Ode To The Texas Rigged Worm

[Catt]

With all the hype, high pressure sales, and the desire for magical mystical lures or techniques anglers have been deceived into believing the Texas Rig is an old antiquated technique that should be shelved like Jitterbugs, Tiny Torpedoes, Johnson Spoons, and Inline Spinner baits.

The lure that had the biggest impact on American fishing started in the late 1940s in a basement in Akron Ohio. That's where Nick and Cosma Creme cooked up the perfect combination of vinyl, oils and pigments to produce a molded worm that not only looked and felt soft and alive, but also stayed that way when exposed to air over time. 1949 would be the official birth year of the now famous Creme worm. But we’ve been told that today’s modern “Trick” worms bare no resemblance to this old tired chunk of plastic.

We have even been convinced that the “Super Mystical” Punch Rig is not a Texas Rig because they have added a skirted bead between the weight and hook.

We’ve been convinced that flipping & pitching if far more productive than casting your Texas Rig out and finessing it back to the boat along the bottom feeling for nooks-n-crannies and twig-n-limbs.

We’ve even forgotten that the plastic worm is the only lure made that a BASS CANNOT REMEMBER!

That is, a bass will continue to strike a worm even after repeated catches, whereas a bass will "turn off" to other lures, spinner baits and crank baits etc. after wearing them out on them. That’s why you cannot continue to catch them on your honey hole with the same lure over and over. Bass will stop eating that which will eradicate them. Not true with the plastic worm, however. Although we all know bass will prefer a different bait at different times (i.e. "the pattern") you can always go back to the worm to catch them.

I guess y’all can label me Ole School since I refuse to give up on the #1 most productive lure and technique ever invented.

[Hooked_On_Bass]

I've got one tied on 100% of the time.

[Nitrofreak]

On 9/20/2011 at 4:47 AM, Catt said:

With all the hype, high pressure sales, and the desire for magical mystical lures or techniques anglers have been deceived into believing the Texas Rig is an old antiquated technique that should be shelved like Jitterbugs, Tiny Torpedoes, Johnson Spoons, and Inline Spinner baits.

The lure that had the biggest impact on American fishing started in the late 1940s in a basement in Akron Ohio. That's where Nick and Cosma Creme cooked up the perfect combination of vinyl, oils and pigments to produce a molded worm that not only looked and felt soft and alive, but also stayed that way when exposed to air over time. 1949 would be the official birth year of the now famous Creme worm. But we’ve been told that today’s modern “Trick” worms bare no resemblance to this old tired chunk of plastic.

We have even been convinced that the “Super Mystical” Punch Rig is not a Texas Rig because they have added a skirted bead between the weight and hook.

We’ve been convinced that flipping & pitching if far more productive than casting your Texas Rig out and finessing it back to the boat along the bottom feeling for nooks-n-crannies and twig-n-limbs.

We’ve even forgotten that the plastic worm is the only lure made that a BASS CANNOT REMEMBER!

That is, a bass will continue to strike a worm even after repeated catches, whereas a bass will "turn off" to other lures, spinner baits and crank baits etc. after wearing them out on them. That’s why you cannot continue to catch them on your honey hole with the same lure over and over. Bass will stop eating that which will eradicate them. Not true with the plastic worm, however. Although we all know bass will prefer a different bait at different times (i.e. "the pattern") you can always go back to the worm to catch them.

I guess y’all can label me Ole School since I refuse to give up on the #1 most productive lure and technique ever invented.

AWESOME POST catt and I am in the same boat as far as being "ole school".

My tackle box used to be as big as my boat lol or it seemed it was anyway with all of the latest and greatest stuff on the market.

Today it almost fits in my hand and in the bottom are an assortment of yep you guessed it WORMS for my Texas and Carolina rigs, Yes there are cranks and spinners and jigs but no more than 2 or 3 of each.

When these so called "Wonder Lures" hit the market or when these other lures fail to catch fish you know are there I go back and simply pick up my Texas rigged worms and catch fish.

It has almost always worked when all else has failed, The only reason I say it almost always works is because of a lack of attention to detail on my part.

I think Glenn said it best "It is the SUV of fishing rigs"... and one that I will never go without.

[Crestliner2008]

Great post indeed! Thank you! I always rely on the plain ole' Texas rig with a 7" worm of one kind or another. When all else fails, it can usually be counted upon to save the day.

When did you all first "discover" this rigging? My baptism accured after Al Lindners "Big Book of Fishing", back in the early 70's. I still have that tattered paperback somewhere!

[Nitrofreak]

Great post indeed! Thank you! I always rely on the plain ole' Texas rig with a 7" worm of one kind or another. When all else fails, it can usually be counted upon to save the day.

