04-16-2004, 10:53 PM
I need help texas rigging i'm not sure if i'm doing it right and i can't get the plastic worm to stay where it's supposed to on the hook.
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04-16-2004, 10:53 PM
04-17-2004, 03:09 AM
04-18-2004, 02:40 AM
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[font "Arial"][size 2]![[Image: figure1.jpg]](http://www.fishgeek.com/pics/texasrig/figure1.jpg)
[/size][size 1]Figure 1[/size][/font]
[font "Arial,Helvetica,Geneva,Swiss,SunSans-Regular"][#3435c3][size 2]Figure 1[/size][/#3435c3][/font][font "Arial,Helvetica,Geneva,Swiss,SunSans-Regular"][size 2]
[/size][/font][font "Arial,Helvetica,Geneva,Swiss,SunSans-Regular"][size 2]Choose an appropriately sized worm, bullet sinker and offset worm hook. Shown is a 7.5-inch Culprit worm, a 3/16 oz. bullet sinker and a 3/0 Gamakatsu hook (the images are smaller than actual size). This would be a good combination to start fishing local ponds and forest preserve lakes. These sizes are not set in stone, a little bigger or smaller will work. Just make sure they are somewhat balanced. For example, a 4/0 hook and 1/2-oz. sinker would not be a good choice to use with a 4" finesse worm. At this point, don't get wrapped up in color choice. Black, brown, watermelon or purple will all work. Note the 90-degree bend near the eye of the hook. This bend is what makes it a hook intended for Texas-rigging. Slide the sinker on to the line and attach the hook using a Palomar, improved clinch, or other strong knot.
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![[Image: figure2.jpg]](http://www.fishgeek.com/pics/texasrig/figure2.jpg)
[font "Arial,Helvetica,Geneva,Swiss,SunSans-Regular"][size 1]Figure 2[/size][/font]
[font "Arial,Helvetica,Geneva,Swiss,SunSans-Regular"][#3435c3][size 2]Figure 2[/size][/#3435c3][/font][font "Arial,Helvetica,Geneva,Swiss,SunSans-Regular"][size 2]
[/size][/font][font "Arial,Helvetica,Geneva,Swiss,SunSans-Regular"][size 2]Impale the hook in the center of the nose of the worm. Thread enough worm onto the hook so that once you are done it will offset the bend of the hook and cover the knot. Exit on the "bottom" of the worm, preferably on the molding seam. This will keep the hook centered on the worm.
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![[Image: figure3.jpg]](http://www.fishgeek.com/pics/texasrig/figure3.jpg)
[font "Arial,Helvetica,Geneva,Swiss,SunSans-Regular"][size 1]Figure 3[/size][/font]
[font "Arial,Helvetica,Geneva,Swiss,SunSans-Regular"][#3435c3][size 2]Figure 3[/size][/#3435c3][/font][font "Arial,Helvetica,Geneva,Swiss,SunSans-Regular"][size 2]
[/size][/font][font "Arial,Helvetica,Geneva,Swiss,SunSans-Regular"][size 2]Slide the worm up along the shank of the hook while simultaneously rotating it 180 degrees. It should look like this when you are done. The knot and the eye of the hook should be covered with 1/16th of an inch or so extra to "cushion" the weight and protect the knot.
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![[Image: figure4.jpg]](http://www.fishgeek.com/pics/texasrig/figure4.jpg)
[font "Arial,Helvetica,Geneva,Swiss,SunSans-Regular"][size 1]Figure 4[/size][/font]
[font "Arial,Helvetica,Geneva,Swiss,SunSans-Regular"][#3435c3][size 2]Figure 4[/size][/#3435c3][/font][font "Arial,Helvetica,Geneva,Swiss,SunSans-Regular"][size 2]
[/size][/font][font "Arial,Helvetica,Geneva,Swiss,SunSans-Regular"][size 2]Line up the worm and visualize the entry point of the hook and its path through the worm. Insert the point of the hook, again on the seam and run it straight through the worm with just the very tip of the hook point exposed. Pull the worm back up so the point of the hook rests just under the surface of the worm. This will make a "channel" for the hook point to exit upon hook set, yet still keep it weedless.
