Texas Rigging

Texas rigging is a common rig for lure fishing, especially if you need to present a weedless / snagless offering, via an offset hook. An offset hook is most often a wide gape hook with a kink in the shank, near the eye. However, unusually perhaps, I will use the Texas style of rigging with a standard J-hook from time to time to improve hook-up-rate. That’s perfectly okay if snagging isn’t high risk.

To create this simple rig you will need to add to the end of your leader, an appropriately sized cone sinker, an optional bead (for added sound or knot protection), an offset / weedless hook, and your chosen soft-plastic lure. There are plenty of videos online to help you with rigging various soft plastics on an offset hook, but the critical factor with this type of rigging is the relationship between the depth of the lure, and the gape of the hook. What you don’t want is the lure entirely filling the gape. There has to be room for the lure to slide out of the way to reveal the hook-point, or your catch-rate will suffer. [In the attached picture, note the amount of gape sticking out the bottom of the lure, ready to propel the hook-point upwards]

Lures with long slits formed into their belly and/or back effectively reduce the blocking depth of the lure without reducing the profile of the bait. That makes things a bit easier on fish-style baits. It doesn’t matter so much on worms and creatures that are often narrow in profile. This is why the gape on a traditional, American, ‘worm hook’ is narrower than some off-set hooks – because it is designed for a narrower lure, like a worm. Therefore match the shape of off-set hook to your preferred style of lure. Offset hooks are not all the same!

This is often my go-to rig when fishing for wrasse from the shore, in shallow water where snagging is an occupational hazard. Contrary to belief, no rig will ever be 100% snag-proof, but the Texas rig will reduce your losses, especially as your skill grows.

I think the only thing left to say on fishing the traditional Texas rig, or any style using an offset hook, is that you need to set the hook to reveal the hook-point. Talking specifically about wrasse fishing, I’m not saying strike wildly, but you do need to react at least. I fish barbless hooks 100% of the time when wrasse fishing and a quick increase in line tension using the tip of the rod and a turn of the reel is all that is required to get a good hook hold.