true based on the color of the water (green pumpkin when it’s clear and black and blue when it’s murky) as well as the weather.  

However, it is worth mentioning that whichever color you opt for, make sure that you do your research on the area that you’re fishing and find out the type of fish that the bass tends to eat. 

Size  

Another important factor to take into consideration, especially for bass anglers, is the size of the tube bait that you choose. The size of the tube bait you go for should reflect the size of the bass that you’re hoping to catch in the water.

Generally speaking, choosing a bait that is on the larger size will rule out a lot of the smaller specimens and will ensure that you’re focusing more of your time on the big fish! 

Which size you choose will largely come down to personal preference. Some professionals claim that the 3.5-inch tube is one of the best sizes you can choose to begin with because this size is versatile enough to catch fish on either end of the size scale.

As you become more experienced with fishing and different lures, you can experiment with the size more.  

Scent  

A factor that you’ll need to consider is the scent of the tube bait that you’re choosing. The scent of the tube bait is another way of enticing the bass to bite, alongside the color and movement of the bait. If the fish can smell the plastic, then it is less likely that they will be as interested if it smells of fish.  

Many tube baits are made with natural scents that are released the instant they hit the water. These scents can be really helpful when it comes to getting a fish to bite, as it makes the bait more convincing than a simple plastic lure is. 

Tube bait rigs

Another factor you’ll want to consider is the different types of tube bait rigs that you can use to attach your bait. There are a variety of ways to rig a tube bait, the most popular include effectively: 

Drop shot – The drop-shot rig consists of a line tied to a hook with a trailing leader that comes to an end with a weight so that the lure is suspended in the water where the bass tends to feed. 

Stupid rig – A stupid rig involves taking a small ball-style jig head threaded through a tube about a half-inch from its nose.

Next, push the hook out through the tube a quarter of the way from the head. Lastly, pull the lead head through and twist it so the eye of the jig head pops out through the front of the tube. 

Texas rig – Texas rigging a tube bait requires a big-bellied hook. The tube bait is rigged on the hook with the point of the hook pinned back into the bait’s body to make it weedless, and a bullet weight is used on the line ahead of the hook. 

Whichever rig you opt for, it’s always handy to do your research and have a few at your disposal when you’re out on the water to experiment with! 

Durability  

An important factor to consider when purchasing tube baits for bass is the durability of the product. Although this might be a case of trial and error, there are ways of finding out whether a product will last for as long as you need it to. 

For instance, a good indication of whether a product is durable and built to last is to check the product reviews section. Not only will this reveal information about the product that you wouldn’t otherwise know, but it will also inform you of a company’s customer service.  

Over time it is natural for a product to deteriorate and things go wrong that are out of its control. However, how they deal with the problem will reveal a lot about the company as a whole.

If a customer has experienced bad customer service, then it is likely that they will tell you so in the product reviews section!

Always do your own research, especially if it’s a brand that you’re not familiar with, and make sure that you are happy with what you find before going ahead with your purchase. 

Frequently Asked Questions About the Best Tube Baits for Bass  

What is tube bait?

A tube bait is a hollowed-out, cylindrical soft plastic lure with a tentacle-encased open end and a closed rounded head. Their purpose as a lure is to entice the bass as a real fish would. In the water, these tentacle-like segments float and move in a way that attracts bass.  

They are usually made out of plastic or rubber (as being hollow is a key component). This adds to the lure mimicking the natural movement of a fish, helping slow its descent due to the air trapped inside as it begins to sink in the water.  

What does a tube bait imitate?

A tube bait is designed to mimic the movement of a crawdad or bait fish. Tube baits are primarily used to target smallmouth bass in waters where there are either crawfish or shad present. This is because both the action and appearance of the lure imitate these two species, respectively.  

They come in various colors that are designed to look as realistic as possible to their specific habitat. To an unsuspecting fish, then, a tube bait looks like a tasty snack that will have them hook, line, and sinker for you to take home to your family and friends!

If you’re struggling to get a bite, why not give tube bait a try? And then find out if they’re good to eat!

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