How To Fish A Texas Rig

I remember the first time I made a Texas rig. I put a ¼ ounce bullet sinker on my 8 lb. mono then threaded on a 1/0 hook and a purple Creme Scoundrel plastic worm.

I looked at it and though to myself: “Ohh yeah!”

I knew this rig would get through the hydrilla weeds easily. I’d also be able to set the hook effectively once a bass grabs it.

The Texas Rig is easily one of the most weedless rigs you can use. You can fish it through just about any type of cover without it getting hung up.

In this article I’m going to show you how to fish the Texas Rig.

How To Rig A Texas Rig

Rigging a Texas Rig is not very difficult at all. Besides your rod, reel and line, you need 2 or 3 more things.

• A Soft Plastic Lure (Plastic Worms are the most popular)
• A Hook
• A Weight (Optional)

Most anglers use weights when fishing the Texas rig. The most popular type of weight is the bullet sinker.

They’re called this because they look like a bullet with a hole through it’s middle.

Here’s how you rig it with a bullet sinker and a plastic worm:

1. Thread your line through the narrow end of the bullet sinker and out the back wider end.

2. Take the end of your line and tie your hook on.

3. Put the hook through the top end of the plastic work just past the barb.

4. Draw the hook tip out the side of the worm.

5. Pull the hook out until the hook eye is at the top of the worm.

6.Push the body of the worm near the hook tip up so that it squinches up a bit. Put the tip of the hook into the worm at an angle that points up and out the other side of the worm.

7. Pull the worm through so that the tip of the hook is just about to exit the other side of the worm.

8. Pull the worm through so that the tip of the hook is just about to exit the other side of the worm. Make sure that the worm is fairly straight and not bent or squished on the hook.

That’s the basic Texas Rig. You can see that since the hook tip is inside the plastic, it won’t get hung up on weeds.

When a bass does bite it, you’ll need to make sure you set the hook effectively. Drive the hook through the plastic material and into the bass’ mouth.

Pegging The Sinker On A Texas Rig

Some anglers like to peg the bullet sinker to the line so that it doesn’t slide up and down.

To do this you can use a couple of options. You can drive the point of a toothpick through the top of the bullet weight and wedge it against the line. Then just break off the toothpick.

Take care not to damage the line.

The option that I like to use, is a bober stop. These are small plastic stoppers that you attach to your line. Once attached, they’ll prevent your weight from sliding up.

Keeping your bullet weight up close to the hook will give you a better feel for where your lure is. If the weight slides up you line, you could a situation where your weight is on the bottom and your lure is hung up on weeds behind it.

Of course sometimes I want the lure to trail suspended in the water a short distance behind the weight. This is called a Carolina Rig. We’ll cover that in a separate article.

How To Fish A Texas Rig

Fishing a Texas rig gives you many options. One of the most basic ways to fish the Texas Rig is to find a weed line.

Fishing A Texas Rig In Weeds

A basic pattern in bass fishing is to fish weeds that are growing in shallow water near the bank.

The great thing about this type of fishing is that you can do it from the shore or from a boat.

Bass will seek out these areas for many reasons. Sometimes they’re there to spawn. Other times they are there for shade or to hide in ambush.

The camouflage pattern of a bass makes it perfect for hiding in weeds and waiting for prey to pass by.

This is a key reason the Texas rig can be so effective.

When it’s early in the season and the weds haven’t grown to the top of the water yet, it can be a bit easier to fish. Try rigging your worm or other soft plastic with a 1/8th to 1/4 ounce sinker.

Then, toss your lure into spots in the weeds that look different than the rest.

For example. if you’re looking at a weedy shoreline and you see on spot where it looks like no weeds are growing, check it out.

There may be a rocky area where for some reason there are no weeds growing. It may even be a bass bed if it’s spawning season.

Don’t get to close. Just lightly toss your worm into the hole. This is where not having to large of a weight can pay off.

If you use too much weight, it could cause too much commotion and spook a bass away. Too much weight can also cause an unnaturally fast fall.

Of course there are times when you want to use a heavy weight and we’ll get to that. But when the weeds are sparse, and you’re in shallow water, a light weight or no weight is best.

I can’t think of too many things more exciting than tossing a weightless Texas rigged plastic worm or fluke into an empty spot in a weed bed.

The slow tantalizing fall is a hard meal to resist for lurking bass.

Flipping A Texas Rig In Heavy Weeds

As the season warms and the weeds reach the top of the water, they can become matted and quite dense. But, there will still be bass under them.

To get your Texas rigged worm in front of them, you’ll need some special gear. We’re talking about flipping gear.

To get your worm through the heavy tops of summer weed beds you’ll definitely need some heavier bullet sinkers.

We’re talking about 3/4 ounce and bigger. The heaviest mats may require 1 ½  ounce weights or more.

These heavy weights will help you punch your lure through the top of the weeds and get it into the strike zone.

Tackle For Heavy Texas Rigged Worms

When you’re flipping heavy Texas rigged plastic worms into weedy mats, you’re looking for big bass.

If you hook up with one, you need a setup that’s powerful to get bass out of heavy cover without getting your line broken.

I prefer a Medium to Medium-Heavy Flipping rod. Onto this you can attach a lower gear ratio baitcasting reel.

Braided fishing line can be used in this scenario. the low stretch of braided line will really help deliver a solid hook set.

In addition, the low stretch of braided line, can help you power the bass out of their lair. Make sure you are spooling at least 30 lb. braid if you’re going to be working a Texas rig in heavy cover.

Leaders For Fishing A Texas Rig

Some anglers like to use a fluorocarbon leader when they’re using braided line.

There can be multiple reasons for this. The main one is visibility.

Braided line can be highly visible underwater as it is not translucent. Fluorocarbon on the other hand, it nearly invisible underwater.

As a result, anglers will add a fluorocarbon leader that’s at least a couple of feet long. Whether you do this or not is a judgement call.

Many anglers argue that will all the weedy cover they’re fishing in, that the bass won’t be able to distinguish the braid anyways.

Additionally, having to tie and extra line to line knot, can create a weak point and also use up valuable time.

If you do use a fluorocarbon leader for heavy flipping, I would recommend that you use at least a 20lb. test line.

Types Of Lures For Texas Rigging

When people think about Texas rigging, they usually think about worms. But that’s definitely not the whole story.

You can Texas rig just about any soft plastic lure. One of the most popular lures to Texas rig is the soft plastic crayfish.

Plastic craws are great because the claws and antennae will add extra action. This extra action can trigger reaction strikes when you dangle a craw in front of a hungry bass.

Soft plastic lizards are another great lure for Texas rigging. As a matter of fact, at least 3 bass over 13 lbs. have been cause on plastic lizards in Texas alone.

Creature baits are another type of soft plastic lure ideal for Texas rigging. These baits are made to have a lot of action. They don’t really mimic any actual living creature, but they often have antennae and legs.

If you’re looking for a weedless soft plastic that can produce lots of visual action, try a creature bait.