Rigging soft baits: Texas, Carolina, wacky, drop shot and jig head

A rig is just the way a bait, a hook and a weight are put together. The same worm becomes a different lure depending on where the weight goes and how the hook sits, so a handful of rigs cover most of what anglers do with soft plastics. This is lesson two of the soft baits series; lesson one covers the baits.

Texas rig: the weedless standard

The Texas rig is a bullet weight on the line, then a worm hook, then a bait with the hook point buried just under its skin so it slides through weeds and wood without hanging up. The steps: thread the bullet weight on pointed end first, tie the hook below it, push the point in at the nose and out the bottom, slide the bait up until it covers the eye and the knot, then pinch the middle, bend the bait and push the point through its back. The bait should hang straight; if it twists, take it off and start over, because a crooked bait spins and tangles your line. To make it weedless, lay the point just under the skin of the back.

Texas-rigged worm: The hook enters at the nose, comes out and goes back into the body, so no point shows.

A Texas rig works year-round in shallow water near cover, and shallow vegetation, docks and wood are the classic spots, where a 3/8 to 1/2 ounce weight with a 4/0 hook and a creature bait is a good start. Offset worm hooks go with thin baits like finesse worms and lizards, extra wide gap hooks with creature baits, and straight-shank hooks with flipping and pitching. A bobber stop above the weight pins it to the bait for heavy cover. In open water, leave the weight free to slide. Many bites are only a tick or a heavy feeling, and some come as the bait falls, so watch for the line to stop sinking. Our weights guide covers bullet weights and stoppers.

Weightless: the lightest rig

Leave the weight off and a slow-sinking bait such as a stick bait or a floating worm acts like a hurt insect or minnow. A stick bait's own density gives it a good sink rate in shallow water, and our soft plastics guide shows a floating worm fished this way. Use it where the bait should stay high in the water or where bass are shallow and wary.

Carolina rig: dragging along the bottom

On a Carolina rig the weight sits well above the bait. From the rod down: the weight, then a bead, then a barrel swivel on the main line. A leader, usually fluorocarbon, ties to the other eye of the swivel and carries the hook and a Texas-rigged bait. The bead protects the knot and clicks against the weight, and a swivel stops the weight from sliding down to the bait and cuts line twist. Bullet, egg, barrel and slider weights all work. A 1/2 ounce is a fair start in 15 feet of water or less, and 3/4 to 1 ounce is better deeper or in wind so the bait keeps touching bottom. One retailer's steps give a leader of 1 to 4 feet, and its FAQ gives 18 to 36 inches as the traditional length. A lighter leader than the main line breaks first at a snag, so you keep the weight and swivel.

Swivels: A three-way swivel is a different rig. For a Carolina rig, use a plain barrel swivel.

Move to a Carolina rig when bass sit deeper than about 10 feet after the spawn. Fish it by dragging the bait over the bottom and feeling for the weight tick over rock or gravel. It works from a boat or the bank on spinning or casting gear.

Wacky rig: hook through the middle

Hook a stick bait or a worm across the middle, with both ends hanging free. It takes no weight in shallow water, and both ends quiver as it falls. A wacky hook (a thin, short hook with a weed guard is common) lets the bait move freely, and a circle hook cuts down on gut-hooked fish. To find the middle, fold the bait in half and hook it where the ends meet.

Drop shot: bait held off the bottom

A drop shot puts the weight at the bottom of the line and the hook above it, so the bait hangs a set height off the bottom and can stay in front of a fish. Tie the hook on with a Palomar knot, leave a long tag end (about 12 to 24 inches), and run the tag back through the front of the eye so the hook points up. Our Palomar knot steps are in the knots section. A clip-on or tie-on weight goes on the tag end. Allow 12 to 24 inches from hook to weight, use hook sizes 2 to 1/0 for standard drop shot hooks, and expect any soft plastic to work, including worms, flukes and shad shapes. The rig started in Japan and spread in the U.S. through West Coast tournament anglers. Light line is typical, with a fluorocarbon leader.

Jig head: the simple one

A jig head puts the weight and the hook in one piece. Push the nose of the bait onto the hook and slide it up until it meets the lead, so the bait runs straight. Grubs are fished on a round jig head with quick hops or slow drags on the bottom, and with a count-down and a steady swim for suspended fish. A small, light head is the usual finesse rig; our soft plastics guide shows two with a bait keeper.

Which rig when

Thick cover, shallow: Texas rig with a bullet weight, pegged if the cover is heavy.
Open bottom, deeper water or wind: Carolina rig, so the bait trails behind a heavy weight.
Shallow, clear, wary fish: weightless or wacky.
Fish you can see or mark above the bottom: drop shot.
Small baits, cold water, light tackle: jig head.

Weights, hooks and lengths are from published guides and are starting points. Change them to fit the water, the bait and your gear. Lure and hook rules vary by water; check TPWD's Outdoor Annual.

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