Is the Texas Rig one of your confidence baits ?

[Danocaster]

I’m referring to a bullet weight and an EWG  or straight shank hook with a worm / craw / creature … is this one of your GO-TO baits ? 
 

I just don’t throw it much and don’t feel as confident with it as I do a jig / wacky Senko /Shakeyhead  etc

 

am I missing out on something ? I think of it as “old school” but I see all the  young “YOUTUBE ANGLERS “  throwing it constantly and it seems like their GO-TO 

 

I threw it today and caught fish - but I can sure cast more accurately and more stealthy with something else 

 

how many of you guys throw a weighted Texas rig ALOT ? And do you think I should throw it more often so it becomes more comfortable?

 

Thanks 🙏🏻 

[LrgmouthShad]

Yes it was one of my top setups last year and usually ranks high every year. It is still relevant, but we do have a myriad of soft plastic rigging methods now.

[MIbassyaker]

Yes.

 

The Texas rig is maybe the only presentation you could limit me to, and I would still have confidence I could catch bass anywhere.  The right word to describe it is not so much "old-school", as "foundational".  Fishing a texas rig requires (and teaches you) a variety of skills that every other presentation benefits from: patience, concentration, precision of presentation, attention to depth and fall speed, bottom contact, strike detection, proper hooksetting, among others.  I'm not sure why you would be having trouble with accuracy and stealth, but experimenting with different weights and some practice should resolve that. If you can fish a jig effectively, a texas rig should be very straightforward.

[OkobojiEagle]

Fish the way you enjoy.  I've never fished a Texas rig...

[GreenPig]

It's a staple for me from a T - rigged TRD to a 15" curly tail worm or TRD Crawz to a 6.25" Venom Nightmare Craw.

[MediumMouthBass]

Its one of my no confidence baits, ive seen countless guys on youtube and here catching bass on them, i have a dedicated setup for them and throw them every time i go fishing and barely catch bass on them. Tungsten weights, lead weights, fluoro, mono, braid, any weight and soft plastic combination you can think of and no. In my area they just dont work, or they worked too good to many times and the bass know what they are now.

Today i started cutting most of my Strike King soft plastics for texas rigs in half for jig trailers, these somehow still work and work great for me.

[F14A-B]

It is absolutely my favorite way to fish. 
 

One thing imo is you need to fish it slow. After watching the elite series pros at Harris those guys were fishing trigs way faster than they should have. If living in Florida and fishing for big largemouth taught me anything was s l o w  d o w n. I mean very slow on casting and retrieving the trig worm. 

Just my experience. 

[TLHSS]

The Texas rig with a 3 inch slim Senko is the one bait set-up I throw every time I fish. For me, it consistently catches fish.

 

However, I don’t always use the bullet weight. At times, I have better luck weightless or with a split shot. 

[rgasr63]

I have fished a Texas rig for several decades now and it has always produced catches for me. I almost spent a whole summer at one pond and it was the only lure I used. You have so many options now for plastics it can fit all kind of situations one could think of. I also use jigs and crankbaits too. But Texas rigs will always have a place in my tackle bag

[T-Billy]

The T-rig is either my #1 or #2 producer of big bass year after year, with a chatterbait at night being the other. @MIbassyaker nailed it. It's a foundational technique that every bass angler should be proficient with. 

[Team9nine]

Another non-fan here. Yeah, I’ve caught them on it, mostly when I was younger fishing a lot of tourneys on tough waters, but most years I never even throw a traditional T-rig, or even carry the components in my boat to do so. A jig has always been a faster approach, with better feel, so i always grabbed it first - still do.

[Jig Man]

It used to be but I rarely use it anymore.

[Pat Brown]

I fish waters where you're gonna be sorry if you don't get good with both so I have them both tied on year round.

 

When they're in heavy brush or vegetables I go t rig.  When they're on rock or points or bluffs or humps I go jig.  Most of the time I select the bait for the cover and mood of the fish not really for my enjoyment anymore.  I like fish biting more than I like throwing the wrong bait for fun (or however we should phrase this). That's just me!

[Jar11591]

Yes. I always have one tied on. During the summer months it’s one of my top baits. When the cover is really gnarly, is when I’ll usually opt for a Texas rig. It’s one of the most versatile, tried and true, and effective presentations. It’s a staple in many bass angler’s repertoire. 

[Tennessee Boy]

I don’t think a fish is going to see my bait and say “That’s a great looking worm but it’s on a shaky head.  I’ll wait for a Texas rig.”  I use a bait that I think will catch fish.   How I rig it depends more on how I want to present it and where.  That said a t-rig or some variation is very high up on my list.  I almost always have one or two tied on.

