Specialist rigs · Weedless soft plastic

Texas rig

A bass-fishing method that has crossed over to UK wrasse. The hook point is buried in the soft plastic, so it crawls through kelp without snagging.

Braid 10–15lb+ 15–20lb fluoro leaderBullet weight 7–14gpoint up, slides freeGlass or brass beadclicks against the weightPalomar knotOffset worm hook 2/0point buried in the baitSoft plastic 3–4increature, craw or worm
Targets
Ballan wrasse, bass
Where
Rocky marks and kelp beds, late spring to autumn
Use it for
Ballan wrasse

What you need

Mainline
10–15lb braid
Leader
15–20lb fluoro, about 1.5m
Weight
Bullet weight 7–14g
Bead
Glass or brass, optional
Hook
Offset worm hook, 1/0–3/0
Lure
3–4in creature, craw or stick worm

Build it

  1. Thread the bullet weight onto the leader, point first.
  2. Add the bead.
  3. Tie the offset hook with a Palomar knot.
  4. Push the point 1cm into the nose of the plastic and out the underside.
  5. Slide the plastic up to the hook eye and rotate the hook so the point faces the body.
  6. Lay the hook alongside the plastic, then push the point back in until it just sits under the surface.
On the beach

Hop it slowly across the bottom. Wrasse often knock it before taking. Wait for a firm pull, set the hook, then turn the fish's head away from the kelp straight away.

Knots for this rig are in Knots. Line strengths, hook sizes and weights are starting points: scale them to your tackle, the ground and the tide. Diagrams are schematic and not to scale.