3 Essential Bass Rigs for Bank Fishing

Bass fishing has grown so much over the past nearly 70 years that it is now considered a sport and more than just a necessity of life. 

Countless new products, techniques, and innovations have been developed to give anglers the edge while testing their ability to deceive and ultimately catch North America’s most prevalent aquatic predator.

However, the rig is the core of a bass angler’s arsenal; not all are made equally.

Today, we will go over the top 3 bass rigs for bank fishing that will help you overcome the challenges and reel in your personal best without a boat.

1: The Texas Rig: A Tried-and-True Classic

First, our top rig for bass fishing from the bank is the Texas rig. It’s one of the first rigs people learn when they start targeting bass, and there’s a good reason for that. It works in nearly any condition and doesn’t require much skill.

What is the Texas Rig?

The Texas rig is a traditional bass rig emphasizing a weedless hook setup and an easily controllable underwater presentation. It’s compelling from the bank and a staple for anglers fishing from boats, piers, and other locations in nearly any type of water.

The Texas rig requires three bits of tackle. It’s not overly complicated, and the more specialized hooks can also be used for various other rigs. So, you’re not buying a variety of stuff just to use it for the Texas rig. 

This is a significant consideration for new anglers putting together their first tackle box on a limited budget and with limited space.

First, you need a worm hook. These come in standard options and “EWG.” EWG simply stands for “extra-wide gap,” meaning the belly of the hook rounds out and distances itself from the barb and shank. 

This slightly changes the presentation and functionality, but it’s not a significant consideration unless you’re experienced with the rig and want to maximize your effectiveness. 

There are various hook sizes meant to accommodate any type of soft-plastic used with the rig, but to start; you’ll want a hook between size 1 and 3-0 to fit the most common bass lures.

A bullet weight is also required. These are weights shaped like a bullet tip with a hole drilled from the point straight through the center of the weight. They “shoot” through the air and freely slide up and down your line.

Finally, you need a soft-plastic lure. We’ll pretend you’re using a standard worm for the guide, but practically any soft-plastic lure can be used with a Texas rig.

How to Make the Texas Rig: Setting it Up

Making the Texas rig is easy. You only have to tie one knot; most lures are straightforward to get on the rig.

First, slip your line through your bullet weight. Enter the weight through the pointed-in so it slides up the line toward your rod, and the tag end comes out of the rear of the weight. This is crucial for the later action of the rig.

Next, tie on your hook. Most knots are easy to use for this. However, we recommend the Palomar knot for its strength and speedy tying process.

Finally, the most complicated part of the whole rig is threading the soft-plastic on. 

This can vary slightly depending on the bait you’re trying to mimic, but start by sticking the hook's point directly into the center of the lure’s “face” and threading it through about ¼ -inch before pushing the tip back out. The lure should look like it’s lying on its back if your barb is oriented above the belly of the hook while setting this up.

Start sliding the lure along the hook’s shank until you reach the eye, twist it so it’s “swimming” right side up, and now it’s time to measure.

With the “face” of the lure threaded over the eye of the hook, lay the lure out in line with the barb. Note where the bend of the hook’s barb ends about the bait's body. 

You can see where you want that bend to come through the bait for it to lay flat. Bend the lure, pierce it with the barb, come straight out the top, and finish it off by burying the tip of the hook back into the body.

Pros of the Texas Rig

The pros of the Texas rig outweigh the cons dramatically. That’s why it’s so popular.

First, the presentation is easy to understand even when you can’t see it moving around under the water. The bullet weight will cause it to climb up in the column every time you pop your rod, and then it will quickly drag the lure back to the bottom in a diagonal line. This makes it look like the lure is hopping across the bottom. You can work with this action quickly. 

If you slow down and twitch the rod, the lure will lightly bop its “nose” and hop, or if you put a good lift behind the rod, it can hop the lure several yards without changing the overall action of a fish feeding on the bottom.

The Texas rig is also weedless. Because you bury the tip into the lure, it can’t catch on the flora and downed tree limbs that tend to litter the water around the bank. Moss can still build up and weigh it down, but you won’t snag it. This keeps you actively fishing instead of retying new rigs and saves you money.

Finally, the bullet weight lets you cast a lot farther, and that’s always helpful when fishing from the bank.

The Cons of the Texas Rig

The Texas rig isn’t perfect, though. While the action is predictable, it’s also pretty quick and not easy to adjust. Sometimes, you don’t want your rig to glide back to the bottom quickly. The action is also highly consistent. So, you can’t create the more random movement that other rigs allow.

2: Wacky Rig

The wacky rig is relatively new. It didn’t start reaching mainstream popularity until about a decade ago, and it does a few things that other rigs simply can’t.

It’s not one that you’ll use every trip, but it’s an easy way to catch a bass with minimal risk in many situations.

What is a Wacky Rig?

A wacky rig is a stick bait hooked right through the middle. The two ends more or less freely wobble as the lure descends, producing a unique action.

Making a Wacky Rig: Materials

You don’t need much to make a wacky rig. You just need a stick bait like a Senko and an EWG worm hook. Optionally, add a small hair rubber band or consider purchasing a worm hook with a built-in weed guard. We’ll discuss those options shortly.

Making a Wacky Rig: Step-by-Step

Making a wacky rig extremely simple. 

First, tie your hook with a Palomar knot or your preferred one. 

