There are three basic ways to rig a plastic worm - Texas, with a lead against the worm head, Carolina with the lead up the line from the worm, and weightless. There are many variations in these three basics, and you have to adjust to the conditions you are fishing, but you should be familiar with all three.

The Texas Rig

In 1964 the Texas Rig became a part of bass fishing, and one of the most popular methods today. It is a quick and simple technique to fish one of the most productive bass lures; the plastic worm. In the original Texas Rig, the worm is rigged on the hook with the point of the hook pinned back into the body of the worm to make it weedless and a bullet weight is used on the line ahead of the hook. In recent years the term Texas Rig has come to mean the weedless method of putting the bait on the hook whether a weight is used or not. Thus, many anglers talk about Texas Rigging a Senko or other soft plastic stick baits, or Texas Rigging their drop shot bait on an offset hook to enable them to fish the drop shot around wood and other hook-snagging cover!

Top Bass Producing Colours

Color and style make a big difference so always have a good assortment of different colors, styles and lengths as well as a good supply of different worm weights. An assortment of weenie worms, craw worms, lizards, curl tail, finesse and ribbon-tail worms will cover nearly every situation

• Black
  It is hard to go wrong with basic black. Black works well in all colors and clarity of water and looks like some favorite bass foods like leeches. When in doubt, I go to black.

• Green Pumpkin
  Green pumpkin is another all-around color that works in any color water. It is a standard for lizards, finesse worms and other worms. Bass seem to love it and it looks natural in the water

• Junebug
  This dark purple color has green flakes in it to make it shine and it is especially good in clear water. I often use it rather than black when I want a little sparkle.

• Pumpkinseed
  Pumpkinseed lizards from Zoom Bait Company took the fishing world by strom in the late 1980s and bass went wild over them for a while. That color is still great and was the basis for other colors like green pumpkin. The color was actually an accident in mixing colors but some fishermen got them and they worked great.

• Watermelon
  Its hard to beat this clear green color in clear water. Although it blends in, bass find it easily. Adding some red glittler sometimes makes it even better. Glitter in worms can make a difference.

• Black Grape
  This old color was my favorite for many years. A dark purple/blue color, it seemed to be a favorite for bass where I fished. I would use it most of the time back in the 1970s. I especially liked the old Creme Scoundrel Worm in this color.

• Blue
  Bill Dance and Bob Izumi like it so it has to be good, right? Basic blue is a good color in most water colors. Add a red tail and it really shines at times. A bright color tail on a worm, whether the worm comes that way or you dip it in dye, often makes the worm better