Basic Texas Rig and Worm Hook Info

[.dsaavedra.]

on another forum, a member asked about the texas rig...she had never used one and didnt understand how the fish got hooked if the hook point was in the rubber of the worm. i made a post that i thought was pretty informative and worth sharing. so i decided to post it here for any beginners to the texas rig 8-)

here it is:

there are two basic ways to texas rig:

that is the traditional way where the hook point is burried in the rubber. the second(usually called tex-posed) is where the hook point is exposed outside of the rubber, but lays smooth against the rubber.

Traditional method:

with this it is completely snagless. nothing is exposed out from the rubber. to hook the fish using this method, you need a very stiff rod and a very powerful arm. this combined with a low strech line (such as braided line) will allow you to really pull on that hook to get it to come thru the rubber. a typical hook for this method looks like this:

Called an offset worm hook. the offset is that little kink (90° bend) behind the eye of the hook.

notice how the hook point is above the eye.

Tex-Posed:

a play on words since its a Texas Rig but the hook point is exposed in this method, the hook point isnt burried in the plastic, but rather lays ontop of the plastic. this is what i prefer. you can get by with a less stiff rod and a less strong hookset. it usually results in hooking more of the fish that bite. its also very snagless. the most you will usually get is some weeds. i prefer a tex-posed worm over a traditional texas rigged worm. a typical hook for tex-posing looks like this:

Called an offset EWG worm hook. you know what offset is, but the EWG stands for extra wide gap. notice how much larger the gap of the hook is. also notice how the hookpoint lies "in line" with the eye of the hook. this is what allows the worm to be tex-posed and have the hook point lie flat (if you tex-posed with the other kind of hook, the hook point would be stickin out at a 45° angle).

oh, and this applies to either method:

there are things called bullet weights:

named so because of their shape. the line goes thru that little hole thru the center. alot of people slide one of these on before they tie on the hook. you thread the line thru the pointed end of the weight (not the flat end). after you slide the weight on the line, tie on the hook like normal and texas rig the worm on the hook like normal (traditional or texposed). the weight will slide freely on the line. some people prefer that, others dont. if you want you can use a toothpick to "peg" down the weight. simply take a wooden toothpick and cram it tightly into the hole of the weight while it is attached to the line. when its tight you just break off the toothpick and the weight will stay in place. the shape of the weight is to that the texas rig stays snagless.

not all texas rigs have these weights on them. some are "weightless" which simply means they dont have any of the weights on them. i prefer weightless.

well that pretty much covers it....hope that helped you!

PS: texas rig is amazing...one of the most used techniques in bass fishing...definitley worth giving a shot.

[Catt]

Excellent except you forgot straight shank hooks which I use exclusively; Mustad 32807BLN Flippin Hook Designed by Denny Brauer.

[.dsaavedra.]

i guess i did forget straight shanked hooks. they are pretty uncommon in texas rigs though arent they?

[JigNBig]

they are probably one of the more common hooks when flipping and pitching plastics.

[Bassn Blvd]

you also rigged the sinker upside down,  your line goes through the pointed end of the sinker.

[.dsaavedra.]

aww did i really? i knew that...i must have just not been typing right. what i meant to say was so the line comes out the back end.

[Guest muddy]

Good Post!! You can leave off the weight and T rig wieghtless too. Thanks to RW I went to EWG hooks and that ius how I throw the Weightless trigged *** Tirk Stiks, with great sucess now!

[Raul]

i guess i did forget straight shanked hooks. they are pretty uncommon in texas rigs though arent they?

Actually they aren 't, they are excellent for those fragile thin worms that tear to pieces when you try to hook them with other types of hooks.

[Hookemdown.]

I've never used straight shanks.  What's their advantage over offsets and EWG's.

[Raul]

What's their advantage over offsets and EWG's.

they are excellent for those fragile thin worms that tear to pieces when you try to hook them with other types of hooks

[.dsaavedra.]

yeah now that i think of it a friend reccomended me use a wide gap bass fly hook (for fly tying) for gycb senkos cuz they are very fragile. i did but i found it annoying tht the worm slid down often. i stick w/ my EWG's

[Raul]

yeah now that i think of it a friend reccomended me use a wide gap bass fly hook (for fly tying) for gycb senkos cuz they are very fragile. i did but i found it annoying tht the worm slid down often. i stick w/ my EWG's

For every problem there is a solution if you only bother think to find a solution or ask for a solution to the problem.

Use a toothpick

Rig your worm, insert a toothpick into the bait, in through the hook eye all the way to the other side and clip away the excess wood, the bait won 't slide.

In my case mother nature has been generous and has supplied us southern fishermen with all kinds of thorny plants so we actually don 't have to worry much about not carrying toothpicks, they are there, all you need is to harvest a few  . I prefer huizache thorns over toothpicks.

;D

[Catt]

I've never used straight shanks. What's their advantage over offsets and EWG's.

They catch more fish  

[roadwarrior]

Catt,

You are sooooooo BAD!

8-)

p.s. I don't use straight hooks either.

[Catt]

If it works for you use it, straight shanks work for me so I use em, EWG work for you so you use em.

You like Gary Yamamoto I like Gene Larew

You like brown bass I like green bass

The list could go on all night but I get tired typing.

That's what's so fascinating about this sport called fishing; multiple tactics fit multiple personalities and they all catch bass.

[flechero]

multiple tactics fit multiple personalities

and sometimes it's all with the same angler.    ...lol

[.dsaavedra.]

yeah now that i think of it a friend reccomended me use a wide gap bass fly hook (for fly tying) for gycb senkos cuz they are very fragile. i did but i found it annoying tht the worm slid down often. i stick w/ my EWG's

For every problem there is a solution if you only bother think to find a solution or ask for a solution to the problem.

Use a toothpick

Rig your worm, insert a toothpick into the bait, in through the hook eye all the way to the other side and clip away the excess wood, the bait won 't slide.

In my case mother nature has been generous and has supplied us southern fishermen with all kinds of thorny plants so we actually don 't have to worry much about not carrying toothpicks, they are there, all you need is to harvest a few . I prefer huizache thorns over toothpicks.

;D

wow thats a very good idea! im usually pretty innovative but i dont think i would have thought about that. still seems like too much of hassle though, when i can use ewg's with yum dingers instead of yamamotos.

[Raul]

The difference between you and me my young apprentice is that I 've been fishing for 20 years more than you are old.  

And I don 't mean Yamamotos, there 's a whole world out there of soft plastics baits where the use of thin straight shank hooks is needed, not everything all is reduced to stickbaits.