Texas Rig

Rig technique

A soft-plastic worm or creature bait rigged on an offset worm hook with a sliding bullet weight, hook point tucked back into the bait so it comes through cover clean.

Gear

How to fish the Texas Rig

1. Slide a bullet weight onto your line, then tie on an offset worm hook.
2. Insert the hook point into the nose of the worm about a quarter inch, then thread it through and out.
3. Slide the bait up to the eye, rotate the hook, and bury the point back into the body so it sits weedless.
4. Cast to cover, let it fall on a semi-slack line, and watch the line for the tick of a bite.
5. Reel down and sweep-set hard.

Retrieve: Cast to cover, let it sink, then lift-and-drop or slowly drag it, pausing at every piece of cover.

Where it shines

Cover: grass, wood, rock; structure: laydowns, brush piles, grass edges, points; clarity: clear, stained, muddy.

When to use it

Best seasons: Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter

Best conditions: Post-Frontal / Bluebird, Water Clarity

When Bryan reaches for it: When bass are buried in cover or the bite is tough and I need to put a bait right in their face without hanging up.

Lakes where it works

Lake Travis · Stillhouse Hollow

Lures to throw

Ribbon-Tail Worm, Creature Bait, Craw / Craw Trailer, Senko / Stickbait.

Common mistakes

• Setting the hook too soft to drive the point through the plastic
• Using too light a weight to feel the bottom
• Reeling instead of watching the line on the fall — most bites come as it sinks

Pro tips

• Peg the weight with a bobber stopper when flipping heavy cover
• Downsize the weight in clear water for a slower, more natural fall

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