FISHING SITUATIONS REQUIRE A VARIETY OF RIGGING METHODS;

WE BREAK THEM DOWN FOR YOU.

BY RANDY BRUDNICKIILLUSTRATIONS BY CLEMENTE GUZMAN

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Rigging Up,Not Wigging

Out

The drop shot rig is an importantrig for fishing in clear water, on slowcatching days or in heavily pressuredlakes. Unlike some other rigs, wherethe weight is attached between therod and lure, the hook is above theweight on a drop shot. This also getsthe bait off the bottom. The drop shot can be fished in

shallow or deep water. For waterdeeper than 10 feet, fishing it verti-cally below the boat can be veryeffective. Fish slowly, and don’t moveit as much as you would think. Infact, many times just a light twitch ofthe rod tip or none at all works best.

Use a light- or medium-action spin-ning rod with light line and weights.To set the hook, just start reeling andkeep pressure on the line. Tying up the rig is as simple as

tying on a hook (try a 1/0 or similarsize) with a Palomar knot about 18inches from the end of the line. Don’tcut off the tag end, but run it back upand over and then down through thehook eye. Attach a weight on the endof the line. Depending on the underwater veg-

etation or other cover, you may needto embed the hook as pictured or youmay be able to use an open hook.

Drop shot rig

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The Texas rig is the granddaddy ofthem all. I don’t know who coinedthe term Texas rig, but it’s beenaround probably since the develop-ment of the vinyl (now plastic)worm in the late ’40s. The originalworm manufacturer moved fromOhio to Texas at the time the softplastic worm and bass fishingbecame prominent nationally, espe-cially in the South, with the prolifer-ation of new reservoirs filled withstanding timber. The rig involves running a sliding

weight on your line, the line tied toan appropriate hook and the hookpoint inserted into the worm body

in such a way that the barbed pointis buried in the plastic. (Exposedhooks snag on nearly everythingthey contact. The first artificialworms were packaged, pre-riggedwith the hooks exposed.) Of course, there are tips to rigging

the bait to make it more effective.On soft plastic material that’s a littlestiffer, thicker bodied or moredense, many anglers run the hookpoint through the plastic (it makesa channel through the plastic) andthen slide the point back into theplastic, retreating into the channel,so it is not exposed. Another method is to run the hook

through the plastic and then slightlyembed the hook point on the outsideedge of the plastic. Both of theseoptions help make sure the hookpenetrates through the plastic whenyou set the hook. Without an effec-tive hook-set, the fish may be on theline momentarily and then just comeoff. Most of the time when using theTexas rig, a forceful, powerful hook-set is required.Other variations include not using

a sliding weight (weightless Texasrig), “pegging” a weight so it doesn’tslide at all or changing the color,size or shape of the sliding weight.You choose the basic compo-

nents based on conditions and, tosome extent, the size of the fishavailable where you are fishing. Forexample, if you know there are bigbass in the lake, try half-ounceweights and 10-inch worms. If it isreally windy, you may need to usethree-quarter or one-ounceweights. If the weather is calm andthe water is clear, try 6-inch wormsand eighth-ounce weights.The Texas rig is very versatile; it

can be used anywhere from shal-low to deep and is useful for fishinga soft plastic bait in any type ofcover. It is the rig all bass anglersneed to master.

Texas rig

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The Carolina rig is generally moreeffective in deeper water and is agood setup for novice anglers. Italso seems to be better for windyconditions. Again, starting with a sliding

weight (half-ounce is a good size tobegin with) on the main line, tie ona barrel swivel, add a length ofleader to the other end of the swiv-el and tie on the hook. (Tip: If youprefer a Palomar knot, tie theleader to the swivel first, then the

swivel to the main line and addyour hook last.) Rig the soft plasticof your choice on the hook just asyou do for the Texas rig. The advantage of the Carolina rig

is that when a bass picks up theplastic bait, it feels less resistance. Itfeels more natural to the bass and itholds the bait longer. At the sametime, the angler has more time todetect the bite. Use a sweep-set toset the hook. In other words, sweepthe rod to the side and start reeling.

Carolina rig

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With a split shot rig, a weight isplaced on the line above the hook(as in a Carolina rig). But in this rig,pinch on a standard split-shotweight. Don’t pinch the weight tootightly. Pinching too tightly mayweaken the line. The weight does notslide up and down the line as it doeson a Texas or Carolina rig. However, itis easy and fast to assemble.

Split shot rig

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The ultimate finesse setup is thewacky rig (also called the Nekorig). This rig is mentioned often inmany fishing reports because itworks when most everything elsedoesn’t. It is a pretty simple setupbut has many variations for appli-cations in open areas or cover. Tie on a small hook, run the hook

through the center weight point ofthe plastic worm and catch fish. Incover, use a weedless hook. There

is a major disadvantage of this rig-ging method, however — nearlyevery time you catch a fish theplastic rips, making the bait unus-able. You can go through manyplastic worms this way. Here are some tips to prevent

using so many worms: Slide an O-ring on the worm and run the hookthrough the O-ring. Or, put a shortpiece of shrink tubing on the wormand then run the hook through the

tubing and worm.There is also a pre-rigged setup

called the WackOjig. It solves theproblem of tearing up baits andcomes in various sizes.The wacky rig has a unique,

slow descent rate and action.Does it work because of theaction and slow fall? Does it workbecause it is something fish don’t see as often? Who knows?It just works.

A modification of the wacky rig isa Neko rig. In this case, rig thehook about one-third to one-halfof the distance from the tail end ofthe worm. Insert a weight into thehead or front of the worm. Somepeople use small finishing nails orstainless steel screws. The Neko rig gets the bait down

a little faster than the wacky rig, sochoose whichever rig works bestfor the water depth holding fish.

Wacky rig

The jig rig is a relatively new rig-ging method to present soft plas-tics, but without using — get this —a jig. It is useful in getting the bait tofall more vertically as the weight onthe rig pulls the bait straight down. The hook is attached to a split

ring so the bait undulates with anylittle movement. You may purchase the rigs pre-

rigged from tackle shops or manu-facturers such as Owner’s JigRigor make your own. Start with awelded stainless steel ring, add asplit ring and then add to the splitring both a hook and drop shotstyle weight that has a wire loopon top. Tie your line to the ring, notthe split ring.

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SAMPLE LIST OFINGREDIENTS:

Sliding sinkers (weights) in assorted sizessuch as bullet weights from1/16 to 2 ounces.

Worm hooks Drop shot weightsSwivelsSplit shot weightsAssortment of soft plasticsSplit ringsSplit ring pliers

OPTIONAL TACKLE:Plastic or glass beads(adds an additional element ofclicking noise)

Rubber bobber stops (works for pegging a sliding weight so it becomesstationary)

Jika rig or jig rig

These basic rigs will cover many aspects of fishing soft plastic baits.Any method may be more effective one time oranother. Have multiple rods rigged and ready for the conditions. Experimenting with these rigs requires an assortment of tackle.