Standard Texas Rig: Gear notes

7'-7'3" (2.1-2.2 m) medium-heavy fast casting rod, 7.1:1 low-profile reel, 15-17 lb fluorocarbon. Hook to the bait: EWG 3/0 for a 3-3.5 in creature, 4/0 for 3.5-4.5 in; a slim 6-7 in worm goes on a 4/0 round-bend worm hook. Palomar knot, point Tex-posed (buried, then popped back through a thin skin of plastic). The common mistake is a hookset that is too soft and too late: reel down until you feel the fish, then drive the rod up hard.

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