Baits For The Buffalo

[Ham]

Some of the guides on the East coast smallie rivers won't use tubes after the water warms up because of deep hooking issues. IF you fish a tube drifting a tube in current with controlled slack, you will deep hook smallies.

If you're cool with killing a half dozen smallies a trip, by all means throw 2 inch tubes in the summertime.

[Wayne SW/MO]

If a person put some thought into it there might be a way to rig with a circle. I just won't use them anymore on the flows because of the gut hooking.

[Al Agnew]

Al,

Is your recommendation to avoid the slow water but throw the small buzz baits when you have to fish in slow water?

It depends a lot on the water level. When the water is low on a river like the Buffalo, there are a lot of fish in fairly slow water because a lot of the places with more current are too shallow. In that case, the buzzbait is a great lure for covering a lot of water. If you like fishing tubes and other soft plastics, really good spots in current are pretty obvious in low water and easy to stop and fish with something slow and on the bottom, and really deep holes are fairly limited. But trying to cover a whole pool with the slow stuff is boring and time-consuming, which is why you fish something fast like the buzzbait in the pools as you said.

But, if the fish are hitting buzzbaits or other topwaters at all, I just fish them everywhere. Buzzbaits are good in faster water, in fact are probably the best fast-moving lure you can use in fast, clear water (crankbaits might work better if the water is murky). Just about every time I've ever fished the Buffalo in low, clear summer water levels I've caught a lot of fish on buzzbaits, and the times I didn't catch them on buzzbaits I caught them on walk the dog topwaters.

If the water is up and has some color, my default lures are crankbaits and spinnerbaits. Soft jerkbaits like Superflukes work, too. I avoid using slow-moving soft plastics unless I'm not catching fish on anything fast.

[gotmuddy]

Some of the guides on the East coast smallie rivers won't use tubes after the water warms up because of deep hooking issues. IF you fish a tube drifting a tube in current with controlled slack, you will deep hook smallies.

If you're cool with killing a half dozen smallies a trip, by all means throw 2 inch tubes in the summertime.

I dont drift tubes down current. I never have gut hooked a smallie with a tube.

[Guest]

drifting tubes in current catches big bass, period.

[Ham]

I dont drift tubes down current. I never have gut hooked a smallie with a tube.

That's amazing. You're the only guy that fishes tubes that hasn't gut hooked a smallie. Yet.

[Gavin]

I've had issues with tubes in the past....here's a good method for removing the hook when the inevitable happens

http://www.electric-bass.org/throughTheGill.htm

I'll stop fishing tubes if the fish are taking them agressively...maybe switch to a 4" Chomper Hula Grub or a Jig & Chunk...If I'm fishing out of the canoe...I'll probably be tossing a topwater or a fluke anyway. Flukes are great for canoe fishing because they give you lots of presentation options. Sometimes the fish like a fast underwater walk the dog type action, other times a slow dead stick presentation, or a sink & twitch...You can do all of that easilly with a fluke.

[Jeff Hearn]

Pop R's, Zara puppies, Popping Bugs, Baby Flukes and agree with AA on the Buzz Baits.......There will be some huge blow ups and when you hook the fish, you won't believe how small they are......The warmer the water the better.....It ain't the 70's but there are alot of bass in the river

Jeff

[gotmuddy]

That's amazing. You're the only guy that fishes tubes that hasn't gut hooked a smallie. Yet.

I guess. every one I hook is in the top of the mouth.

[gotmuddy]

FWIW, I only use a tube when they wont bite anything else. I much rather prefer jerkbaits and cranks to anything.