Standard Texas Rig

A 1/4-3/8 oz bullet weight, a 3/0-4/0 hook and a 5-7 in worm or creature — the all-purpose bottom rig for moderate cover on casting gear.

Also known as: Standard Texas Rig · Texas rig · T-rig · Texas-rigged worm · peg rig · basic worm rig · worm rig

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

1. What it is — The rig everyone learns first: a 1/4-3/8 oz (7-10.5 g) bullet weight, a round-bend offset worm hook through a 5-7 in (13-18 cm) ribbon- or straight-tail worm (or a…
2. When it wins — Any bottom-oriented bass in moderate cover — laydowns, brush, dock posts, riprap, scattered grass, channel swings and ledges — spring through fall, largemouth and…
3. When it fails — Matted surface vegetation (too light — go to the punch variant), open-water suspended fish, and gin-clear, hard-pressured water where the hook and profile get refused…
4. 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…