When did you all first "discover" this rigging? My baptism accured after Al Lindners "Big Book of Fishing", back in the early 70's. I still have that tattered paperback somewhere!

HOLY CRAP YOU STILL HAVE THAT!!!lol.

For me it was the late 70's fishing with my dad standing on a bank fishing next to a guy we never met who showed us both how to rig it up and use it, Although the technique has changed a little it is still not much different than the way it was used way back then.

[tholmes]

I've got one tied on 100% of the time.

X2 ^ I ALWAYS have a t-rig on one rod. Many times, I'll leave the big tackle box at home and just carry one rod, a few extra hooks and bullet weights along with a handful of worms.

Tom

[Catt]

The first bass I caught on a Texas Rig was back in the mid60s but I was reintroduced to the Texas Rig in 1972 when I started tournament fishing Toledo Bend full time.

When anglers talk of “reaction” lures I picture a worm slowly and seductively falling through the water column with its random movements, little noise, and few negative cues, making it hard for big bass not to hit.

I don’t count on the Texas rig to save the day: I start the day out with it

[00 mod]

Anyone who has ever fished with me, knows I am a worm fisherman at heart! I have one tied on 120% of the time. Because most of the time, I have 2 rods with them on!

Jeff

[Lucas412]

Great post and I totally agree. Worm fishing is my favorite. When I was a kid it seemed ridiculous that you could catch a bass on an old piece of rubber so I never really tried it. The first time a bass nailed one for me I was hooked. I've always got a t-rig tied on.

[Crestliner2008]

Here's an oldie for ya! Right out of the "Big Book of Fishing".

I still have some of these too!

[South FLA]

T-rig is my go to confidence lure, have caught more fish off a t-rigged worm than all other lures combined in my lifetime. If you think about it, flipping, pitching, punching, fluke, skinny dippers, etc are all variations of a T-rigged worm! Classic t-rig fishing for me is a 1/4oz bullet weight with a 3/0-5/0 hook and a 8-12" worm of choice!

Old school for me was a Tru-Turn hook, an original bullet weight, and a Squirmin'worm, in purple fire-tail or black with chartreuse tail By the way does anyone here still use Tru-Turn hooks? I still have tons of Squirmin worms though, still deadly as every!

[Raul]

Old school for me was a Tru-Turn hook, an original bullet weight, and a Squirmin'worm,

X 2 but the worm, mine was a Mann´s Jelly Worm.

[Nitrofreak]

When anglers talk of “reaction” lures I picture a worm slowly and seductively falling through the water column with its random movements, little noise, and few negative cues, making it hard for big bass not to hit.

catt that is rip your heart out tender right there !!!

How eloquent can one be when speaking of a soft plastic worm.

MAKES ME WANNA GO FISHING !!!!

[WRB]

+1 Catt, good history. Also google "The Lowly Worm".

Nearly every bass angler has fished with the Texas rig worm. I can still remember my first encounter with Creme's rubber worms. Fishing lake Shasta in NoCal back in '57, two old timers came off the lake with a stringer of big bass and I asked them what they caught them on and they said rubber worms. Being a curiuos teen ager they gave me a packaged pre rigged rubber worm with a small metal propeller, red beads with 2 hooks molded into the worm on a mono leader. They also showed my how to add a sliding egg weight, like a trout rig and told me to drag it down a steep bank. When I got home and wrote to the Creme company they sent me instructions how to rig their worms Texas style with red painted bullet weights which I ordered. 54 years later I'm still catching bass on the Texas rigged worms...thanks to Nick Creme.

Tom

[Eriewormer]

Great post, made me feel better about how I fish 90% of the time !! I still try to do new things, but always come home to my favorite rig.

[J Francho]

I was expecting poetry.

[dhami013]

Melted and molded, cooled then fished.

The plastic worm is a bait that can never be dissed.

Its colors, and shape, and size never end.

The longer in the water, the more fish for you friend.

There's your poetry Francho.

[Nitrofreak]

Melted and molded, cooled then fished.

The plastic worm is a bait that can never be dissed.

Its colors, and shape, and size never end.

The longer in the water, the more fish for you friend.

There's your poetry Francho.

OH YEA!!!

[CWB]

Here's an oldie for ya! Right out of the "Big Book of Fishing".

I still have some of these too!

I'm pretty sure I have a few of those hooks somewhere too.

Wow you guys are bringing back memories. I recently bought a bag of 100 6" Lindy Swipes, which I believe are the best quality worms ever made when it comes to detail and lack of flaws etc, and I have a hard time using them due to the memories they evoke. Oh the good old simpler days. Thanks for taking us down memory lane Catt.

