Texas Rig Lure

Texas Rig Lures are bottom contact lures known for their weedless set up called texas-rigged, for targeting cover, often heavy cover, and the versatility of soft plastics that can be used. It is also known for its versatility of lure weights from no weight to over 1 oz for punch casting.

Anatomy: Texas Rig lures are soft bait lures which typically feature a bullet weight, often with the weight pegged to the bottom of the hook, a single hook and a  soft plastic which is texas-rigged. In light presentations scenarios no weight is used or a very light bullet weight is used.

Variants & Other Names: 

  • Okeechobee Rig: Common lure on Florida’s Lake Okeechobee some suggest unpegged. 
  • Sasuteki Rig: A manufacturer’s name. 

Lure Action. Lure action comes mostly from the selected soft plastic. Generally, a soft plastic that has a  tail that provides movements to the lure as the nose has the weight and thus minimal movement.

Search Bait: Common.

Pros’ Choice: Common.

Figure 1: Texas Rig courtesy of Norrik
When to Fish Texas Rig Lure

Texas Rig lures are bottom contact lures typically selected when:   

  • Targeted Depth is:
    • Shallow: Common to fish shallow, often working a shoreline structure.
    • Deep(Offshore): Less common, generally with heavier weights and targeting deep cover. 
  • Fishing Speed is:
    • Fast: Common considered a fast fishing technique.   
    • Slow: Less common. Some suggest Shaky Head Lure as a similar lure for fishing slow. 
  • Lure Visibility is:
    • High Lure Visibility: Common, as it is considered to have a natural presentation.
    • Low Lure Visibility: Common, with a larger soft plastic and very close to the cover.
      • Engaging Lateral Line: Only the vibrations produced by the soft plastic.
      • Engaging Hearing: Not generally considered a lure with much noise but if desired an add on rattle can be used or use a bullet weight that rattles. Some add a glass bead between the hook and the weight to add sound. Also, noise is created when the weight hits the cover. 
      • Engaging Sense of Smell and or Taste: Typically soft plastics have odor and taste.
  • Targeting Cover: Some suggest all lures are good near cover where texas rig lures are used when contacting:
  • Soft Bottom vs Hard Bottom: Common to drag retrieve hard bottom. Not common for soft bottom and when chosen a hop retrieve is suggested. 
Specific Texas Rig Lure Selection

Selecting the Texas Rig Lure Type, as a soft bait lure type,  there are the following key decisions:

  • Lure Color: As lure color selection is mostly tied to the lure visibility download the Acute Lure Color Breakdown™ Infographic.
Download the Acute Lure Color Breakdown™ Infographic
Rigging Decisions

As a soft bait lure type, the common rigging considerations includes:

  • Hook:
    • Type: Worm hook is common which, despite its name, is generally used for all soft plastics, and some suggest Extra Wide Gap due as it is less likely to get caught in cover but some have preferences for straight shanked hooks due to their better hook set capability. That said, there are many worm hook options.
      • Drag Retrieve: Unpegged texas rig allows for the weight to come into effect during the drag retrieve. 
    • Hook Size:
      • Small: 1/O
      • Common: 2/O, 3/O, 4/O
      • Large: 5/O for example with a 10 inch worm.
  • Bullet Weights: Texas Rig is assembled with a bullet weight sometimes called a nose weight. Some suggest the lightest weight possible to avoid spooking the bass.  They can be fixed, free-sliding or pegged. There is a weight available designed to hold a skirt, called a punch skirt. As a soft bait lure, the fall rate can be estimated based on the profile of the soft bait and weight.
    • Small: 3/16 oz providing a more natural presentation and the longest fall rate.
    • Common: 1/4oz, 1/2 oz.
    • Large: 3/4 oz to 1.5 oz generally when punching.
  • Pegged: Pegging is fixing the bullet weight to the hook. Pegging is a common option, and the decision comes down to cover, fishing style, and preference. Pegging will help get the lure to the bottom quicker, potentially triggering a reaction bite and help eliminate the hook and soft plastic getting tangled on cover. Unpegged lures the weight will get to the bottom leaving the hook/soft bait more freely to float down to the weight slowly looking more natural. Pegging decisions can have an impact on the hook set as the peg will be in the bass’ mouth potentially interfering with the hook during the hook set. Conversely, some believe a non-pegged weight could help the bass to shake the hook free.
    • Tooth Pick:
    • Bobber Stopper:
    • Swimbait Cone Peg:
  • Cover Knot and Eye: Some suggest setting up the soft plastic such that it covers the knot and eye of the hook thus allowing the soft plastic to come into contact with the concave bullet weight creating a single more natural appearance.
Download Rod Infographic
Texas Rig Lure Presentations

Presentations for texas rig are commonly considered a vertical presentation and a slack line presentation with the following considerations:

Additional Considerations
MLF Videos and Articles by Experts
Major League Fishing (MLF) produces videos and articles including:
Videos by Experts
Articles by Experts
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