Upping My Confidence With T-Rigged Plastics

[Mccallister25]

This is a really "newbie" question I have for yall, and I should probably already know an answer..but I dont, so what better place to get help?

 

Although I have caught fish on a t-rig, I havent caught many. Im a jig guy. If I go out to a spot to fish, and only have a t-rig and jig with me, Ill throw the t-rig a few times and when I dont get bit Ill put the rod down. Ill switch to my jig setup and thats what Ill fish with for the rest of my outing.

I have all the confidence in the world when it comes to my jigs. The ponds I fish have very little visable structure, so a percentage of the fish I catch are just along a bankline with no kind of grass, or submerged structure around period.

 

Like I said, although I have caught fish on a texas rig, it hasnt been many, but I still really like to use the rig. I want to get better with it, and thats why Iv decided that the next few times I go out, Im gonna take nothing with me but my worm rod obviously set up with a texas rig, and a few baits to throw on there. My question for you guys is; when Im not fishing around any trees, grass, submerged timber, etc and Im throwing my plastic on a bare bankline.. Do I work it as I would my jig (pop, pop, sit) or would it be better opting for a dragging presentation, etc.

I know that I just need to get out there and see what the fish will tell me on any given day, but Im just wanting to get a feel for the best way to present a texas rig to any fish hanging out in the area.

 

Also, if Im throwing that rig in 3 feet of water and less, is the weight better off being pegged or unpegged? Thanks guys!

[5fishlimit]

Start with a 7" ribbon tail worm of your choice, and an 1/8oz bullet weight unpegged. Leave everything else at home.

[papajoe222]

Determine the weight to use according to conditions. As with a jig, you want to be able to feel what your bait is doing. Under breezy or windy conditions you may need to go heavier than a 1/8oz.

The advantage of a Texas rig over a jig or a Florida rig (pegging the sinker) is the fish not being able to feel the weight when picking up your offering and moving off with it.  Keeping that in mind, your retrieve is similar to those you use when jig fishing. The difference being that you want to give the fish that option and that doesn't happen on a tight line with a light weight. You need to have a little slack in your line after moving the bait. The easiest and IMO the best retrieve to accomplish that is dragging the bait and dropping the rod tip while taking up most of the slack line as you drop it down. If you jig it, give a little slack afterwords. Little being very important as you don't want to loose total contact with the bait. Keeping your index finger under the line will improve sensitivity.

Lastly and this is important more so than in jig fishing, be a line watcher. Your line my jump, go slack, or move off to the side without you feeling anything.  If you don't line watch, you'll miss those bites.

[Fish Murderer 71]

I throw T-rigs and C-rigs more than I do jigs.  I just like plastics more.  Then again, I fish reservoirs and man-made lakes and not ponds. 

[Catt]

My #1 weapon of choice is a Texas Rig, #2 iis a Jig-n-Craw.

Weight is always determined by Rate of Fall, the bass may want the slow fall rate of a weightless worm or the speed of a 1/8 oz & up.

I like hopping a worm over dragging but both work!

[speed craw]

Depends more on water temp for me as far as when to use . But you might gry a bobber stopper , come in handy when skipping docks .

[Mccallister25]

Thanks guys. Like I said, the next couple times Im out there, Imma focus on the rig only. As bad as Im gonna want to throw that jig, Imma just have to leave it at home.

I catch about 90% of my bass with a 5/16 oz jig. Iv had very minimal luck throwing a jig into "open" or deeper water, so I throw my jigs around the banks. It produces fish for me, and at times quality fish, so I dont feel the need to fix that. I'll probably just try it with a 1/4 oz weight since I fish shallow. I'll just try jigging and dragging to see what happens.

[Mccallister25]

With the summer conditions, which is more beneficial in shallower water, a worm or creature style bait?

[Todd2]

About 23 years ago, a friend of mine's dad showed us a Texas rig. Sunday I was out throwing that same rig on that same lake and it's only thing I caught keepers on. I use it and a jig year round. I can't tell you why one works over the other but sometimes it seems that way. Sometimes they both work and sometimes a crankbait will smoke both of them. I alternate between a slow drag and a quicker hop until I get bit.

[frogflogger]

Try a trick worm with a 1/16th to 1/8th free sliding sinker - experiment with retrieves - hops to swims to drags and what I call the dying quiver, where you tighten up to the worm and try and hold it still - this has been the day saver for me on many charters.

[Choporoz]

As described above, the thing I love about a T-rig is the versatility; you can use it to swim a curly tail, pitch a fluke, twitch a finesse or trick worm on the bottom, etc -- you can run through plastic shapes, colors and sizes while you're still searching without a lot of retying until you narrow down the menu for the day.  Once I think I'm figuring the day's pattern I usually switch to weightless or weighted hook (rage-rigged.)  But, I frequently come back to the T.  One thing I don't do often enough is peg the weight -- I need to work on how pegging affects various presentations.

 

One more thing -- a carefully rigged plastic on a t-rig runs surprisingly true and works weeds so much better than you'd think.  However, it doesn't take much of a kink in the lizard or worm or fluke to make the bass sit back and laugh at my lazy rigging efforts.

[buzzed bait]

With the summer conditions, which is more beneficial in shallower water, a worm or creature style bait?

 

you may just have to let the fish tell you, some days i'm whacking them on both..... other days it's obvious they prefer one over the other.  if you really want to find out, i say throw the same color worm and same color creature and you'll find out if they prefer one over the other.....

[speed craw]

I think you just making it overly complicated. I fish a texas rig exactly the same as a jig . There is literally no difference just water temp designation. Think your using a jig so your confidence will be high.

[SweepTheLegAU]

Zoom Watermelon Red Trick Worn or Chartreuse lizards always seem to produce. I'd say no on the peg, especially on a bare bank, take some time experimenting with hops and drags where you can see how your bait moves then picture that when its out of sight.  

[Catt]

Google Larry Nixon worm fishing & learn from the master!