How To Fish A Tube on Lake Erie

Lake Erie is a great place to learn or start using tube baits. It is simple; first you have to locate some fish .look for rock piles, flats or sharp breaks. After you have located some fish, it is time to rig up tube bait. Tube baits come in endless colors. Choose a color that will match the bait the fish are feeding on. Green pumpkin, olive, white, melon peppers are all great colors to use. Rig your tube with a 1/4 to a 5/16 ounce weight. There are many different tube heads to choose from.

Start by casting your bait .let it sink to the bottom, be a line watcher .strikes will come on the fall .when your bait hits the bottom; you can bounce it back to the boat by lifting your rod tip and popping the bait of the bottom.

A lot of people like to do what they call the Erie drag. Casting your tube out and letting the current or waves move your bait along the bottom. That way of catching fish has a draw back. When dragging your tube you will get a lot of line burn. This is small nicks in your line that the rocks and small zebra mussels will do to your line.

Vertical jigging is a great way to fish the tube bait. While holding over a school of fish. Drop your bait down slowly to the bottom. With an upsweeping motion lift your tube up and let it fall back to the bottom. Most of the time when you are lifting your bait of the bottom that is when you will get a strike.

Free swimming your tube bait for suspended fish .cast your bait out, count it down to be the fish are suspended .simply swim it back to the boat, with a stop and go retrieve.
Try these different ways to fish a tube on Lake Erie in buffalo nay. You will be glad you did.

Captain Tim Braun