When You T-Rig Is It Normally Weighted Or Unweighted?

[tcbass]

Just wondering what most people do.

[Catch and Grease]

_{I don't do a whole lot of weightless fishing, I do like to throw stuff like flukes, speed craws, and the occasional Stickbait weightless!}

 

 

 

[Choporoz]

Normally weighted when I want the bait to fall faster than it would if it were unweighted.

[kikstand454]

They are two separate things to me. I don't find myself using a lure often where weighted or unweighted is a decision I have to make. Like. ... unweighted I'm throwing flukes, floating worms, horny toads, maybe a senko. These baits and presentations are generally an unweighted deal. So while the hook is technically "t-rigged", I don't really consider it an " unweighted t-rig".

In my mind a t-rig is a plastic with a bullet sinker rigged weedless and generally fished on the bottom. If I tell you that I caught em on a Texas rigged worm. .... you can bet I'm not talking about say, a paddle tail or speed worm where- its the same rigging set up - but you cast and wind it in. I don't consider that a t-rig.

That's how my mind classifies it- right or wrong- so I have to say weighted .....always.

[Mike L]

If I'm not punching or pitching into a heavy grass or weeded area, I always start out weightless. Then go from there.

Keep in mind I fish in relatively shallow, grassy lakes.

Mike

[Delaware Valley Tackle]

I voted weighted, primarily because that's how I've always defined a T-rig. Weightless plastics rigged weedless is how I refer to Senkos, Flukes etc

[deep]

A texas rig without a sinker? That's a new one! I get what you mean though; weightless when that kind of sinkrate is preferred, or when it produces the desired action on the fall (senkos). Weights when I expect to get bitten on the bottom.

[Darren.]

I do both, but definitely use a weight more.

[einscodek]

I didnt vote because.. it depends.. I use both

[Raul]

Texas rigs are always weighted, if it ain´t then it ain´t a Texas rig.

[buzzed bait]

I voted weighted, primarily because that's how I've always defined a T-rig. Weightless plastics rigged weedless is how I refer to Senkos, Flukes etc

 

agreed

[J Francho]

In order to be considered a Texas Rig, in my book it has to have a sliding bullet weight.  Otherwise, it's just weedless on a offset worm hook.

[5fishlimit]

I voted weighted as I am usually adding some type of weight on my t-rigged plastics. Whether I peg the weight, or not, is the bigger decision to me.

[Fisher-O-men]

Texas rigs are always weighted, if it ain´t then it ain´t a Texas rig.

This is the deal that most of you have voiced.  How this has come to be confused is that the method of hooking an offset hook into a plastic is often referred to as "Texposed". 

[WRB]

The Texas rig consist of a bullet weight and worm hook, otherwise it's a weedless hooked worm.

Tom

[Raul]

This is the deal that most of you have voiced.  How this has come to be confused is that the method of hooking an offset hook into a plastic is often referred to as "Texposed". 

 

I have no idea how so much confusion has been created, Texas rig is bullet shape sinker and a hook, bait rigged weedless, now you can say that there´s a variation of thhe Texas rig when you peg the bullet shape sinker, now there´s still the debatable subject of those weighted hooks with a bullet shape weight molded to the hook if that is a Texas rig or not.

 

From where the term "Texposed " was coined I have no idea, I´ve always known such arrangement of the hook on the bait as skin hooked.

 

Weedless rigged is not Texas rig,and weedless rigged can be weighted or unweighted, because there are hooks with weight molded on the hook.

 

So to answer the question to the poll, since the Texas rig is always weighted then my Texas rig is always weighted, if it´s not then it´s Weedless rig which maybe be weighted or unweighted depending upon conditions and desired presentation. Also, normally I skin hook the bait.

[F14A-B]

Yes, T-Rig is my rig of choice & it is with a sliding bullet weight ...

[J Francho]

I think the first time I heard Texposed, was in reference to rigging "new" baits that were thicker than the average worm, like the Slug-O. This was in the late 80s. Wide gap worm hooks weren't the norm. To get the bite you needed, you popped the point through, and let it rest against the bait. It was still weedless, with bait taking up most of the hook gap.

Along came wide gap offset worm hooks, and Texposed rigging continued. Though, now many - myself included - were pushing the hook to just below the surface, or back through. Hence the term "skin hooked."

Many baits still have a slot in them. That was for skin hooking or Texposing the bait. It's also why many fluke style jerk baits have a deep slot in the belly.

Can you imagine the best hook option being a 5/0 straight gap worn hook? That's what we had, along with those slow 5:0 reels and floppy 6' rods.

[J Francho]

BTW, back then when describing how to rig a Slug-O, "just rig it weedless, like a Texas Rig, but without sinker."

[Mike L]

Love dem sluggo's!

You don't here much about them anymore.

All anybody wants now is a senko

But to all you young squirts out there....There was a time.....

Mike

[DogBone_384]

I've tried it unweighted a few times, just to see the difference.

[RB 77]

T-Rig = bullet weight, hook, and a soft plastic. No bullet weight = "fly lined" to me. I use both. Stik baits get "fly lined', all other plastics get a T-rig.

[J Francho]

More thoughts on the other half of the discussion....

 

Pegged or Sliding

 

Pegging has the bait falling at the same rate a the weight.  I call this a "drop bait."  The weight can help the bait penetrate cover.  The size of the bait can change the fall rate, but they always fall together.  If you peg with a T-peg, rubber band/mono trick, or toothpick (my preferred method), you can get a sort of "ad hoc" Carolina/Mojo rig, though not exactly the same.  Retrieving like a jig works well.  The three-hop and let settle isn't quite as dramatic as with a sliding weight. Since the weight is always near the hook, it's a good option for working around cover where tagles are common, like lilly pads or submerged wood.  A fish biting will always have the weight in it's mouth.  The weight is always close to the bait after a hookset, so can be leverage to work a hook out.

 

Sliding will have the sinker leading the bait down. Use a light weight and when you lift your rod tip, the sinker will slide down to the bait.  Use a heavy sinker, and the bait will move towards the weight, if it's unobstructed.  It's often easier to clear weeds with a little shake of the rod tip.The fall of the bait is a little slower, and more natural.  The three-hop and settle routine works really nice with a sliding weight.  It's not a great option to use around fallen trees and pads, since the weight and bait can be seperated by that cover, with the line in between.  A biting fish may not always get a weight in it's mouth.  Often, after a hookset, the weight is far up the line, and there's not as much leverage to shake a hook free.

 

Not all of this is true 100% of the time, but it generalizes the differences so you can decide what's better for a given situation.

[Hattrick7]

Always weighted for me unless it's really shallow.

[*Hank]

I use wieghtless gyb senkos and d-shads and other gyb baits. Because there so dense I rarely fish with them weighted. But other less dense baits and crawfish type baits I fish wieghted.