3 Top Bass Fishing Rigs To Get You The Most Action

By Raul Rodriguez

Knowing what bass fishing rigs to use is a common question and is something that can be confusing if you listen to all the noise out there.

There's a lot of thought put into what rod and reel you should use, line to outfit it with and lures to tie but too often those new to bass fishing don't put enough thought into what bass fishing rig setup to use before they find themselves on the water.

Sometimes this can lead to just throwing a hook and weight on the line and getting it out there because "I want to catch fish NOW". But that is likely going to keep you from catching much of anything.

If knowing where to find bass is the first step in catching bass, knowing how to rig your lures is the second most vital step.

The best bass rig is going to be the one that your are most confident in. So keep it as simple as you can and learn these 3 bass fishing rigs as your foundation and build from there. Always make sure you have the needed equipment to tie any of these rigs in your tackle box.

Here are 3 of the most popular bass fishing rigs for soft plastics, in no particular order.

1. Texas Rig

The Texas rig is a very simple and effective bass fishing rig. This setup is used most often with various worms and stick baits. Some will use them with soft minnow baits such as the Zoom Super Flukes.

The great thing about this setup is its ability to go just about anywhere. This rig allows you to fish the clearest bottoms or the heaviest cover without hang ups. Its definitely a great rig to start out with.

You thread your line through a worm sinker, then tie on your hook. A good size would be 3/0 - 5/0 offset. Then hook your bass lure on and you got one of the most popular rigs ready to land you that trophy bass.

2. Drop Shot

Another easy set up is the Drop shot. This uses the line straight from your reel for your hook then your sinker at the bottom with no additional leaders or swivels needed.

You’ll want to tie your hook on typically with a Palomar knot leaving at least 8 and up to 24 inches of line to tie on your drop shot sinker.

If you tie your hook on correctly, by feeding the tag end of your line back through the top of the hook after tying your knot, your hook will run perpendicular to your line giving your lure a presentation that big bass will find irresistible.

Next, hook your favorite lure on, usually ¼ inch back from the nose and you are ready to go. Some will use the wacky rig style to hook their lure which has proved to be a deadly combination.

3. Carolina Rig

The Carolina rig is almost as simple as the Texas Rig. With this bass fishing rig you are able to present your lure near the bottom of your favorite fishing spot in nearly weightless fashion with the hook and line secured to a swivel. The egg type sinker is on the other side of the swivel, typically with a bead to protect the knot on the swivel.

This rig will allow your bass to take the lure with little resistance allowing for more of the bait to be taken by the fish ensuring a better hook set.

Check out Everything You Need To Know About The Carolina Rig for more.

Bonus: Wacky Rig

The wacky rig is not actually a way to setup your line but more of a way to present your worms or soft stick baits on the hook.

Since it has really become a powerful tactic recently it is important enough to make sure you know about it along with the rigs we have just discussed.

You can use the wacky rig with the Texas or Carolina rig. All this is involves is sticking your worm right through the center of the body with the hook...you’re done.

The idea behind this setup is the flutter action you get from your lure on each side as it is sinking to the bottom. This action will provoke strikes as the lure is falling. If there are no strikes on the way down, work the lure for more of the same action as you reel your line back in. This has become a killer technique for many bass anglers.

There you have all you need to get started with some of the most common and proven bass fishing rigs. Try them out and see which one works best for you.

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