How to Texas Rig a Worm: Steps, Weights and Tips

How to Texas rig a worm? Slide a bullet weight onto your line, tie on a wide gap or offset worm hook, push the hook point into the top of the worm and out the side, turn the hook and push the point back into the worm so it sits straight and weedless. Then cast near cover and work it back slowly.

Below is the step-by-step rig, weight sizes for different depths and how to fish it, based on advice from the Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources. Going after bass? See our bass fishing hats with a custom name.

What is a Texas rig?

The Texas rig is a soft plastic bait rigged on a single hook with the point buried in the plastic, usually with a sliding bullet weight in front. Virginia DWR calls it "a simple, yet effective, multi-species setup" for largemouth and smallmouth bass, pike and pickerel (Virginia DWR: Try Throwing a Texas Rig). Because the hook point is hidden, it slides through weeds, brush and wood that would snag an open hook.

What you need

• A soft plastic worm (creature baits and crawfish baits work the same way)
• A wide gap or offset worm hook sized to the bait
• A bullet weight, from 1/16 oz for shallow water to 1/4 oz and heavier for deep water
• Optional: a bobber stop to pin the weight in place

How to Texas rig a worm step by step

1. Add the weight

Slide the bullet weight onto the line, pointed end first toward the rod tip. If you fish thick brush or grass, add a bobber stop above it so the weight stays against the bait.

2. Tie on the hook

Tie the offset worm hook to the end of the line with a knot you trust, such as an improved clinch or Palomar.

3. Thread the head of the worm

Push the hook point into the center of the worm's head about 1/4 inch, then out the side. Virginia DWR describes it as feeding the top of the lure "through and over the eye of your hook."

4. Turn the hook and line it up

Slide the worm up to the hook eye, rotate the hook so the point faces the worm, and lay the worm along the shank to see where the point should go back in. DWR says that if done correctly, "your lure should sit straight in line with the hook."

5. Make it weedless

Push the point back into the body of the worm. DWR notes this keeps weeds and algae from fouling the lure or the hookset. Leave the point just under the skin so it can come through on the hookset.

What weight should you use on a Texas rig?

Match the weight to the depth. DWR recommends a 1/16 to 1/8 oz bullet weight for shallow water of 1 to 5 feet, which gives a slow fall, and 1/4 oz and heavier for water 10 feet and deeper. Too heavy and the bait drags and snags; too light and it never reaches the fish. In very shallow water you can also fish the worm weightless.

Water depth	Bullet weight
1 to 5 feet	1/16 to 1/8 oz (or weightless)
5 to 10 feet	Between the two; adjust until you feel bottom
10 feet and deeper	1/4 oz and heavier

How to fish a Texas rig

• Go slow. DWR says the Texas rig "is best fished using a slow retrieve."
• Target cover. Cast parallel to the bank, onto structure or under overhangs where bass hold.
• Add action. Short pops, twitches or a rod sweep then picking up slack can trigger a fish that follows.
• Set the hook with tension. Reel in slightly first so the line is tight, then set hard enough to drive the point out of the plastic and into the fish. Keep tension during the fight.
• Use a sensitive rod. It helps you feel bumps on the bottom and light bites.

More bass basics: how to catch largemouth bass and largemouth vs smallmouth bass.

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FAQ

How do you rig a Texas rig step by step?

Slide on a bullet weight, tie on an offset worm hook, thread the hook point into the worm's head and out the side, turn the hook, and bury the point back in the worm so the bait hangs straight.

What worm is best for a Texas rig?

Any soft plastic worm works. Virginia DWR lists worms, creature baits and crawfish imitations among the best Texas rig baits.

What size weight should I use for a Texas rig?

About 1/16 to 1/8 oz in 1 to 5 feet of water and 1/4 oz or heavier in water 10 feet and deeper.

Why is it called weedless?

The hook point is buried inside the plastic, so it slides through weeds and brush without snagging until a fish bites and you set the hook.