[Mike L]

Always!
The thing about a T Rig is it isn’t just a mindless chunk and wind presentation 
Ya gotta think a little bit

 

Everything comes into play…

Bait size

Specific action of the plastic used

Weight 

Cover

Structure

Wind 

Cast distance

Flip or Pitch

Retrieve speed

Retrieve action 

Temperature 

Hook style

Line choice

IPT of the reel

Rod length and sensitivity 

Etc

 

It’s just a system with options.
Thats really all T Rig fishing is.
Some are more important and have a greater effect than others.
Some are just part of the overall setup that once it’s done it’s done. 
But if you really think about it everything is part of the whole.
 

T Rig fishing is the simplest way to catch a fish, that’s why most kids (at least mine) were weened on it. 
 

 

Mike
 

 

 

 

 

[scaleface]

I use it more than anything. 5/16th oz weight is my benchmark. There has to be enough weight to easily cast and pitch into the sweet spots.

[WRB]

Worms over 7” on length get T-rigged usually 3/16 oz to 3/8 oz depending on depth and wind. I use my jig rod/reel/line.

prefer a T-rig flatter sloping terrain with brush and a jig when the terrain Is steeper where I fish. Excellent night rig always use it or jigs because they work and don’t snag easily 

Tom

[FishTax]

I don't throw it a ton, but do have confidence in it. For me I throw shaky head if I can.. then if it's too thick, I go jig, then TR as third choice. No idea why. I may swap out with the jig in that sequence now that I think about it, I'd probably get more bites. 

Wacky is what I didn't have confidence with. Makes no sense, but I have a mental block on it. 

[casts_by_fly]

3 hours ago, Pat Brown said:

I fish waters where you're gonna be sorry if you don't get good with both so I have them both tied on year round.

 

When they're in heavy brush or vegetables I go t rig.  When they're on rock or points or bluffs or humps I go jig.  Most of the time I select the bait for the cover and mood of the fish not really for my enjoyment anymore.  I like fish biting more than I like throwing the wrong bait for fun (or however we should phrase this). That's just me!

 

3 hours ago, Tennessee Boy said:

I don’t think a fish is going to see my bait and say “That’s a great looking worm but it’s on a shaky head.  I’ll wait for a Texas rig.”  I use a bait that I think will catch fish.   How I rig it depends more on how I want to present it and where.  That said a t-rig or some variation is very high up on my list.  I almost always have one or two tied on.

 

 

These two quotes sum me up.  I used to be jig heavy because where I learned to fish was more brush and less grass.  Around here, its chopped salad from May to September and a texas rig runs through it better.  I used to only use a texas rig as a pitching rig, but last year I used it more as a searching and water covering rig to really good effect. It was probably my #1 bait last year which looking back surprises the heck out of me given my proclivity to throw moving baits.  I've defaulted to having one tied on before each trip (bait and weight dependent on where and when).

[Fishing_Rod]

Greetings All,

 

Using weedless soft plastics is a lot of fun for me. Yes, it does have a pretty good catch to cast ratio around the different waters here in SE AZ. That ranges from reservoirs, park lakes / ponds, and canals. I appreciate the lower fuss factor being weedless.

 

Most of my time taunting fish is split between using a curly tailed grub on 1/16 or 1/32 oz jig or the weedless soft plastic ranging from weightless to 1/16 oz.

 

The limited size and weight of the bait presentation results in more activity with fewer snags. The lighter weight does require a bit more time to get to depth, but it often is worth the wait. The slower drop appears to make it "approachable". I'm generally using it from 0 - 25 feet depths. I spend more time in the shallower range.

 

Like tools, it is good to have and know how to use a variety. There are also some that have more utility than others too. Have a great time exploring the different angling tools and find the ones that provide more catching. Be well and Cheers!

[BrianMDTX]

I have a Kistler Helium TCJ (the “T stands for Texas rig), so yeah, I always have Texas rig ready to go. 

[Mobasser]

I've fished a t rig for many years. Mostly with plastic worms, and, lighter weights of 1/8 or 3/16 oz.

[padon]

its my number i producer most years. most of the lakes i fish have milfoil and the bass spend alot of time in it. a texas rig is one of the most effective baits to fish in thick grass.

[GReb]

Yep. Fishing pressure is at an all time high and the sheer amount of tournaments has made it really tough to catch bass on moving baits. Targeting isolated cover with a 1/8 oz Texas rig and 7” curly tail worm has been one of my go to presentations due to this.