[MuffinMan]

I have a setup dedicated to this rig and I do not give up on the bass until I have tried this rig.

[BassinMidWest]

Couldn't agree more catt!! LOVE a texas rigged with a straight shank hook! Grandpa taught me way back when, and I'm still using it today, and frequently!

Also why do you never see old school colors like blue and red?

@ Crestliner I still have some of those from Grampa's tackle box. In my opinion they hold a worm better then a regular straight shank... wish these were still around!

[J Francho]

With all the hype, high pressure sales, and the desire for magical mystical lures or techniques anglers have been deceived into believing the Texas Rig is an old antiquated technique that should be shelved like Jitterbugs, Tiny Torpedoes, Johnson Spoons, and Inline Spinner baits.

OK, serious now. Good starting point for a thread, tons of discussion can be had on this topic.

Where ever did you get the idea that anglers are shelving the Texas Rig?!?

I mean, if you were to take a gander at what is on the deck of any given number of bass boats, you'd probably find one or more rods rigged with a soft plastic on a Texas Rig. Even guys that don't like them use them. It is ALWAYS the soup of the day on my boat (I usually have three or four rigs out, dedicated to a Texas Rig), and I honestly only know one or two anglers that won't use one. One is a crankbait specialist, and other than some beginners, I can't think of anyone else.

In my classes, the Texas Rig is the FIRST thing I show anyone that has at least caught a fish. True, I am a believer in starting n00bs off with a moving bait, but as soon as I can, I try to get them into feeling the bait, and a Texas Rig - especially a basic ribbon tail worm - can really hammer the point home. I think a ribbon tail worm, on this rig will teach an angler a heluva lot more than wacky rigged stick worm will.

[Nitrofreak]

OK, serious now. Good starting point for a thread, tons of discussion can be had on this topic.

Where ever did you get the idea that anglers are shelving the Texas Rig?!?

I mean, if you were to take a gander at what is on the deck of any given number of bass boats, you'd probably find one or more rods rigged with a soft plastic on a Texas Rig. Even guys that don't like them use them. It is ALWAYS the soup of the day on my boat (I usually have three or four rigs out, dedicated to a Texas Rig), and I honestly only know one or two anglers that won't use one. One is a crankbait specialist, and other than some beginners, I can't think of anyone else.

In my classes, the Texas Rig is the FIRST thing I show anyone that has at least caught a fish. True, I am a believer in starting n00bs off with a moving bait, but as soon as I can, I try to get them into feeling the bait, and a Texas Rig - especially a basic ribbon tail worm - can really hammer the point home. I think a ribbon tail worm, on this rig will teach an angler a heluva lot more than wacky rigged stick worm will.

Good post J, I am thinking he was just a little tired of reading most of the posts in here with all of the new stuff hitting the market and most not getting the results the so called bait was supposed to produce, I am only assuming that he posted this to draw attention to us to show just how important the Texas rig is to an arsonal of baits.

Of course that is just my opinion, I really can not imagine that with all of the tallent that is in this forum, The Texas rig would be a thing of the past and even suggesting it should be put on a shelf is as about as ludicrous a statement as one could make.

[J Francho]

A guy in a fancy bass boat trolls up to our dock, where I am tossing a Rebel Deep Wee R. He asks if he can cast in next to the dock. No problem, I'm thinking there's nothing in that slop next to the dock - all my fish come from the deep ledge out front. He tosses in, and I watch as his bait just zips through the weeds without much ado. Then he stops, drops his rod tip while reeling up slack, and sets the hook into a decent bass. It was probably just a three pounder, but to an eleven year old it was huge. He says, "How could you leave that fish just sitting there?" laughing. I laughed too, and use that line to this day when I catch a fish in front of someone. he let the fish go, and I asked him what the heck that was he used to catch it. He came over, showed me the bait - a Culprit worm - and how to rig it. It was a fishing epiphany right there on our dock. He gave me a few hooks, sinkers and a pack of worms. He also showed me how to pitch, and said to save up for a baitcaster. That was in the mid 80s - that Rebel Deep Wee R was a HOT BAIT at that time. I don't know where that guy is now, but he single-handedly changed me into an avid fisherman from a kid that liked to cast off the dock. I still consider myself a heck of a crankbait fisherman, but I would have never guessed I could fish in stuff like that with something as simple as that Texas Rigged worm.

[brushhoggin]

I'm in complete agreement here. a buddy and i were talking yesterday while fishing about how it's the all time quarter back of lures. in a lot of situations, it's all you really need! would definitely be my lure of choice if i were restricted to one lure.