The Texas rig is the tool for going where the big largemouth live: buried in heavy cover. By rigging a soft plastic weedless, with the hook point tucked back into the bait, behind a sliding bullet weight, you can drag, pitch and punch it through weeds, pads and wood that would snag any other presentation. It is one of the most important techniques in bass fishing.
Why it works
Big bass hold in the thickest, nastiest cover, and most lures cannot get to them. The Texas rig comes through cover cleanly, so you can put a worm or creature bait right on a fish that has never seen one. The bullet weight lets you control the fall and, when pegged, punch through matted vegetation.
How to rig and fish it
- Rig it: slide a bullet weight onto the line, tie on a worm hook, and rig a soft plastic (worm, creature, craw) weedless. Peg the weight for punching thick cover, leave it sliding for a more natural fall.
- Fish it: pitch or flip it into cover, let it fall on a controlled line, and work it with slow lifts and drags, staying in contact.
- Set hard: when you feel the tap or the weight, reel down and set firmly to drive the hook through the plastic and into the fish.
Tip Fish it on a semi-slack line and pay attention on the fall, most cover bites come as the bait drops. When you feel that telltale tick or your line jumps, reel down and set hard.
Gear
A medium-heavy baitcasting outfit with braid or heavy fluorocarbon gives the power to pull a fish out of cover, a Daiwa baitcaster is a natural fit. For the biggest, gnarliest cover, step up the line and rod.