Texas Rig a Plastic Worm
A plastic worm is a staple in any bass fisherman's arsenal. The Texas Rig is one of the most popular ways to fish a plastic worm because of its effectiveness. You can fish a Texas rigged worm over any kind of structure, through weeds and grass, and at any depth you want. You can vary the size of the worm and the weight to change the rate of fall, and you can fish it as slowly or as quickly as you want. In short, a Texas rig is the ultimate in versatile bass lures, provided you know how to rig it.
Steps
- Slip a bullet sinker, preferably made from something other than lead, such as brass or ceramic, onto your line by inserting the line into the pointed end of the Throw a Tailing Sinker.
- Tie on an offset worm hook using your favorite fishing knot.
- Insert about 1/4 of an inch of the point of the hook straight into the top of the worm.
- Turn the hook point and exit the worm at the side of the head.
- Slide the worm up the hook toward the eye, twisting it around the hook wire as you slide it, so that the point of the hook will be facing the worm.
- The eye of the hook should be just at the top of the worm. The offset should hold the main wire of the hook outside the worm so the worm can hang straight down toward the point.
- Allow the worm to hang straight down and put your finger and thumb on the worm right at the point that the bend of the hook reaches.
- Keeping your thumb and finger on that spot, bend the worm so that you can insert the point of the hook into the worm at a right angle. Make sure you keep the worm straight so the hook is going back into the same side of the worm that it came out of up top.
- Push the point all the way through the worm. When you are done doing this, the worm should make a straight line between the point and the eye of the hook.
- Now push up on the worm just a little so you can slip the point of the hook just under the surface of the plastic.
- Once the point is hidden beneath the surface, the Texas Rig is called "weedless" or "skin-hooked". Rigged like this, the worm will slip through weeds without getting snagged, but it is still easy to set the hook.
Tips
- Plastic worms are not the only lures that can be Texas-rigged. Visit your local tackle shop to find plastic lizards, craws, snakes, and a variety of plastics with various "legs" and other appendages designed to wave enticingly in the water to attract bites.
- Use the right hook for your bait. For smaller worms, use smaller hooks. For the six-inch Robo Worm shown in the photos, a 2/0 worm hook was used. For thicker, longer worms use bigger hooks.
- Many anglers use scent on their plastics to add even more attraction.
- Make sure your hook has a very sharp point. Remember, you will have to drive the hook point through the plastic body of the worm and through the lip of the bass' mouth. If your hook point cannot scratch your fingernail, it is not likely sharp enough. Use a hook-hone or sharpening stone to sharpen the point.
- Be patient. Then set the hook briskly.
- Since it is weedless, you can cast it towards shore - even onto shore - from a boat and use the rod length to drag it slowly along the bottom, using the crank to take up the slack for the next "drag".
- Often a bass will take the bait gently. Watch the line carefully to see if it starts moving perpendicularly to the casting direction. Also, pay attention for twitches or ticks as the bait drops. Bass often take the bait on the fall and being alert to changes as it drops will equate to more fish in the boat.
- There is really no wrong way to fish a Texas Rigged plastic worm. Hopping or dragging are two of the most common methods but don't overlook swimming and fishing the bait faster. While the plastic worm is a great slow presentation bait, it can also be a very effective search bait as well to help locate active fish.
- Bullet sinkers come in almost as many sizes and colors as the worms. Use the lightest one that lets you feel the bottom. In wind or deep water you will probably have to use a larger weight, or use a different technique called "Carolina Rigging".
Warnings
- Using a lead sinker can be dangerous to your health; it's also harmful to aquatic life and many eco-friendly alternatives exist which aren't harmful. Weights and sinkers are now made from steel, tin, tungsten and a biodegradable eco material.
- Don't bite your fishing line off. It can break your teeth, not to mention all the nasty bacteria and other stuff that gets on your line from being in the lake.
- Be careful not to stick yourself with the hook.
- If you get your Texas-rigged worm stuck on something, do not pull the line straight toward yourself. If it comes unstuck suddenly, it will shoot right into you at high speed. They aren't called "bullet" weights for nothing. (That is because they look like bullets; plus, worry about the hook not the weight.) A bullet weight at speed can cause severe injury to your eyes or anywhere else it hits. Also, pulling it might just make it worse. Try pulling the line in between the reel and first eye with your hand so it is tight, then letting go. the backwards force is sometimes just enough to break it free.
Things You'll Need
- Bullet sinker also called a worm weight (preferably not lead)
- Line
- Worm hook
