Texas rig – A Fishermans Guide

Anyone who has ever fished plastic worms or baits will hopefully be familiar with the Texas Rig.

Simple to setup and a great way to present your bait to hungry fish.

So why is it so popular.

Really the best way to sum it up is you are fishing a plastic bait as normal, but are protecting the hook point from catching on everything, making it snagless.

This setup is great for fishing around weed beds and mirky water where you cant see the snags or underwater obstructions like fallen trees or submerged rocks, making it a firm favorite with anglers all over the world.

Most of the time you will be fishing a Senko worm or similar on an offset hook with a small bullet weight to get down to your target fish.

texas rig

Why is it called a Texas rig?

The term texas rig originated from Nick Créme of Créme manufacturing in the USA who is credited with creating the first plastic worms for fishing.

It is an advancement on his original designs and this is where the ‘tucked hook into the bait’ changes came from.

Texas Rig Guide

How do you rig a Texas rig?

First up lets look at what you need to put texas rigs together.

texas rig parts

What equipment you need for a Texas rig

  1. Texas Rig hooks like this 25 pack from Gamakatsu are perfect for the job.
  2. Bullet weights like these from Reaction Tackle are ideal
  3. Soft plastic bait like the Senko Worms from Gary Yamamoto or this ProBite with wobbly tail from RUNCL
  4. Leader and swivel to put it all together and attatch to main line.

Step 1: Add a bullet weight to leader and tie on a texas rig hook.

The first thing you need to do is add the bullet weight to your leader. Slide this up the line out of the way for the moment. The weights are used to help you position your bait in deeper cover quickly.

There are a couple of things to note when adding weight to your rig.

Heavier weights will help move the bait quicker down the water column but this can cause an issue if you are fishing in heavily weeded areas where you wait the bait to glide over the top of the weeds and not get embedded or buried in the weeds.

Anglers choice here is to use the lightest weight possible but make sure you can still feel the lure or soft plastic as its dances along the bottom of the lake bed.

texas rig setup

Step 1: Texas Rig setup

The weight can be left to run free on the leader or pinned in place to cover the took of the hook and lure.

We prefer to pin the weight in place with a small peg. This holds everything snug and lets the eye of the hook and the know up into the cone shape of the bullet weight.

This gives a streamlined appearance because the weight sits flush with the end of the worm or lure.

Step 2: Adding your bait to the rig.

As mentioned we prefer using wide gap hooks with a kicked shank. Straight shank hooks can also be used but these work best for us and allow for better presentation. It also allows us to fish weedless setups and lets us cover more ground that a normal rig would get snagged in.

Slide the point of the hook into the very tip of the lure with the tail pointing away from the hook tip. You only want to push it in about a 1/4 to a 1/2 inch or so – but this depends on the lure you are using and the hook size.

hooking a bait texas rig

Step 2: Adding the bait

In this example we have a paddle tail lure as they work best in the water we fish in, but you can use rubber worms or Senko’s if that works for you.

Step 3: Setting the bait up properly.

Now that you have the hook tip inserted you want to spin your bait 90 degrees towards the mouth of the hook. Pull the hook through until you reach the elbow in the hook shaft. You want the bait to cover this section of the hook but sit flush when finished.

baiting your rig

Step 2: Baiting your rig

Once the hook is mostly through the bait you are ready for the next step. Be careful not to pull too much or too aggressively in case you pull the hook all the way through the worm or tear the rubber lure.

They are inexpensive but no pointing in waisting them unless it’s because a huge fish has torn them apart…

Step 4: The Twist.

Once you reach the point where you have pushed the hook through the worm up to the offset on the shaft you need to turn the lure.

Now it gets a bit tricky so take your time at this point.

Step 5: Finishing the setup.

The last two steps are really important so take you time here.

When you have pushed the lure all the way up the hook shaft and twisted the soft plastic to line everything up, lay the look flat over the lure to gauge where you want to insert the tip of the hook into the body.

getting the hook position right

Step 5: Getting the hook position right

It is really important that your worm or paddle tail lure is straight and fully extended.

When you have everything set up and positioned pierce the plastic lure with the hook and push it into the body slightly to protect the tip.

best texas rig setup

Correct texas rig setup

This gives you the weedless action.

Notice the hook tip is pushed into the bait and the gape of the hook is below the baits. This allows for great presentation and mimmics natural prey.

When the fish attacks, it’s usually tail first, with a sharp bite down on the swimbait, which exposes the hook. This results in lightning fast, big bites all day long.

How to fish a Texas Rig

When you are fully rigged up and ready to go its time to hit the water. Search out areas of cover close to the bank and fire your lure out beyond that point. Let it sink to the bottom (this is where the additional weight comes in handy).

If you are using a paddle tail you can start your retrieve. Slow and steady sometimes works but some anglers prefer their lure to have an erratic action in the water.

A lot will depend on the day and where you are, and what species you are targeting.