Meyer's backward tube can be rigged weedless by burying the hook point below the outer surface of the tube. Another variation is to inject liquid scent into the hollow space before the jighead is inserted. “Remember that replacing the air pocket with liquid changes the balance and action of the tube,” he explains. “Pierce the tube so the scent can seep out. Another variation is to load one, two, or three steel BBs into the tube before inserting the jig. They shift, constantly changing the tube's action as it falls or is retrieved, and they rattle as they strike each other.”

For a super-crazy tube, rig it with a floating jighead rather than with a leadhead. Lube the inside of the tube, add several small ball bearings, and insert a floating jighead. The floating head plugs the cavity and, voilá -- crazy tube.

THE INCREDIBLE FEEDING MINNOW

When you watch small minnows feeding on the bottom, they often hover nose-down, descend to pick up a morsel, then rise back up tail-first, repeating the process when they spot another goodie. It's a subtle maneuver that's difficult to reenact with a traditional rig, but Meyer has concocted a plastic trick called the “feeding minnow” that mimics this motion.

“This technique is a lot like backward tubin', but uses slender plastics -- worms, minnows, craw-worms -- to create the illusion of baitfish feeding on the bottom. Imagine,” he says, “nose touches bottom, lure gracefully backs up and then noses down again. Curlytail grubs and wider-bodied swimbaits don't work as well for this technique. Try a straight worm 6 inches long or less,” he recommends.

“Rigging the feeding minnow can be accomplished two ways,” he says. “The first is to thread the mono line inside the plastic bait from the rear, which allows the hook position to be forward and the action and flexibility to be enhanced in the back portion of the plastic.”

Meyer begins by inserting a lubricated, thin metal tube into the tail of the worm, then carefully pushes the tube through the middle of the bait, eventually working the tube out the side of the bait where you want the hook point. The Rig'r Probe from Tonka Lures (tonkaluresinc.com), a sewing-style needle designed for threading line through baits, is another handy option. “With the tube still inside the bait, slide the line from the back end of the tube so it exits closer to the head,” he instructs, “leaving a 6-inch tag-end. Hold the tag-end and remove the tube so the line remains threaded inside the lure.”

He then ties a straight-shank hook to the tag-end, selecting the appropriate style and size to match the bait. Pull the line from the rear to draw the hook shank into the cavity created by the metal tube, leaving the hook point exposed on the outside. The shorter the hook shank used, the more line that's inside the bait and the more supple the rigged lure is.

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