Setting The Hook With A Texas Rig 2025
Oregon Native reply :
I know this is a re-run but I looked and had no luck. Was out on the water yesterday and it was slowwww. Just before going in decided to fish a worm on a Texas Rig. 1/16 oz bullet, 2/0 EWG, non-pegged by the way, ten pound braid with 10 pound fluro leader, four inch worm.
Had heard mentioned a straight over the head hookset was best so this was in the back of my mind. Well, we got lucky and started getting a ton of bites. First three hooksets were to the side....miss,miss,miss. So then remembered....started the over the head and did much better.....much. Wasn't 100 percent but noticably better. Does anyone have any input on this. Partner had same results.
Thank you much and tight lines
Bluebasser86 reply :
Straight up hookset is a much better angle for the hook to find something to bury in. Side set and it might just be pulling it right out of the fishes mouth.
Jar11591 reply :
With T-rigging, you have to pull the hook through the worm as well as the fish on the hookset. Maybe you're not setting the hook hard enough? Also with worm hooks, the point is usually in line with the eyelet, so hook up ratios aren't going to be 100% IMO.
Brian Needham reply :
with texas rig worms you have to wait a second on them.... you cant go full atomic on them the instant you feel the tick, like you can with a jig.
thats been my experience.
Crappiebasser reply :
X2 I also like off set round bend worm hooks. I feel I get more hook ups than with EWGs.On 4/2/2014 at 9:28 PM, Brian Needham said:with texas rig worms you have to wait a second on them.... you cant go full atomic on them the instant you feel the tick, like you can with a jig.
thats been my experience.
geo g reply :
I use overhead sets 90% of the time on Texas rigged plastics. The exceptions would be Carolina rigs and when fishing under overhead branchs. When I side set a hook I have to reel like a scalded dog to keep the fish on. The hook set just isnt as good as an overhead set..
I love EWG hooks, especially since I'm throwning thicker baits for their size. They work great on senko type baits.
Mike L reply :
On 4/2/2014 at 10:25 PM, geo g said:I use overhead sets 90% of the time on Texas rigged plastics. The exceptions would be Carolina rigs and when fishing under overhead branchs. When I side set a hook I have to reel like a scalded dog to keep the fish on. The hook set just isnt as good as an overhead set..
I love EWG hooks, especially since I'm throwning thicker baits for their size. They work great on senko type baits.
Agree
Mike
Grizzn N Bassin reply :
Yup over the head most of time. Sometimes if they nail it and dart left or right and taking line quick, ill do a sweeping 10 o'clock set.
Fishes in trees reply :
Whenever I get a strike, it happens quick enough that I don't get a choice of how I'm going to set the hook. My reflexes just aren't that finely honed. With tx rigged baits, (mostly the jika rig these days) I try to go as vertical as possible, but I can honestly say that no two hook sets are exactly the same angle.
With a tx rigged bait and a slip sinker, my hooking percentage was bad enough that I don't fish that type of bait very much any more. I'm finding the jika rig much more reliable.
pitchin fool reply :
It's winter here, so I have to really dig down into my memory banks, but I don't ever recall having a terrible time with texas rigs not hooking up. The texas rig is what got me back into bass fishing after a loooong hiatus. The one trick that my buddy told me, is that when you feel the bite, lower your rod tip super fast to make your line go limp from the bait before setting the hook. If the bait has the same constant pressure the hook is essentially pointed right at the hook-eye digging itself just deeper into the plastic. When you knock that slack in the line and jerk the hook wants to pop out of the plastic easier and into the fishes mouth. Give it a try. Oh, yeah, I do hate worm hooks and always use ewg's.
Wbeadlescomb reply :
I don't guess I even think about it anymore when a fish hits it's just instinct. I have tried to trip them up in the past if the fish hits the bait and runs to the right I set the hook back to the left.seems to work
B_Gilbert reply :
Easy thing to remember... Generally trouble hooks you can set the hook to the side, non trouble hooks real down and set it straight up.
michang5 reply :
I've been fishing beds recently with a 1/0 EWG, 1/16oz pegged, 15# braid, 10# fluoro leader. Throwing baby brush hog or GYCB hula grub. Bank fishing with spinning gear.
What had worked for me is: feel tap or see bite > drop rod tip > count to 2 while reeling slack > pop the rod tip up to set the hook. Not sure if it's the pause or vertical hookset or both, but it's been working.
