The tube jig has become a year-round tackle box staple, particularly for jigging lake trout on the ice.
Here are five ways I’ve learned to trick out my tube to improve my rate of success.
Sinker on the shank: You may be thinking, why not just use a heavy jig head. I do, but they only get so big and they need to be the right profile to fit inside the tube. Instead, I take a rubber core sinker, remove the rubber, open the sinker enough to fit over the hook shank, then pinch it on with pliers. This helps get that tube down quickly to 100 feet or deeper.
Add flair: Or should I say flash? Tie some mylar to the hook before inserting it into the tube. Some added flash kicking out the tail can often spark a bite when the fish are being fussy.
Trim the skirt: Tube jigs often come with a long skirt. In my experience, when a lake trout is chasing one, it often short strikes a longer skirt, missing the hook. Trim the skirt, so it is only about an inch long.
Add a treble hook: A treble hook is another way to increase hook-ups. The simplest way to add a treble is to slide some rubber tubing over the eye of the treble hook, then poke the jig hook through the eye. The tubing secures the treble to the bend of the jig hook.
Eye in the middle: Don’t insert a jighead all the way to the nose of the tube, rather poke the eye of the hook out at about middle of the tube body. The action of the tube will be far more attractive to lake trout.
Just watch the action on the retrieval and you’ll quickly see the difference.
Originally published in the Nov.-Dec. 2023 issue of Ontario OUT of DOORS
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