[/size][/font][font "Arial,Helvetica,Geneva,Swiss,SunSans-Regular"][size 2]Your Texas-rigged worm should look like Figure 4 when complete. The hook should enter and exit along the seam of the worm. When suspended from the line, the worm should hang perfectly straight (barring the curly tail, of course). This will prevent the worm from spiraling in the water and causing line twist.
[/size][/font][font "Arial,Helvetica,Geneva,Swiss,SunSans-Regular"][size 2]You'll note that the bullet sinker slides freely up and down the line. This is okay in open water; however, you can "peg" the sinker onto the line to prevent it from moving. This will make it easier to penetrate weeds and other forms of cover, where the elusive bass is usually hiding. You can peg your rig by sliding the sinker up an inch or two and wedging a wooden toothpick in the hole in the back of the sinker. Keep in mind that the wood will swell as it absorbs water and using excessive force here will cause line damage. Clip off the excess toothpick and slide the sinker back down onto the nose of the worm.
[/size][/font][font "Arial,Helvetica,Geneva,Swiss,SunSans-Regular"][#3435c3][size 2]Improvements on the Traditional Texas-Rigged Worm[/size][/#3435c3][/font][font "Arial,Helvetica,Geneva,Swiss,SunSans-Regular"][size 2]
[/size][/font][font "Arial,Helvetica,Geneva,Swiss,SunSans-Regular"][size 2]Although many a bass has been fooled by the traditional hardware shown above, I have found two vast improvements on the conventional round bend worm hook and pegged bullet sinker combination. Shown in Figure 5 are the Gamakatsu Extra Wide Gap (EWG) worm hook and Gambler Florida Rig sinker.
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![[Image: figure5.jpg]](http://www.fishgeek.com/pics/texasrig/figure5.jpg)
[font "Arial,Helvetica,Geneva,Swiss,SunSans-Regular"][size 1]Figure 5[/size][/font]
[font "Arial,Helvetica,Geneva,Swiss,SunSans-Regular"][size 2]The Gambler weight uses a screw-lock device to secure the sinker to the worm. There are a few advantages to this system. The first is obvious—it holds the sinker onto the worm without the use of a potentially line damaging pegging device. Another benefit of this system comes as a result of the screw lock attaching the weight to the worm itself, thereby securing all three components (worm, hook and sinker). Not only does it hold the sinker in place, but also it prevents the worm from balling-up on the hook. This translates to less time spent fiddling with the rig in between casts and more time spent with it in the water. Rigging is basically the same as with the traditional hardware with a few minor exceptions. In Figure 2, thread a little more worm on the hook to accommodate the screw lock device on the sinker, resulting in the hook ending up farther back towards the tail of the worm. While not a serious problem, it can have somewhat of a negative effect on the action of the worm. This is where the wide gap (also referred to by some manufacturers as "bite") hook comes in.
[/size][/font][font "Arial,Helvetica,Geneva,Swiss,SunSans-Regular"][size 2]The gap of the hook refers to the distance between the shank of the hook and the point. For the most part a wider gap increases the percentage of hookups. By using a wide gap hook you can decrease the hook size by at least one. Example: If you normally use a size 3/0 round bend, you can usually go down to a 2/0 wide gap. To sum this up, by switching to a smaller wide gap hook, you decrease hook length, while maintaining or increasing the gap or bite of the hook. This isn't where the advantages end. Wide gap hooks made by "high-end" manufacturers such as Gamakatsu, Owner and Mustad are ridiculously sharp. In fact so much so, that one should exercise extreme caution with them, particularly when landing a bass hooked on one. These hooks are so sharp that they are often described as having a "sticky" feel to them. Not only do they penetrate with ease, but also I believe they increase hook up percentages as a result of this "stickiness".
