Texas Rig for Bass: How to Rig It, Fish It, and When It Shines

The workhorse. Bank or boat. Pegged or free. Stick bait, craw, or lizard — one rig that earns its spot in every bag.

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Key takeaways

• Bullet weight → Palomar to offset hook → nose the bait → rotate → bury the point so it sits straight. Curved bait = fewer hookups.
• Start ¼ oz in shallow ponds/grass; bump to ⅜ oz when wind, depth, or thick cover demands it. Tungsten feels bottom better than lead.
• Unpegged (weight slides) for a more natural fall and fewer hang-ups in wood. Pegged when you want bait and weight to move as one through grass.
• Offset hook: 2/0–3/0 for a 5-inch stick bait; 3/0 for 6-inch lizards and craws; 4/0–5/0 for an 8-inch Magnum lizard.
• Tie it with a Palomar. Fish it slow — lift, fall, drag. Don’t rip like a crankbait.

On this page

• What you’ll need
• Why it works
• How to rig it
• Pegged vs unpegged
• Hook and weight decisions
• How to fish it
• When it shines
• Biggest mistakes
• Variations
• FAQ
• Shop this setup
• Related Guides

What you’ll need

Budget vs upgrade: Lead bullet weights work. Tungsten is the upgrade — smaller for the same ounces, ticks rocks louder, less snag profile.

Why it works

• Weedless point under the plastic lets you drag through grass, wood, and pond junk without a constant re-tie circus.
• Bullet weight pulls the nose down so the bait falls and crawls like something trying not to get eaten.
• Unpegged, the weight can slide on the bite — a little “give” that helps fish hold on a beat longer.
• One terminal system covers stick baits, craws, and lizards. Less decision fatigue on a short bank window.
• It shines when fish are relating to cover — which is most of the year on ponds.

How to rig it

Time to rig: ~60 seconds once practiced. Knot with a Palomar.

Step 1 — Slide the bullet weight on (pointy end toward the rod)

Thread the line through the bullet weight so the pointed end faces the rod tip and the flat end faces the hook. That orientation wedges through grass instead of catching it.

Step 2 — Tie the hook with a Palomar

Palomar the SuperLock. Seat the knot above the eye. Trim the tag. (Full photo sequence lives in the Palomar Guide — don’t half-tie it here.)

Step 3 — Enter the bait through the nose

Push the hook point into the nose of the stick bait (or craw/lizard head) about ¼ inch deep — straight down the centerline.

Step 4 — Rotate and bring the point out the belly

Thread until the hook eye nearly seats in the nose, then rotate the hook and bring the point out the bottom so the bait can hang straight. The offset bend should sit in the plastic’s “sweet spot,” not twisted.

Step 5 — Bury the point for weedless

Skin-hook the point back into the plastic so it’s covered but not buried so deep you can’t set. The bait should look almost unhooked from the side — clean, straight, ready for grass.

Step 6 — Straight-bait check

Hold the bait by the hook eye. It should hang straight, not banana-curved. If it curves, re-enter closer to centerline. Curved Texas rigs swim weird and miss hookups.

Step 7 — Pegged or unpegged

Free-sliding weight, or weight locked against the nose with a bobber stop or a toothpick stub. Unpegged is the default; the table below says when to peg.

Pegged vs unpegged

How to peg: Slide a rubber bobber stop on before the weight (or jam a toothpick stub into the weight hole and break it flush). Keep it snug to the bait nose without crushing the plastic.

Hook and weight decisions

Hooks
- 2/0–3/0 — 4–5" stick baits
- 3/0 — 6" lizards, fat craws
- 4/0–5/0 — 8" Magnum lizards
- If the bait bunches or the point won’t bury clean, go up a size — don’t force a tiny hook through a Magnum.

