What it is
Virginia DWR calls the Texas rig one of fishing’s most beloved setups: a simple but effective multi-species rig for largemouth and smallmouth bass, pike and pickerel. Soft plastics such as worms, creature baits and crawfish imitations are some of the best presentations on it. Oregon describes it as another popular way to rig plastic worms. Fished weedless, it lets you work the weeds where fish live with less chance of snagging (NY).
Rigging the lure
Virginia’s method with a wide-gap or offset worm hook: feed the top of the lure through and over the eye of the hook, then turn the lure and hook through the back side. Done correctly, the lure sits straight in line with the hook.
- Thread the hook through the head of the bait. About 1/4 inch (NY).
- Push the bait up to the eye of the hook. The head of the lure covers the eye.
- Straighten the bait and pass the hook through it. Keep the bait straight on the hook (NY).
- Bury the point. Gently push the end of the hook into the bait just far enough to hide the point, which New York calls skin hooked.
Weight and hook
Fish it weightless in shallow water or add a bullet weight to reach deeper holes (VA). Virginia’s guidance by depth:
| Depth | Bullet weight |
|---|---|
| 1–5 ft | 1/16–1/8 oz, for a slow-falling lure |
| 10 ft and deeper | 1/4 oz and heavier |
New York’s bass setup lists a 1/4 to 1/2 ounce worm weight and a 2/0 to 4/0 worm hook. Too heavy a weight drags the bottom and risks snags; too light may not reach the depth you want (VA). In heavy cover such as thick brush or grassy banks, a bobber stop above a free-sliding bullet weight keeps it pegged in place (VA).
How to fish it
- Slow retrieve. Virginia says it is best fished slowly, parallel to the bank, or cast to structure and under overhangs where bass may be stacked up. New York’s version: let it sink, drag it slowly back, or move it a few feet, let it sit for a few seconds and move it again.
- Tension before the hookset. Once a bass takes it, reel in slightly before setting the hook to add tension on the line (VA).
- Where it works. In or around vegetation (NY); warm-water ponds from the bank or deep underwater structure from a johnboat (VA).
- Gear. Virginia says an ultralight combo or sensitive rod helps you feel the bottom. New York’s go-to bass setup is a 6 1/2 to 7 foot medium-action spinning rod with 8 to 10 pound monofilament.
New York ties hooks with the improved clinch knot; see the knots guide. To get a Texas-rigged lure down on a long leader, see the Carolina rig.
Sources
- Wacky rigs for bass fishing, New York State DEC
- Try throwing a Texas rig, Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources
- Bass, catfish and panfish fishing (learn-to-fish guide, PDF), New York State DEC
- Favorite warmwater fishing rigs, Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife