Fishing Frenzy

Well before putting a tube within the water, the most crucial choice an angler can make is selecting just where to fish.

There are several places around Cape Cod that are ideal for trolling tubes. The rips off Chatham, the boulders down along the Elizabeth Islands, and the expansive waters of Cape Cod Bay quickly spring to mind.

It's hard to beat a properly trolled tube and worm during the midst of a hot Cape Cod summer. Even so, one slip-up that countless anglers make is spending too much time trolling an area that does not hold any life. Trolling tubes has a natural tendency to put anglers to sleep-literally. It is extremely easy to place the rods in the holders, and troll along for an entire afternoon, looking to run into a nice school of bass.

Kicking back and relaxing is great, but it is definitely not the most effective approach to fish the tube and worm. A far more proactive approach is typically necessary to uncover a prime area with a lot of life. Spending more time searching around, and less time with lines in the water, will regularly result in a lot more bass hitting the decks.

If this seems odd to you, give Developing a Strategy for Finding Big Fish a read, to get a greater understanding of what I mean.

Deciding Upon an Effective Tube and Depth to Fish

Once an area holding striped bass is found, you can then work on discovering the most effective depth, tube size, and tube color to troll. The proper way to do this is via a process of elimination.

I'll typically troll three tubes when tube and worm fishing. The first tube is trolled down the center of the Miss Loretta, as the other tubes are trolled off of the port and starboard sides. All three tubes are trolled by way of leadcore fishing line.

If bass are seen through the entire water column, then my normal move would be to position the port and starboard tubes at a specific depth (say five colors) and maintain the line running down the center at a separate depth (say three colors).

Tube color and length will depend on the situation. The important principle to know is that it is vital to change your tube spread based on the reaction you're getting from the fish.

For example, if stripers consistently bite the 24 inch red tube from the center line (that is set at three colors) then it could be worthwhile to alter the 30 inch orange tube that was running on the starboard line to a 24 inch red tube. Switching the starboard line to a depth of three colors as a substitute for five colors may not be a bad idea either.