Swimming Texas Rig (Swim Worm)
Gusano nadador de cola de paleta o swimbait en Texas rig con plomo bala fijo y liviano, recuperado de forma constante por y sobre la vegetación: un swimbait sin enganches para hierba.
Also known as: swim worm · speed worm · Texas-rigged swimbait · weedless swimbait
The most-fished bass rig in the world: one offset hook, one bullet weight, and every soft plastic ever made.
- Always an offset (Texas) hook — the point buried in the bait is what makes it weedless
- The weight decides everything: pegged for cover, sliding for open bottom, weightless for the fall
- Hook size follows bait length: 3/0 finesse for 3.5 in, 6/0-8/0 heavy for 7 in+
- Lost fish are a rigging problem first, a hookset problem second
- What it is — A Texas rig fished horizontally instead of on the bottom: a 4-6 in (10-15 cm) paddle-tail swim worm, speed worm or swimbait body on a 3/0-4/0 swimbait offset hook —…
- When it wins — Submerged grass in 1-3 m (3-10 ft), post-spawn through fall, especially when bass are chasing bluegill and shad along grass edges and over the tops of grass beds…
- When it fails — Clean bottom with no grass (a swimbait head or bladed jig out-fishes it), clear calm water with inactive fish (they get a long look and refuse), and deep fish. It is a…
- Gear notes — 7'-7'3" (2.1-2.2 m) medium-heavy moderate-fast casting rod (a bit of give keeps the fish pinned on a moving bait), 6.4:1-7.1:1 reel, 17-20 lb fluorocarbon or 30-40 lb…
Setups
Swim worm over summer grass tops
Reeling a paddle-tail swim worm over and through the tops of submerged grass beds for summer largemouth.
- Rod
- medium-heavy, moderate-fast
- Line
- 17 lb fluorocarbon
- Hook
- 4/0 swimbait offset hook (screw-lock), Tex-posed
- Weight
- 3/16 oz - 1/4 oz
- Bait
- 4.5 in
- Season
- summer, post-spawn
- Water temp (°F)
- 68-80, 80+
- Depth (ft)
- 4-8, 8-12
Swimbait through pad stems, fall
A Texas-rigged swimbait swum through lily pad stems and reed edges when fall bass are feeding on shad and bluegill.
- Rod
- heavy, moderate-fast
- Line
- 40 lb braid
- Hook
- 4/0 heavy-wire swimbait offset hook (screw-lock), Tex-posed
- Weight
- 1/4 oz
- Bait
- 4 in
- Season
- fall, summer
- Water temp (°F)
- 60-68, 68-80
- Depth (ft)
- 0-4, 4-8
Topwater follow-up over grass, smallmouth
A small swimbait swum just under the surface as the follow-up when a smallmouth blows up on a topwater and misses.
- Rod
- medium, moderate-fast
- Line
- 15 lb braid to a 10 lb fluorocarbon leader
- Hook
- 3/0 swimbait offset hook (keel-weighted 1/8 oz, no bullet)
- Weight
- 1/8 oz (keel weight on the hook)
- Bait
- 3.5 in
- Season
- summer, post-spawn
- Water temp (°F)
- 60-68, 68-80
- Depth (ft)
- 0-4, 4-8