Barracuda Fishing With Tube Lures

Report Date: January 28, 2004

Well January has almost come to an end. An I must say that it was a long month. A whole lot of unsettled weather disturbing our daily fishing routine. However, as usual I did mange to have some super days on the water.

We caught plenty of Sharks (Black tip, Bulls and Lemons), a fair amount of Permit and Lot of Big Barracuda! The largest Barracuda likely tipped the scale at 42 pounds. He ate a tube lure, which is still by far the most common used bait on the Flats.

For those of you reading this and have no idea what a tube lure is, I will tell you that it?s a 10 to 12 inch piece of surgical tubing with a lead sinker in the front with two hooks. One located in the rear and one at about mid way through the tube. This bait resembles Ballyhoo or a Hound Fish, which are great prey for Barracuda to feast on. There are a lot of different opinions on when, where and for how long these tube lures have been used for Barracuda.

When I was a kid I fished with a guide named John Eckerd. He was written up in Lefty Kreh?s book fishing the flats in reference to his Barracuda tube lures. John had brain stormed this idea up after running out of live bait one day while Barracuda fishing. So was he the original inventor of the tube lure. Yes, I do believe he was. Never the less some years later, at least twenty I was fortunate enough to have lunch with John one after noon. He said to me Lenny are you still using tube lured for Barracuda. I said yes, John. Of course we are I make them every summer in preparation for Barracuda season. He said you know Lenny let me show you exactly how and why I made them how I did. So after a lesson written in crayon on a napkin at the Diner, I was educated on the dynamic of a proper tube lure. Capt. John asked me if other people where still using the tube lure. I said of course they are what else would they use. He laughed and said you know Lenny those tube lures where not always around some one pretty smart had to invent them?

Well John I know what you did. An I?m glad to say that the tube lure is still the best damn artificial bait to catch a Barracuda on!

Capt. Lenny
Lets Go Fish!

 

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