If you don't know by now, there's a new hot lure on the horizon... While the chatterbait and tube bait kill it in their traditional forms, what would happen if you combined the two together? I suspect you'd have one deadly lure right?

Cat's been out of the bag for some time now, other YouTube fishermen like Randy Blaukat from Intuitive Angling and Matt Stefan have explained how deadly this combo has been working well in bass tournaments. The problem I have, is the way Randy rigs his tube, where the tube bait loses it's traditional form with the jig head popping out. Then Matt Stefan takes a chunk from his tube, making it vulnerable to where the jig head will pop out of the tube's head after catching only a few bass.

The one product and tool that many fishermen still don't use enough of, is Mend-It glue. I'm starting to find out myself, that it can not only be used for repairing soft plastic baits, but modifying them as well. I've already modified the 7" Suissex Shad Spin blade by sliting them open, installing a stronger wire then also installing a treble hook on back. It's a bit extensive, most fishermen don't have the time to do that long of a modification. But modifying a tube bait with Mend-It glue is quick and simple. All you have to do is make small slit in the top of the tube bait with an X-Acto knife, slide in the chatterbait jig head, then reseal the tube with Mend-It glue? Pretty simple right!?

I honestly think this is the easiest and the cleanest way to making a custom chatterbait tube! And as I found out with this custom modification, you can use all sorts of different tube brands and chatterbait brands. I first want to say I prefer using the Strike King Thunder Cricket because it fits in nicely within the hollow part of the tube bait, the Z-man chatterbait jig head is just a tad bit too wide. I like using a 3/8 oz jig head, it's the same size jig head that I use for my standard tubes.

Think of all the tube bait brands you could pair up with a Thunder Cricket, everything from a scented tube like Berkley Powerbait, Chompers or Strike King Coffee. You could also try using Captain Wayne Carpenter's natural forage technology that uses bilaminate and trilaminate colors to match the hatch, so you can target whatever the smallmouth bass is feeding on at Lake St. Clair. That's the tube bait brand that I decided to pair up with the Thunder Cricket, the turnout was pretty impressive!

I've tried Randy's way down below in this video, turnout was decent, but I don't like the way the tube jig looks with the head popping out. I think the way I did it, is just a much cleaner look!

And you know how I said you could use any brand of tube bait? Here's an amazing shot of where I combined a Thunder Cricket with Savage Gear's lifelike 3D Goby Tube bait, many are saying how phenomenal it looks! Remind you this tube not only looks like a lifelike goby, but it's lazed with a strong garlic scent and salt as well, I'm very excited to try this custom tube bait out next spring!