Weights
- ¼ oz — shallow ponds, calm days, light grass, learning the feel
- ⅜ oz — wind, deeper edges, thicker cover, keeping contact
- Heavier than ⅜ only when you’re truly punching — most bank ponds don’t need it daily

Baits to start
1. Green pumpkin / watermelon stick bait
2. Watermelon-red craw
3. Then graduate to lizards when you want legs and action

How to fish it

1. Cast past the cover, not on top of your shoes. Let it hit bottom on a controlled line.
2. Lift-and-fall: Raise the rod tip 6–12 inches, then follow the bait down on a semi-slack line. Most bites come on the fall.
3. Slow drag: Tip down, crawl the weight across bottom so it ticks. Pause beside wood, grass edges, and dam riprap.
4. Hookset: When you feel spongy weight or the line moves, reel down and sweep firm. Soft plastics forgive a beat — don’t panic-snap on every tick of the weight.
5. Bank path: Work shade lines, weed edges, inflow cuts, and the dam face. Short hops beat marathon casts into empty open water.

The cadence is slower than feels natural. If you're reeling it like a lipless crankbait, you're fishing the wrong retrieve.

When it shines

• Cover days — grass, wood, docks, pond junk
• Post-front / tough bites — downsize weight, slow down
• Summer shade and winter slow-rolls — same rig, different patience
• Bank or a friend's boat — no special electronics required
• Anytime you need one plastic that won’t snag every cast

It is not the best tool for open-water schooling fish blasting bait — that’s lipless/crank territory (Pond by Season).

Biggest mistakes

1. Banana bait — curved plastic = poor hookup ratio. Re-rig straight.
2. Too-heavy weight — ½ oz in 3 feet of pond water feels like dredging. Start ¼.
3. Early hookset — setting on the weight tick instead of the fish. Feel the difference; pause a half-beat.
4. Point buried too deep — weedless became “hookless.” Skin it.
5. Skipping the Palomar check — loop under the eye on a Texas rig loses the only fish of the day. See Palomar mistakes.

Variations

• Tex-posed — leave the point slightly exposed in open water for better hookups when snags aren’t the issue.
• Weightless Texas — no bullet; great for shallow pressured fish (kissing cousin to a soft jerk).
• Carolina cousin — weight pegged above a leader bead; separate Guide later.
• Lizard Texas — legs, Magnum sizes, color shortlist → full lizard Guide.
• Wacky instead — clear water, pressured ponds → Wacky Rig.

FAQ

Pegged or unpegged for ponds?

Unpegged as default. Peg when grass is thick enough that the sliding weight keeps hanging.

Spinning or baitcast?

Either. Medium-heavy spinning with 15 lb fluoro is a fine bank setup. Baitcast helps with heavier ⅜ punch work.

Braid or fluoro?

Braid main with a fluoro leader is excellent for feel. Straight fluoro is fine and a little more forgiving around rocks. Palomar the hook either way.

Stick bait or craw first?

Stick bait for coverage and confidence. Craw when you’re targeting wood and want a bulkier profile. Lizards when you want legs and bulk.

How do I know a bite from bottom?

Bottom is rhythmic ticks. A bite is spongy weight, a “mush,” or the line swimming off. When unsure, reel down and lean — don’t violent-set every pebble.

When should I switch to wacky?

Clear water, high pressure, fish short-striking Texas. Wacky hangs in the strike zone longer. See the Wacky Guide.

Shop this setup

• SuperLock 3/0 — Bass Pro
• SuperLock 2/0 — Bass Pro
• Tungsten ¼ oz — Discount Tackle
• Tungsten ⅜ oz — Discount Tackle
• Yamamoto Senko — Discount Tackle
• Big Bite stick bait — Discount Tackle
• Craw watermelon red — Discount Tackle
• Pliers — Discount Tackle

Related Guides

• How to Tie a Palomar Knot
• How to Fish a Wacky Rig for Bass
• How to Texas-Rig a Lizard for Bass
• Pond Bass Fishing by Season
• Fall Bass Fishing from the Bank
• Crankbait Basics · Beginner Bass Fishing Kit

Keep going

• Talkin' Tackle — Mike walks the tackle bag this gear comes from: Episode 1
• The Wall — caught a fat one? Submit it. Accepted photos earn a free Badge sticker.
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