With Carolina rig, I'm always dragging to the side, so my hooksets are side sweeps.
RoLo reply :
When a bass clamps down on a single hook, the hook will often be laid down edgewise
rather than remaining in an upright swimming position. For this reason, I prefer to set the hook with a vertical upstroke,
because regardless of the hook's position in the bass's mouth, the rod is always higher than the bass.
In short, a vertical hook-set raises the odds of hooking the upper jaw, and lowers the odds of popping thru the lips.
Roger
Smallmouth Hunter reply :
I avoid setting the hook straight up mainly cause I don't the bait flying out of the water straight at my face so I just use a diagonal hook set. Usually just set it over my left shoulder.
tatertester reply :
Reel down , set hook up....That is the normal hook set, but, I've found with lite wire hooks that a sweep set is enuff to get hooked. Heavier gauge hooks need more umph to set the hook....One thing I simply cannot get down is getting hook ups on frogs in lily pads.I have tried every tip imaginable but still struggle .
Oregon Native reply :
Great info .... thanks. I have kind of got away from the ol Texas Rig since I lived in Oregon and now find it works pretty darn good around here. So am going to do some more research including here....thank you. The slack line and upward hookset is interesting.
Tight Lines
Catt reply :
Never wait on nothing!
Drop the rod, reel the slack, & set the hook straight up like you're trying to break some thing!
FlipnLimits reply :
If you wait, he already dropped it. Hard, Sharp, and straight Up!
FL
lmbfisherman reply :
On 4/3/2014 at 4:58 AM, aprw1 said:I avoid setting the hook straight up mainly cause I don't the bait flying out of the water straight at my face so I just use a diagonal hook set. Usually just set it over my left shoulder.
This...
I do this because a local pro gave a tip that a straight up vertical hook set doesn't take up as much line and slack than a diagonal hookset. A diagonal hook set (across the body) takes up more line to drive the hook home harder because of this.
Mike L reply :
1st tap, she picked it up....
2nd tap, she let it go....
3rd tap is me on your shoulder asking why you didn't set the hook....
Down here a t rig is a staple, it's just what you do.
Maybe not all day, but at some point you're throwing some kind of plastic.
But on average, in the grass hitting holes as you move along, a hard veticle set, is always best.
Now if you're in deeper, rocky areas without a lot of growth maybe a side set would work, I wouldn't know.
Mike
geo g reply :
Line makes a big difference when fishing plastics. I use Berkeley 100% Professional Grade Floro. I can feel every piecec of grass on the bottom, branches and rock and can tell the difference between them.. When I set the hook, its short, and solid, with no line stretch. The floro is near invisable in water. As you can tell I really like this stuff. Expensive, but to me worth the extra fish. There are people that hate this stuff but other then cost its in a class by itself. Not all Floro's are the same, this stuff is good. You need a quality reel or you may have more problems then with regular mono line. Every little thing helps.
Siebert Outdoors reply :
On 4/3/2014 at 2:06 AM, RoLo said:When a bass clamps down on a single hook, the hook will often be laid down edgewise
rather than remaining in an upright swimming position. For this reason, I prefer to set the hook with a vertical upstroke,
because regardless of the hook's position in the bass's mouth, the rod is always higher than the bass.
In short, a vertical hook-set raises the odds of hooking the upper jaw, and lowers the odds of popping thru the lips.
Roger
This!!, The sweep tends to pull the hook out due to less resistance and less for the hook to catch.
I always set the hook as soon as I feel the hit.
JaxBasser reply :
I drop the rod and set straight up like im trying to break something as soon as I feel a tap.
If I even think it's a bite I swing for it. Hooksets are free (heard that one on here many years ago).
stratoliner92 reply :
On 4/3/2014 at 8:10 AM, Catt said:Never wait on nothing!
Drop the rod, reel the slack, & set the hook straight up like you're trying to break some thing!
Exactly This !!!
RoLo reply :
On 4/4/2014 at 12:40 AM, JaxBasser said:I drop the rod and set straight up like im trying to break something as soon as I feel a tap.
If I even think it's a bite I swing for it. Hooksets Are Free (heard that one on here many years ago).
