Finesse tube

A 2.5-3 in tube on a light head or drop shot — the small-forage smallmouth bait for cold and clear water.

Soft plastics are the biggest family in bass fishing: 36 shapes, each designed for a rig, a depth and a mood.

• Shape = design purpose: fish, worm, craw, creature, tube, frog
• Finesse tier vs power tier: the same shape at 3.5 in and 7 in is two different techniques
• Tail type decides the action; body decides the fall
• Rig it the way it was designed to be rigged

1. What it is — A scaled-down tube, often with a thinner skirt, fished on 1/16-3/16 oz heads or nose-hooked.
2. Designed for — Smallmouth in cold water and after fronts, on spinning gear; river smallmouth on gravel.
3. Trade-offs — Finesse only.