Best Ways To Fish Texas Rigs

I'm best known for fishing fast-moving lures like crankbaits, spinnerbaits, jerkbaits and topwaters. Those are my go-to baits because I can cover water faster with them, which suits my run-and-gun style of fishing.

That doesn't mean I don't throw Texas-rigged soft plastics. In fact, I use them often, including when I won the Bassmaster Classic on the Louisiana Delta in 2001.

The basic Texas rig consists of a bullet sinker that slides up and down the line. The hook is buried into the body of the plastic to keep it weedless.

There are times when Texas-rigged plastics are the best choice for catching fish. We're heading into one of those seasons right now. You'll always find a Texas-rigged bait on at least one of my rods, especially throughout summer.

I think it's required when fishing is tough, the water is clear or the bass are in cover too thick to fish with anything else. I fish a lot jigs, too, but I've found that a soft bait is better when bass are off the bottom and feeding on shad or bream. Soft plastics make it easier to fine-tune the size, appearance and speed of presentation to trigger reactions from bass.

I include plastics when bass are biting the faster stuff. One of my favorite tricks when catching fish with crankbaits and spinnerbaits is to go back through the area looking for fish that might be less aggressive. If the area has brush or grass and I think it should have held more fish than I caught, I'll pepper the cover with plastics.

My lure choices are based upon the time of year and the kind of forage the fish are keying upon. In spring, for example, I prefer bulkier baits and usually those that imitate crayfish. Once fish are bedding, I include lizards and tubes.

As summer warms, I use a lot of ribbon-tailed worms or lizards because I can swim them through the water column, taking advantage of the bass's interest in the action the lures deliver. Bass aren't as bottom oriented this time of year, so I want lures that produce a lot of movement.

Now, if I sense that bass are staying on bottom, I use more subtle baits like straight-tailed worms and French fries.

Water clarity can be a factor, too. The clearer the water, the smaller and more subtle baits I choose. You need lures with more bulk and action in dirty water because bass rely more on their lateral line's sense of feel to find food sources on the move.

Not all soft baits are equal in performance. For example, Strike King's 3X Soft Baits will float off the bottom, while traditional plastics tend to just lie there. Because of the 3X buoyancy and suppleness, the tail rises and quivers. This characteristic is ideal for dead-sticking a worm or lizard on the bottom. However, if you want a bait that stays near the bottom, traditional plastics may be more effective.

I tend to use heavier sinkers than most anglers. I like to fish fast, and it takes less time to get a bait to the bottom. Aggressive fish will bite the bait no matter what, and the faster fall will trigger more reaction strikes than a slower fall from neutral fish.

The bulk of the bait is another consideration. Bulkier baits and lures with large, whippy tails catch more water and drop slower, so you may have to use heavier weights to get them to the bottom quicker.

I prefer straight-shank hooks over the offset variety for traditional plastic worms, but will switch to a Mustad Ultra Lock “Z” bend style when fishing bulky baits, 3X-style lures and tubes. You'll miss fewer strikes with straight-shank hooks, but the offset variety is necessary to prevent some lures from sliding down the shank.

Finally, I strongly recommend anglers use premium fluorocarbon line for Texas-rigging. This line sinks faster, is more invisible and tougher than monofilament line and strikes are more easily detected.