Why Tube & Creature Baits Are Bass Magnets

There’s a reason compact soft-plastic bass lures like tube and creature baits are shaped the way they are, says Game & Fish’s Dr. Todd A. Kuhn.

When rigged on a sinker, the aggressive tapering of the baits help them easily slide through vegetation easier. Peg a Texas-rigged soft-plastic crawfish, for example, to punch the bait through matted areas.

"Gets you down to where the fish are,” Kuhn said.

In Episode 2 of Beyond the Bait Powered by Streamlight, Kuhn details the techniques used to fish compact soft plastics.

Versatile like most soft-plastic lures, tubes and creatures can be fished in a variety of ways. Their shape and size make them great for precise casting and, depending on the application, fishable with spinning or baitcasting gear.

Tubes and creatures are forage imitators — tubes mimic baitfish; creatures mimic crawfish — which often makes them the right bait at the right time.

Learn more about fishing soft-plastic lures in the video above.

Beyond the Bait Powered by Streamlight is a 13-episode video series on gameandfishmag.com that focusses on the best baits for bass fishing. Join Game & Fish’s Dr. Todd A. Kuhn every Tuesday this spring as he goes deep into how bass lures work, what bass find irresistible in them, and how you catch more on your next trip.

Episode 1: Click to watch "Beyond the Bait Powered by Streamlight: Soft Plastics