Zoom Salty Super Tube 4-25" JUNEBUG
When conditions are tough, a tube is one of the best go-to baits. Anytime the tube or the water around it is moving, the tail of this bait is moving, creating action.
Zoom¿s New ¿Ace In The Hole¿
Zoom Bait announces new Super Salty Tube
When Elite Series angler Mike McClelland and the rest of the Zoom pro staff hit the tournament trail in 2012, they will have another weapon tied on their rod. That weapon, the new Zoom Salty Super Tube, is the company¿s latest soft bait.
The new tube, available in 3 ¾ inch and 4 ¼ inch sizes, differs from the company¿s original tube because it¿s hand-dipped for a thicker, tougher body. It is also loaded with salt and specifically designed to meet the needs of pitchers and flippers (4 ¼ inch version) and finesse guys (3 ¾ inch).
¿Tubes are still an ace-in-the-hole bait,¿ says McClelland, a veteran angler with more than $1.2 million in tournament wins. ¿A lot of guys still use tubes, but many of them just don¿t talk about it.
According to McClelland, the 4 ¼ inch Salty Super Tube will be one of his go-to baits for flipping and pitching. The bigger, thicker body ensures that it can hold a 4/0 or 5/0 hook, and it won¿t ball up when punched through mats, flipped to water willows or skipped under docks.
Click on thumbnails to view gallery of the 4-1/4¿ Tubes:
¿I¿ve always flipped a tube. It¿s something I keep tied on to help me get out of a bind,¿ he says. ¿It has a different fall than anything else. A beaver-style bait is similar, a finesse jig is similar, but nothing falls like a tube. It swings and sways and turns around in circles¿things a creature bait won¿t do.¿
The smaller of the tubes won¿t be any less popular. A dragging tube, as McClelland sees it, the 3 ¾¿ size will be dynamite on a tube head, where it can be worked over gravel and sandbars in river systems or hopped to imitate goby on the Great Lakes. McClelland thinks this tube will be deadly for smallmouth, spotted bass and largemouth.
¿The dragging tube is still a great go-to bait,¿ says McClelland. ¿It¿s a finesse bait that catches a lot of fish; it will also catch you some good fish as well.¿
For most of the last decade, creature baits have been all the rage among bass anglers looking for a soft plastic that works under a variety of conditions. While McClelland doesn¿t necessarily see the tide changing anytime soon, he does believe tubes continue to enjoy a strong following. He believes Zoom¿s strong entry in the market will be very well received among the tube-throwing contingent.
¿This is the perfect time for Zoom to hit the market,¿ he says. ¿They are hitting the nail on the head by offering this new tougher, thicker bodied, salty tube.¿
