Nearly 75 years ago we were introduced to the plastic worm.
In need of a way to fish plastic worms around underwater brush piles without getting hung up, anglers crafted a way to include a weight and embed the hook.
Out came the Texas rig.
Credited to a Texas angler from the Lake Tyler region of Texas, the Texas rig lives on to be one of the most trusted rigs for catching bass.
What is a Texas Rig
A Texas rig is comprised of a slip sinker, a hook, and a soft plastic fishing lure.
The slip sinker is typically a bullet weight and is used to increase the fall rate of the rig and add to the overall 'weedless' profile of the rig.
Most anglers opt for an extra wide gap hook or a worm hook - something that has a long enough shank to allow for the bait to have the hook ran through twice.
As for lures, just about anything can be rigged Texas style.
Soft plastic lures from shorter swimming style baits such as curly-tail grubs all the way to ten inch worms can be paired with a Texas rig.
Where to Fish Texas Rigs
Since including a weight, Texas rigs are designed to be fished below the surface.
This can be just below the surface and retrieved in a swimming fashion or directly on the bottom and worked by dragging or hopping the lure.
The place that Texas rigs really excel is around cover.
The bullet (or worm weight) works to the rigs advantage by allowing it to move over and around nearly everything.
Pair that with an embedded hook and the rig becomes weedless and can basically be maneuvered through whatever nature throws at you.
Stay Light if You Can
With today's vast range of weights and sizes, an angler can make their Texas rig as light or as heavy as they need to accommodate their specific situation.
With that being said, keep in mind that the lighter you keep your rig the easier you will be able to differentiate between what is the bottom and what is a bite.
Take into consideration the profile of your bait when deciding how much weight you think you'll need.
Take plastic worms, for example.
Worms have a much sleeker profile than bulkier creature baits do.
So when a worm is paired with a weight, even a light one (3/16oz or smaller), the lure will typically still get to the bottom relatively fast allowing you to maintain a lighter setup.
Despite many anglers preferring a baitcaster, there's nothing wrong with fishing lighter Texas rigs with spinning gear.
How to Fish a Texas Rig
Here's three popular ways to fish a Texas rig.
Swimming
When the situation calls for a weedless baitfish imitation, anglers will oftentimes swim a Texas rigged soft plastic.
The rig allows you to swim the lure at whatever depth the fish are.
A steady retrieval of just reeling (like one would retrieve a swim jig) or a yo-yo retrieval are two popular swimming techniques that catch bass.
Dragging and Hopping
This involves making a long cast and slowly working your lure back to you.
This is great when searching for fish or making casts beyond your target and working the lure through areas where fish may be (submerged timber, vegetation, etc.).
Do your best to use subtle wrist movements when dragging or hopping your lure and save reeling for when you need to pick up slack line.
This allows you to get a true feel for what is on the bottom.
Soon enough you'll know the difference between leaf, rock, limb, and a bite!
TIP: Sometimes the sinker can slide up your line and create space between it and the hook. To keep your weight anchored to the end of your line consider using a bobber stopper.
Target Fishing
This involves making precise casts to a visible target where fish may be holding (laydowns, patch of lily pads, docks).
Make your cast, feel your lure hit the bottom, give it a few hops, retrieve and repeat.
Many anglers will opt for a heavier weight (1/2oz or more) when making target casts.
This allows the lure to have a faster, more vertical fall when hitting the water to increase the chances of triggering a reaction bite.
Some fish will take your lure before it even hits the bottom so pay close attention to what your line is doing.
If you see your line start to swim off or notice a small tick as the lure falls get ready to set the hook.
Time to go catch 'em!
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