The Texas Rig is one of the most widely used rigs in America. This rig is mainly used because of its weedless qualities, which makes it possible to fish it between plants, rocks, stones and on steep slopes. In recent years, this type of fishing has also become extremely popular in Europe too. The unique weightless presentation of shad or creature bait, combined with the clicking sound of the weight against the bead, has proven irresistible to European freshwater fish such as perch and zander. Especially the bigger fish, that have seen it all, can be seduced with the help of this rig.

Texas Rig Assembly

The Texas rig is not a complicated rig. Basically, you need exactly the same thing as you would for a Carolina rig: a shad, worm or creature bait, offset hook, bead, weight and possibly a stopper. The underline that is used is usually made of fluorocarbon or nylon. Offset hooks work best. There are two types of offset hooks: worm hooks and wide gape hooks. The difference between the two hooks is the depth of the hook bend. The worm hooks protrude a little less and are suitable for shads with a slim profile. For bigger shads or taller crayfish, hooks with a wider hook bend have more hooking power.

Fishing the Texas Rig

The Texas rig is fished on or just above the bottom. The Texas rig looks completely different from the common shad-head rig. The weight slides over the line making the shad weightless. The hook is hidden in the shad and when the fish takes it, the shad slides over the hook bend and the fish hooks itself. This rig is also fished in a different way to a normal jig head. Instead of twisting it in with the reel and waiting for the sinking moment as in traditional jig head fishing, the lead remains on the bottom and the shad or creature bait is retrieved with nervous twitches at the bottom of the rig. The rests are the moments when the predatory fish strike.