[/size][/font][font "Arial,Helvetica,Geneva,Swiss,SunSans-Regular"][size 2]As with the Gambler weight, rigging with a wide gap hook is also basically the same as with traditional components. There is one exception, however in step 4. If you notice in the photo of the wide gap hook, the hook point lines up with the eye of the hook. There is a section of hook where the bend ends and the hook is actually straight. Instead of being buried in plastic, this straight section rests on the body of the worm. Only the very tip of the hook point is "skin hooked". This rigging technique is widely used with soft plastic jerk baits and is often referred to as "Tex-posing". The advantage of Tex-posing is that during the hook set, the hook has far less plastic to penetrate. [/size][/font]
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[font "Arial"][size 2]
[/size][size 1]Figure 1[/size][/font]
[font "Arial,Helvetica,Geneva,Swiss,SunSans-Regular"][#3435c3][size 2]Figure 1[/size][/#3435c3][/font][font "Arial,Helvetica,Geneva,Swiss,SunSans-Regular"][size 2]
[/size][/font][font "Arial,Helvetica,Geneva,Swiss,SunSans-Regular"][size 2]Choose an appropriately sized worm, bullet sinker and offset worm hook. Shown is a 7.5-inch Culprit worm, a 3/16 oz. bullet sinker and a 3/0 Gamakatsu hook (the images are smaller than actual size). This would be a good combination to start fishing local ponds and forest preserve lakes. These sizes are not set in stone, a little bigger or smaller will work. Just make sure they are somewhat balanced. For example, a 4/0 hook and 1/2-oz. sinker would not be a good choice to use with a 4" finesse worm. At this point, don't get wrapped up in color choice. Black, brown, watermelon or purple will all work. Note the 90-degree bend near the eye of the hook. This bend is what makes it a hook intended for Texas-rigging. Slide the sinker on to the line and attach the hook using a Palomar, improved clinch, or other strong knot.
[/size][/font]
[font "Arial,Helvetica,Geneva,Swiss,SunSans-Regular"][size 1]Figure 2[/size][/font]
[font "Arial,Helvetica,Geneva,Swiss,SunSans-Regular"][#3435c3][size 2]Figure 2[/size][/#3435c3][/font][font "Arial,Helvetica,Geneva,Swiss,SunSans-Regular"][size 2]
[/size][/font][font "Arial,Helvetica,Geneva,Swiss,SunSans-Regular"][size 2]Impale the hook in the center of the nose of the worm. Thread enough worm onto the hook so that once you are done it will offset the bend of the hook and cover the knot. Exit on the "bottom" of the worm, preferably on the molding seam. This will keep the hook centered on the worm.
[/size][/font]
[font "Arial,Helvetica,Geneva,Swiss,SunSans-Regular"][size 1]Figure 3[/size][/font]
[font "Arial,Helvetica,Geneva,Swiss,SunSans-Regular"][#3435c3][size 2]Figure 3[/size][/#3435c3][/font][font "Arial,Helvetica,Geneva,Swiss,SunSans-Regular"][size 2]
[/size][/font][font "Arial,Helvetica,Geneva,Swiss,SunSans-Regular"][size 2]Slide the worm up along the shank of the hook while simultaneously rotating it 180 degrees. It should look like this when you are done. The knot and the eye of the hook should be covered with 1/16th of an inch or so extra to "cushion" the weight and protect the knot.
[/size][/font]
[font "Arial,Helvetica,Geneva,Swiss,SunSans-Regular"][size 1]Figure 4[/size][/font]
[font "Arial,Helvetica,Geneva,Swiss,SunSans-Regular"][#3435c3][size 2]Figure 4[/size][/#3435c3][/font][font "Arial,Helvetica,Geneva,Swiss,SunSans-Regular"][size 2]
[/size][/font][font "Arial,Helvetica,Geneva,Swiss,SunSans-Regular"][size 2]Line up the worm and visualize the entry point of the hook and its path through the worm. Insert the point of the hook, again on the seam and run it straight through the worm with just the very tip of the hook point exposed. Pull the worm back up so the point of the hook rests just under the surface of the worm. This will make a "channel" for the hook point to exit upon hook set, yet still keep it weedless.
[/size][/font][font "Arial,Helvetica,Geneva,Swiss,SunSans-Regular"][size 2]Your Texas-rigged worm should look like Figure 4 when complete. The hook should enter and exit along the seam of the worm. When suspended from the line, the worm should hang perfectly straight (barring the curly tail, of course). This will prevent the worm from spiraling in the water and causing line twist.