Next, jam the hook right through the center of the body and run it down to the belly of the hook so it flops around as the hook hangs.

That’s technically it. When you cast it out, the ends of the stick bait will freely wobble. This gives it the “wacky rig” name. No weights or other bits of tackle are required.

However, if you plan to toss it around a lot of brush, we recommend using a hook with a built-in weed guard. This will prevent you from getting snagged without requiring more effort from the rig.

We also highly recommend using a small hair rubber band to bind the lure to the hook. Because the hook is pierced through the center, there isn’t much material holding it on.

Pros of the Wacky Rig

The wacky rig’s action is unique and helps a lot on slower days. Since it’s weightless, it freely floats through the water column much slower than a Texas rig. As it floats downward, the ends wobble and twist to attract bass.

The rig is also incredibly cheap and simple. As long as you know a knot that you can tie quickly, there are so few steps that you can rig it up in a few seconds.

This makes for an incredibly easy-to-use and fast-to-set-up rig that is proven to work.

Cons of the Wacky Rig

The wacky rig is much less versatile than the Texas rig. It’s typically not a rig you want to use on the most fast-paced days, and because it’s weightless, it won’t cast as far unless you use the lighter line.

The main issue isn’t how it performs, though. It can be expensive to use all the time.

Because of how the wacky rig is hooked, your lure will usually be ripped off in a cast or two. Experienced Wacky Rig anglers thread a small rubber band or o-ring that fits tight around the middle of their stickbait.  They then slide the point of the hook between the o-ring and the worm and pull it through until the stickbait lies perpendicular to the hook shaft. 

Even though soft-plastic lures are the cheapest options available, they add up fast if you burn through a lot in a day.

This is one of those rigs you want to use when you know it has a good chance to be very productive, and losing your lures will be worth it.

3: Carolina Rig

The Carolina rig is an excellent choice for any lure profile that needs to reach the bottom quickly, hover above it, or be dragged around.

It’s a bit more complicated, but it’s worth it.

What is the Carolina Rig?

A Carolina rig is an old-school rig that originated on the East Coast, hence its name. It’s often used for catfish but has also gained popularity with bass anglers.

The rig has a ball weight that slides way ahead of the hook. You will want to use a weight that is heavier than you would use on a Texas Rig for this set-up so that you can feel your sinker sliding on the bottom easier. We recommend 5/8 to 1 oz. Your lure glides through the water or blows around at a higher level a couple of feet away.

Making a Carolina Rig: Materials

You need a stopper bead or large swivel, a ball weight, a worm hook, and a soft-plastic lure for this one.

This rig is a little more complicated because you’ll need to create a stop at the end of your main line and tie a leader to it for the bulk of the rig.

First, you need a ball or egg sinker. It isn’t critical which one you choose or how much it weighs as long as you don’t overpower your rod.

Some anglers use a bead stop at the connection point, and some use a swivel. The bead stop poses a significant issue, though. 

If the stop isn’t very tight during casting, it can move it around freely and ruin the whole rig. Some even use a bead behind the swivel to allow for smaller swivels without the weight passing over the swivel. This is our recommended format.

Beyond that, you need a worm hook and a soft-plastic lure.

Making the Carolina Rig: Step-by-Step

To make the Carolina rig, first thread your sinker and a bead (not necessary, but helpful) onto your main line then tie your swivel onto the end of your main line. 

Next, cut a leader line anywhere from 1 to 2 feet long.  Tie one end to your swivel and attach your hook to the other end.  

Finally, thread on your soft-plastic lure. You can use anything, but the most common types of  baits are fluke-type baits and creature baits

Pros of the Carolina Rig

The Carolina rig sinks your bait quickly, but unlike the Texas rig, the lure glides around with a more natural presentation a short distance behind the weight.  You want to let it sink to the bottom.  Pay attention to bites when it’s sinking. They are hard to detect because when a fish inhales the bait, the line slides freely through the sinker.  When the sinker hits the bottom. Come tight gently and if your line is moving, a fish took it on the drop.  DO NOT set the hook like you would on the Texas rig.  Just reel fast, come tight, and sweep set the hook perpendicular to the water.  The reason you want to set the hook this way is that you don’t want to jerk up and slingshot the sinker.  This will often cause the bass to spit the bait.

When you don’t get hit on the initial fall, the way to fish the Carolina Rig is to gently pull it a few inches, then pause and repeat every 3 to 5 seconds. The bait will look like it is feeding on the bottom.  It will slowly rise and fall.  This is a much more natural presentation than a Texas rig.  The bites will be subtle, when you detect pressure on the pull or can’t feel your sinker moving, a fish has taken the bait. Reel down and sweep set.   

This makes the lure look more natural and prevents the rig from tipping off a bass that the food is fake.

Cons of the Carolina Rig

The Carolina rig takes longer to tie, and you risk more tackle. While a round sinker can roll over most rocks and debris, it can also get severely jammed. 

So, it’s not for all lakes and ponds. You also lose some sensitivity because there’s a weight and some free-flowing line behind the sinker. You might not feel the bass bite right away.  As a result, you may accidentally kill more bass because they swallow the bait before you detect the bite.  It is very important that   

Take These Rigs to Your Local Lake with BassForecast

These three bass rigs for bank fishing will get you through practically any day fishing, and none of them are too complex. 

Try them out on your next trip, and don