If you’re new to fishing, you’re probably trying to learn all you can about the Texas rig. You have watched professional fishermen on TV catch big bass on a Texas rig, and you’re ready to do the same. If you are a veteran fisherman, you have probably used the Texas rig. If you’re catching fish with the Texas rig, then things will only get better. If your Texas rig game is weak, then you and the rookie will benefit from these Texas rig tips.
Start with the Basics
Before you put your Texas rig together, you should have a strategy for the water you will fish. Will you be tossing into thick brush and vegetation or dragging along the bottom? Along with the wind, this can affect the weight of the bullet sinker you use. As a general rule, you will want to use the lightest bullet weight you can get away with. You can choose from a lead or tungsten weight. Most of today’s anglers go with a quarter-ounce tungsten bullet weight with a Bobber Stop to peg the weight.
WATCH: Favorite Bait to Use When Bass Fishing
After you slide your bullet weight on, you need to tie on your hook. You can choose from the offset worm hook, the straight shank flipping hook or the extra wide gap/EWG hook. The number 4 EWG tied to a 50-pound braided fishing line is popular with many anglers.
There are so many choices of worm, creature or soft crawfish baits that no two anglers can agree on what’s best. They will argue about the type of bait, the color of bait and even the length of bait. There are too many variables to proclaim any one worm is the best. The time of year, water depth and color of the water are all factors on bait selection. If you’re just not sure what to use, note that the best-selling worm of all time is the five-inch green pumpkin from Senko.
Some Assembly Required
Rigging a Texas rig worm is one of the many survival skills fishermen should know. Now that you have the required items, you can Texas rig your worm.
1. Slide your Bobber Stop on and up the line to get it out of the way for now.
2. Slip the weight on nose first.
3. For argument's sake, we will assume you know how to tie a fishing knot. Tie your hook on with a Palomar knot.
4. Next, thread the worm on by hooking the top of the worm directly in the center and sliding it to the top of the hook. Make sure the worm is straight on the hook.
5. Next, feed the hook all the way through the worm, making sure the worm remains straight. Then, pull the worm towards the hook and skin hook the end of the hook with the worm.
6. Slide the weight down and then the Bobber Stop to peg the weight.
Now you have a weedless Texas rig and are ready to fish.
Proper Presentation
Bass fishing is not like carp fishing. You have to convince the bass that it wants to bite your bait. Dropping a Texas rig through heavy cover and right in front of a bass is the goal for most fishermen. A Texas rig tossed into brush is heavy enough to work itself down the brush and towards the fish. Since it’s weedless, you can retrieve your bait without hanging up. You can also pop them across rocky bottoms or drag them through weed beds.
For fishing a Texas rig, the rod choices are a medium, medium-heavy or heavy action rod. The popular choice of many anglers today is a medium-heavy action rod with a long split handle. When fishing a Texas rig, almost any reel will work, but most will use a baitcasting reel. A bait-caster with an 8:1 gear ratio is a great choice for pitching and flipping in brush and other types of cover. This heavy gear is needed to haul out big bass tangled in brush; otherwise, you’re going to lose fish.
See How to Find and Catch Live Bait
Just Add Water
Most fishermen first started fishing the Texas rig in cover. Now that you have the right rod and reel with a properly built Texas rig, you are ready to throw into cover, too. The Texas rig is one of the most versatile baits there are, so you can use many techniques to catch fish. It’s great for working its way through brush, grass and hydrilla.
To fish thick floating cover, pitch your bait into the cover, letting it punch its way through. Keep your line tight, lift the bait up and over the cover and then let it sink again. Expect reaction-type bites as the bait breaks through.
You can use a lighter Texas rig for fishing grass beds. Use an eighth or three-sixteenths ounce bullet sinker and a swim-tail seven-inch worm and swim it through the grass. If you see your line move sideways, set the hook. If you find one bass in a grass bed, chances are there are several more. Work your way down the grass bed and then turn around and fish it again.
You Are Never Too Good
If you’re new to fishing, the Texas rig is a great bait to start with. Now that you can build your Texas rig and know how to fish it, you’re ready to hit the lake. If you have been fishing for some time now, you know how deadly a Texas rig can be. No matter where you fish or end up fishing, the Texas rig will catch bass. The Texas rig is a bait you will fish with your whole fishing life. With these tips, rookies and veterans alike can have a strong Texas rig game.
