How to Use a Texas Rig

When one lure can be used for fishing shallow-water cover and deep-water structure, there is no mystery why it’s rigged up by most bass anglers on each and every fishing trip they go on. I’m talking about the Texas rig.

Being that this rig is weedless, it shines in situations where the cover is dense and other lures can’t go. Its streamlined profile also allows it to slide with ease through matted vegetation or alongside a deep weedline.

During the summer months, this bait can be used in a variety of situations, simply by changing up its components. If you are targeting laydowns or boat docks, you may be using a 1/4- or 3/8-ounce weight, but then if you move out to a ledge, weedline, or isolated brush pile, your weight may bump up to a 1/2-ounce. If you are punching matted vegetation, you could use a 3/4- or even one-ounce weight!

This rig allows an angler to use a wide variety of soft plastic baits, so depending on the body of water you are fishing, you can change the bait you are presenting to the bass. I’ve highlighted some plastic bait options below and where I think they shine:

Plastic worm: a big 10- or 12-inch worm is a great choice for fishing offshore ledges or deep water brush piles.
Creature bait: flipping these around shallow-water cover such as boat docks or laydowns generates big strikes.
Soft stick bait: Texas-rigging one of these with a small weight shines around scattered vegetation or weedlines.
Craw: good choice when punching heavy mats as it has a compact presentation and will slide through the dense weeds with ease.

To see how I rig and fish a Texas rig, be sure to check out this in-depth video:

Because of its versatility, I’ll always have a Texas rig on the deck of my boat. As the summer progresses, you should too.

To stay on top of my tournament schedule and results be sure to check out glennwalkerfishing.com and follow me on Facebook for updates and numerous promotions, facebook.com/GlennWalkerFishing.

Glenn Walker

Home: Shakopee, MN

Favorite Bodies of Water:
Pools 9 and 10 Mississippi River, Lake Minnetonka
Fishing Strengths:
Flipping, topwaters and Carolina-rigging
Fishing Weakness:

Glenn began fishing at the young age of two and spent his summers fishing the Mississippi River. In 2001, Glenn fished his first tournament and from that point on he has been fishing tournaments. Some of Glenn’s accomplishments include; back-to-back BFL Big Bass Awards in 2008, back-to-back tournament wins on his home water in 2009 and a 5^th place finish in the MN Silverado Pro-Am TOC.

Even though Glenn has moved to Minnesota, he still remains active in tournaments on the Mississippi River, in addition to fishing tournaments across the state of Minnesota. Besides fishing, Glenn takes pride in helping pass his knowledge and passion of fishing on to others through his articles, videos and seminars. To learn more about Glenn, his promotional efforts and upcoming tournaments visit, fishglenn.com.

Glenn graduated from UW-Stout in 2008 with a degree in Service Management and a minor in Speech Communication. The other passion in Glenn’s life is hockey, which he played at UW-Stout for five seasons and is now involved in coaching. Glenn resides in Shakopee, MN and works in marketing, advertising and public relations in the outdoor industry.