Rig · soft plastics for bass
How to tie Texas and Carolina rigs
Texas. The bullet weight sits right against the lure. Compact, casts well, and comes through weed and kelp nose first. Best where you need to get into cover.
Targets
- Bass
Baits. Soft plastic senkos, creature baits, paddle tails
What it is made of
- 1MainlineBraid, straight through
- 2Bullet weight7 to 28 g. Slides on the line, nose first through weed
- 3Bead and swivelCarolina only. Sets the weight away from the lure
- 4Leader18 to 25 lb fluoro. Short for Texas, 60 to 90 cm for Carolina
- 5Wide gap hook4/0 to 6/0 weedless. Point buried back in the plastic
- 6Soft plasticSenko, creature bait or paddle tail
Tie it
- Thread a 7 to 28 g bullet weight onto the line, nose forward.
- Texas: 18 to 25 lb fluoro short to the hook. Carolina: bead, swivel, then 60 to 90 cm of the same fluoro.
- Wide gap 4/0 to 6/0 through the nose of the plastic.
- Turn the hook and bury the point back in the body.
- Fish it slow along the bottom on east-coast rock and weed edges, feel for the tap.
Weedless only works if the point is properly buried. If it is showing, you are fishing a snag magnet.
When to fish the Texas and Carolina rigs
Both rigs let a soft plastic fish through weed and rock without snagging. The Texas keeps the weight tight to the lure for fishing into cover; the Carolina sets the weight away from it so the lure floats and wafts behind. For bass on lure marks with weed and broken ground, they reach fish that exposed hooks cannot.
When to leave it in the box
They are single-lure bass methods, not general bait rigs. On open, clean sand they offer little over a simpler lure setup, and they do nothing for bottom-feeding species.
How it goes wrong
- Hook point fully exposed, which throws away the weedless advantage.
- Too heavy a weight for the depth, so the lure ploughs the bottom.
- Working the lure too fast. Both rigs pay off with a slow, patient retrieve.
Other rigs for the same fish
- Running ledger
Best for estuaries, bass marks. Also takes bass.
- Pennel
Best for big baits. Also takes bass.
- Pulley
Best for rough ground. Also takes bass.
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Buy the parts
What you need for the texas and carolina
Tagged Amazon.ie links for the published east-coast parts list. Prefer a pre-tied pack when you want to fish now; otherwise buy the hooks, leads, and terminal below.
Buy on Amazon.ie, Seaguar Blue Label fluorocarbon leaderLine · primary
Clear fluoro for traces and leaders in east-coast water.