Not if you're fishing in a stump field 
Roger
West Tennessee Bass. Man reply :
Really good advice here folks. It depends on the circumstances
Generally the overhead hook set with a pause is the best way to get the set . But if you are trolling and get hit the modified overhead hook has worked for me
This is sweep the rod away from the bite and then up.
tatertester reply :
For some reason I have visions of hooksets all over the place....Cross their eyes hooksets, sweep hooksets , over the head hooks sets, slingshot hooksets , behind the head hooksets, between the legs hooksets, broken rod hooksets, underhanded hooksets, hooksets... AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!........ 
Catt reply :
On 4/4/2014 at 8:35 AM, RoLo said:Not if you're fishing in a stump field
Roger
Yelp! Especially with braid!
Y'all ever set hook on a stump?
At my age that hurts!!!
NWBassGuy reply :
When in doubt...I cross their eyes. Sometimes a fish, sometimes a stump. or log. I set the hook hard. I hate losing a fish to a wimpy hookset.
Hooked_On_Bass reply :
My thoughts exactly!On 4/3/2014 at 8:10 AM, Catt said:Never wait on nothing!
Drop the rod, reel the slack, & set the hook straight up like you're trying to break some thing!
Mccallister25 reply :
Never thought to do a vertical hookset.. Imma try it. I fish with a lot of plastics, and have also had my fair share of yanking it from their mouth. Vertical hooksets with jigs also?
FlipnLimits reply :
On 4/7/2014 at 8:46 AM, BigBlock496 said:Never thought to do a vertical hookset.. Imma try it. I fish with a lot of plastics, and have also had my fair share of yanking it from their mouth. Vertical hooksets with jigs also?
Yes, especially with a jig. The jig is what taught most people to set the hook vertically. If you pull toward your collar bone, that's also fine, it avoids getting hit in the head 
Mccallister25 reply :
I usually do a diagonal hookset with my plastics and jigs.. And i actually have a decent miss ratio so Imma have to train myself to try and start hooking vertically.
FlipnLimits reply :
On 4/7/2014 at 11:31 AM, BigBlock496 said:I usually do a diagonal hookset with my plastics and jigs.. And i actually have a decent miss ratio so Imma have to train myself to try and start hooking vertically.
Yup, you will start to get more hook-ups. I just call it upping-your-odds. It's like changing dull hooks or when you retie your line, you're not gonna know when it paid off, but you'll know when it didn't. Add all of these little up-your-odds tricks and suddenly things fall in your favor. In a tournament, I retie after every fish and often when fishing rocks or lumber.
Good luck to you and post some piggies
Oregon Native reply :
Went out yesterday to work on the ol vertical hook set again. Sheesh....the first dozen hook sets (this is no kidding) I missed. I was beside myself. Then after that it was bout 95% hookups. They weren't huge fish 1 to 2 pounders but wow....was one of those I wasn't holdin my mouth right days.
Mccallister25 reply :
Alright, heres my update for you guys:
Today I went out after work and fished a local neighborhood pond with nothing but my jig rod. It rained like crazy all day today until right as I got out of the truck, so that was great. I found a spot where water was rushing out of the drain feeding into the pond. Bass were busting shad all in the little cove where I was fishing. I caught four today, out of five hookups, so Im satisfied. I made myself set the hook vertically on every fish today to get in the habbit of doing this rather than my usual horizontal set. Pic included is of the two largest I cought today.
Brian Needham reply :
here is a video of several hook sets while fishing a T-Rig
fsufan82 reply :
Like the others are saying, you have to make sure you wait a few seconds before setting the hook. This took me a long time to train myself to not pull it right out of their mouths as soon as you feel a bite. I have the most success pulling the rod directly upwards with everything I have. I always taught to set the hook like its a world record bass on the other end. You do have to be careful though, watching your bait come flying right back at you with the hook out isn't the greatest feeling!
CDMeyer reply :
My uncle taught me to push your rod out then slowly reel in, when the fish starts to run with it, the pull up over the head..... after he taught me to do this my strike-to-catch ratio whent way up
ColdSVT reply :
I usually set to a ten o clock position with enough force to cause the fish to get a concussion...if the fish heads rihht at me i go to 12 o clock
Pmoss1 reply :
Set it hard and high is what I was always told.
related General Bass Fishing Forum topic
previous topic
most viewed General Bass Fishing Forum topic
© 2025 - fishing.qciss.net. All Rights Reserved.