The texas rig
A Texas rig is a soft plastic on an offset worm hook with a sliding bullet weight ahead of it, rigged so the hook point tucks back into the bait and slides through cover without snagging. It is the cover staple of bass fishing, for largemouth and smallmouth, and the first rig most anglers reach for.
| Component | Spec |
|---|---|
| Main line | Fluorocarbon, around 12–17 lb; or braid (around 30–50 lb) with a fluorocarbon leader |
| Weight | Sliding bullet weight, 3.5–14 g (1/8–1/2 oz): lighter for a slow fall in the shallows, heavier to punch through cover. A bobber stopper above it pegs it tight to the bait |
| Hook | Offset worm or extra-wide-gap (EWG), 2/0–5/0 to suit the bait: 3/0 for a 6" worm, 4/0 for a 7–8" worm, 4/0–5/0 EWG for creature and craw baits |
| Soft plastic | Worm, creature or craw bait, 10–18 cm (4–7"). Natural tones in clear water (green pumpkin, watermelon), darker tones in stained water (junebug, black-blue) |
What it's for
Largemouth and smallmouth bass, in and around cover. This is the rig you fish where other rigs get hung up: through weed and grass, into bushes and flooded timber, over rock and along ledges. The bullet weight slides ahead of the bait so the rig noses into cover point-first, and the hook point sits buried in the soft plastic so it comes through clean. You can fish it light for a slow fall in the shallows or heavy to punch through a thick weed mat. It works in clear water and stained, all season, and it is the rig to learn first if you are starting on bass.
The rig at a glance
Read top to bottom, the way it hangs. The main line (fluorocarbon, around 12 to 17 lb, or braid with a fluorocarbon leader) comes down from the rod. A bullet weight is threaded onto the line first, point up, free to slide. Below the weight the line is tied straight to an offset worm or extra-wide-gap (EWG) hook with a Palomar knot. The soft plastic is threaded onto the hook: the point goes in at the nose, comes out a short way down, then the bait is slid up over the eye and the point is buried back into the body so the rig is weedless. The defining detail is that the weight slides free above the bait and the hook point is tucked into the plastic, so the whole rig comes through cover without snagging.
How to build it
- Thread on the bullet weight. Slide a bullet weight onto the main line, pointed end up the line toward the rod. Leave it free to slide unless you want it pegged: a bobber stopper threaded on above the weight, or the weight pressed tight, fixes it to the bait for fishing thick cover.
- Tie on the hook. Tie the offset worm or EWG hook to the end of the line with a Palomar knot. The Palomar is strong and simple on fluorocarbon and braid and it seats the hook square, which is exactly what this rig needs.
- Rig the soft plastic weedless. Push the hook point into the very nose of the bait, bring it out about a centimetre down, then slide the bait up and over the hook eye. Lay the hook against the body to judge where the bend sits, then push the point back into the plastic so it is just buried and the bait hangs straight. The buried point is what makes it weedless.
How to fish it
Cast or pitch it to the cover: a weed edge, a laydown, a bush, a dock, a rock pile. Let it sink on a slightly slack line and watch the line as it falls, because a lot of takes come on the drop. When it lands, work it slowly along the bottom with a lift of the rod tip and a drop, dragging and hopping it through and around the cover, keeping in touch on the fall. In thick weed or matted grass, peg the weight tight to the bait and punch it straight down through the mat, then let it fall into the hole and shake it. Most takes feel like a tap, a heaviness or the line moving off. When you feel one, drop the rod tip, reel down until the line is tight, then sweep the rod up firmly to drive the point home through the plastic.
Where this rig works
This rig is fished on these waters in the atlas, for largemouth and smallmouth bass in weed, timber and grass. As the atlas grows, every new water that uses it links to this same page.
Texas rig questions
Fishing a soft plastic in and around cover for bass without snagging. The bullet weight slides ahead of the bait so it noses into weed, timber and grass point-first, and the hook point is buried in the plastic so it comes through clean. It suits largemouth and smallmouth in clear or stained water, all season.
An offset worm or extra-wide-gap hook from 2/0 to 5/0 to match the bait: 3/0 for a 6 inch worm, 4/0 for a 7 to 8 inch worm, 4/0 to 5/0 for creature baits. For the weight, a sliding bullet weight of 3.5 to 14 g (1/8 to 1/2 oz), lighter in the shallows and heavier to punch cover.
A Palomar knot, tied straight from the line to the hook, so one knot builds the whole rig. Thread the bullet weight onto the line first, then tie the hook on with a Palomar, then rig the soft plastic weedless with the point buried in the body.
Push the hook point into the nose of the bait, bring it out about a centimetre down, then slide the bait up over the hook eye. Lay the hook against the body to judge the bend, then push the point back into the plastic so it is just buried and the bait hangs straight. The buried point comes through cover clean.
Leave it sliding for open water and a natural fall, so the bait drops slightly behind the weight. Peg it tight to the bait, with a bobber stopper or by pressing it on, when you are punching through thick weed or matted grass, so the weight and bait stay together and drive straight down through the mat.