The Texas rig has been one of the most effective and easiest ways to present a soft plastic bait for decades.

Bass anglers can simply slide worm weights on their lines, tie on a hook, thread on a soft plastic and they are ready to catch fish.

Year after year the Texas rig continues to be the best match for a variety of soft plastic baits including plastic worms, creature and beaver baits, tubes, craws and Senkos. When a soft plastic lure is rigged straight on a hook the Texas rig creates a streamlined and weedless bait that can be presented effectively into the thickest cover to tempt bass into biting.

The Texas rig consists of four basic elements: a soft plastic lure, bullet-shaped sinker, pegging device and a hook.   The hook is the key component of the rig.  My hook choices for Texas-rigged lures are 3/0 straight shank for plastic lizards, Senkos and 6-inch plastic worms; 4/0 straight shank for 7- to 8-inch plastic worms; 5/0 straight shank for 10-inch or longer plastic worms; 4/0 extra wide gap (EWG) for beaver baits and craws; and 5/0 EWG for creature baits and flipping tubes.