Tubes are cheap and may be easily made in your own home. Tubes catch inactive bass along with stripers which have been actively feeding on baits that the tube isn't going to mimic.
A tube will continue to work if bass are feeding on large mackerel. A tube will also work if striped bass are feeding on sand eels. Obviously a tube will work if stripers are feeding on two foot long worms. Which triggers the debate around just what a tube and worm rig actually emulates.
I strongly believe stripers mistake tube and worm rigs for ribbon worms and large sandworms which live in New England waters. These worms can grow to a length of four feet. Large sandworms and milky ribbon worms are often reddish-pink or orange in color. Sandworms and ribbon worms also have a tendency to swim through the water in a gyrating or spiraling motion.
A 24 inch long ribbon worm, spiraling through the water, features an eerily similar resemblance to a properly trolled 24 inch long red tube.
If you are a striped bass used to chasing quick mackerel and ink filled squid, then catching a worm has to be about as simple as it gets. It might be the human equivalent of hitting up the drive-thru over investing the energy necessary to prepare a turkey dinner.
In such a sense, I think stripers have a “why not?” mindset towards tube and worms. I think that even if striped bass are honed in on different bait, they'll still eat a big worm because it is so simple to capture.
Maximizing Time Spent On the Water When Fishing Cape Cod
The last thing I want to do is waste time tinkering with different techniques and lure options once I ultimately identify an area holding cow sized bass. Rare are the days that a tube and worm won't catch a striped bass, when trolled through fish filled areas.
This makes it easy to feel confident realizing that the tube will more than likely be interesting to a passing striper, regardless of weather conditions or the existence of specific bait.
Trolling three different tubes at three different depths through an area holding stripers will quickly tell me what length/color tube and what depth will be most effective. Once a number of bass are caught, I'll have a very good sense as to the most productive tube and depth. A quick adjustment is all that is need to the other tube and worms.