[/size][/font][font "Arial,Helvetica,Geneva,Swiss,SunSans-Regular"][size 2]You'll note that the bullet sinker slides freely up and down the line. This is okay in open water; however, you can "peg" the sinker onto the line to prevent it from moving. This will make it easier to penetrate weeds and other forms of cover, where the elusive bass is usually hiding. You can peg your rig by sliding the sinker up an inch or two and wedging a wooden toothpick in the hole in the back of the sinker. Keep in mind that the wood will swell as it absorbs water and using excessive force here will cause line damage. Clip off the excess toothpick and slide the sinker back down onto the nose of the worm.
[/size][/font][font "Arial,Helvetica,Geneva,Swiss,SunSans-Regular"][#3435c3][size 2]Improvements on the Traditional Texas-Rigged Worm[/size][/#3435c3][/font][font "Arial,Helvetica,Geneva,Swiss,SunSans-Regular"][size 2]
[/size][/font][font "Arial,Helvetica,Geneva,Swiss,SunSans-Regular"][size 2]Although many a bass has been fooled by the traditional hardware shown above, I have found two vast improvements on the conventional round bend worm hook and pegged bullet sinker combination. Shown in Figure 5 are the Gamakatsu Extra Wide Gap (EWG) worm hook and Gambler Florida Rig sinker.
[/size][/font]
[font "Arial,Helvetica,Geneva,Swiss,SunSans-Regular"][size 1]Figure 5[/size][/font]
[font "Arial,Helvetica,Geneva,Swiss,SunSans-Regular"][size 2]The Gambler weight uses a screw-lock device to secure the sinker to the worm. There are a few advantages to this system. The first is obvious—it holds the sinker onto the worm without the use of a potentially line damaging pegging device. Another benefit of this system comes as a result of the screw lock attaching the weight to the worm itself, thereby securing all three components (worm, hook and sinker). Not only does it hold the sinker in place, but also it prevents the worm from balling-up on the hook. This translates to less time spent fiddling with the rig in between casts and more time spent with it in the water. Rigging is basically the same as with the traditional hardware with a few minor exceptions. In Figure 2, thread a little more worm on the hook to accommodate the screw lock device on the sinker, resulting in the hook ending up farther back towards the tail of the worm. While not a serious problem, it can have somewhat of a negative effect on the action of the worm. This is where the wide gap (also referred to by some manufacturers as "bite") hook comes in.
[/size][/font][font "Arial,Helvetica,Geneva,Swiss,SunSans-Regular"][size 2]The gap of the hook refers to the distance between the shank of the hook and the point. For the most part a wider gap increases the percentage of hookups. By using a wide gap hook you can decrease the hook size by at least one. Example: If you normally use a size 3/0 round bend, you can usually go down to a 2/0 wide gap. To sum this up, by switching to a smaller wide gap hook, you decrease hook length, while maintaining or increasing the gap or bite of the hook. This isn't where the advantages end. Wide gap hooks made by "high-end" manufacturers such as Gamakatsu, Owner and Mustad are ridiculously sharp. In fact so much so, that one should exercise extreme caution with them, particularly when landing a bass hooked on one. These hooks are so sharp that they are often described as having a "sticky" feel to them. Not only do they penetrate with ease, but also I believe they increase hook up percentages as a result of this "stickiness".
[/size][/font][font "Arial,Helvetica,Geneva,Swiss,SunSans-Regular"][size 2]As with the Gambler weight, rigging with a wide gap hook is also basically the same as with traditional components. There is one exception, however in step 4. If you notice in the photo of the wide gap hook, the hook point lines up with the eye of the hook. There is a section of hook where the bend ends and the hook is actually straight. Instead of being buried in plastic, this straight section rests on the body of the worm. Only the very tip of the hook point is "skin hooked". This rigging technique is widely used with soft plastic jerk baits and is often referred to as "Tex-posing". The advantage of Tex-posing is that during the hook set, the hook has far less plastic to penetrate. [/size][/font]
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