How to Rig a Straight Worm: 4 Ways to Rig the Standby (and When to Fish Each)

Quick answer: The four best ways to rig a straight worm for bass are the Texas rig (grass, wood and heavy cover), the Free rig (covering water fast and fishing a fall behind a weight), the Power shaky head (docks, rock and wood when you want the tail standing up on bottom), and the Neko rig (finesse for pressured or neutral fish). Pick the rig based on cover, bottom type and how active the fish are. Heavy cover means Texas. Clean or open bottom means Free rig. Docks, rock and bigger fish on bottom mean Power shaky head. Pressured fish that won't chase means Neko.

Hunter Rushton with a 4.65 lb largemouth caught on a Texas-rigged Standby Worm, fished along grass edges in Missouri.

A 7-inch straight worm is one of the most versatile baits you can own, and the Motion Fishing Standby Worm was built to fish all four of these rigs. Below you'll find a step-by-step diagram for each, the hooks, weights and line we recommend, which color to throw, and exactly when each rig gets the call.

Straight Worm Rigs Compared

1. How to Texas Rig a Straight Worm

The Texas rig is the classic weedless way to fish a straight worm. The hook point is buried just under the plastic, so the worm slides through grass, laydowns and brush without hanging up.

Steps

1. Slide a bullet weight on your mainline, then tie on a 5/0 offset worm hook.
2. Insert the hook point about 1/4 inch into the head of the worm, or where the hook bend starts.
3. Exit the point out the belly and slide the worm up to the offset bend.
4. Rotate the hook so the point faces the body.
5. Line up the entry point so the body hangs straight.
6. Skin the point just under the plastic.

Pro tip: A straight rig is a weedless rig. If the worm is bunched or crooked it will spin, twist your line and grab cover. Take the extra five seconds to line it up.

When to Fish a Texas-Rigged Straight Worm

• Heavy cover: grass edges, laydowns, stumps, brush piles and docks.
• Warm water: late spring through fall, when bass are tight to cover and willing to eat a bigger profile.
• Stained water: the 7-inch profile is easy for fish to find.
• As a follow-up bait: keep one rigged next to your flipping jig and pitch it back into a spot after a short strike or a fish that swirls without eating.

Proof it works: Hunter Rushton caught the 4.65 lb largemouth at the top of this post on a Texas-rigged Standby, working grass edges in Missouri.

How to fish it: Pitch or cast to cover, let it fall on semi-slack line, then drag and hop it slowly out of the cover. Most bites come on the fall or right as it ticks off a limb. Peg the weight with a bobber stop in thick cover so the worm and weight stay together.

2. How to Free Rig a Straight Worm

The Free rig (also called the free-sliding rig) puts a teardrop weight with its own line tie on your mainline, ahead of a Texas-rigged worm. The weight hits bottom first and the worm follows it down in a slow, natural glide.

Steps

1. Thread the mainline through the free rig weight's line tie.
2. Tie the offset hook direct. No bead and no stop.
3. Insert the point about 1/4 inch into the head and exit the belly.
4. Rotate the hook and skin the point just under the plastic.
5. Line up the body so it hangs straight.

When to Free Rig a Straight Worm

• Covering water: casts far and gets to the bottom fast, so you can work flats, points and long banks quickly.
• Sparse cover and clean bottom: scattered grass, rock and open flats where a Texas rig feels too heavy.
• Fish holding just off the bottom: the worm sinks slowly behind the weight and hangs in front of fish that won't dig a bait off the floor.
• Wind: the compact weight cuts through wind better than a light finesse rig.

How to fish it: Cast, let the weight hit bottom, then hop it 1 to 2 feet and pause. On the pause the weight sits still while the Standby floats behind it and slowly settles. Watch your line on every pause. That's when you'll get bit.

3. How to Rig a Straight Worm on a Power Shaky Head

A power shaky head is a heavier, stronger version of the finesse shaky head: a 3/16 to 1/2 oz head with a screw-lock keeper and a heavy-wire hook, fished on 15 to 20 lb fluorocarbon. The 7-inch Standby is built for this setup. The head sits on bottom, the tail floats up at an angle, and you've got enough hook and line to pull a good fish out of docks, wood and rock.

Steps

1. Tie the mainline direct to the jighead's line tie.
2. Screw the keeper into the center of the worm's nose until the head is flush.
3. Lay the hook along the body to mark where the point will exit.
4. Push the point through and skin-hook it just under the plastic.
5. Line up the body so it hangs straight.

When to Fish a Power Shaky Head

• Docks: the compact head skips well, and 15 to 20 lb fluorocarbon lets you pull fish out from around posts and cables.
• Rock and hard bottom: chunk rock, riprap, gravel banks and bluff ends, where the head crawls and the tail stays up.
• Wood and brush: skin-hooked, it comes through laydowns and brush piles better than an exposed-hook finesse rig.
• Bigger fish on bottom: when fish want a slow bait but a light finesse setup is under-gunned for the cover or the size of the fish.
• Deeper water and wind: go to 3/8 or 1/2 oz to keep bottom contact.

How to fish it: Fish it on a baitcaster. Cast or skip it, let it hit bottom, and slowly drag it a few inches at a time. Stop and shake your rod tip on slack line so the head stays put and only the tail moves. Many bites feel like extra weight, not a thump. With heavier line you can set the hook hard.

4. How to Neko Rig a Straight Worm

The Neko rig puts a nail weight in the nose of the worm and an exposed hook through an O-ring about a third of the way down the body. The weighted nose stays on bottom and the worm stands up, wobbling on the fall and quivering with every twitch.

Steps

1. Push a 1/16 oz nail weight fully into the nose of the worm.
2. Roll an O-ring onto the worm about one-third of the way down from the head.
3. Slip a 1/0 drop shot or Neko hook under the O-ring with the eye toward the head.
4. Turn the hook so the point rides up, off the plastic.
5. Tie your line direct to the hook eye.

Pro tip: The O-ring holds the worm, so you won't tear up plastic setting the hook. More fish per worm.

When to Neko Rig a Straight Worm

• Pressured fish: weekend crowds and tournament traffic. Read more on fishing pressured systems.
• Neutral or finicky fish: bass that follow but won't commit, or show up on electronics and won't eat.
• Clear water: a slow, natural presentation for fish that get a long look. See our tips for catching bass in deep, clear lakes.
• Open water and light cover: sparse grass, isolated rocks and bluff walls. The exposed hook can snag in heavy cover.
• Spawn and post-spawn: the slow, standing action is easy to fish around beds and on transition banks.

How to fish it: Use a spinning rod. Cast, let it fall on slack line, then twitch the rod tip lightly and pause. Let the worm sit. Light hooksets work best with an exposed hook, so reel tight and sweep the rod. Don't swing hard.

Which Straight Worm Rig Should You Use?

• Fishing grass, wood or brush? Texas rig.
• Need to cover water or fish a flat or point? Free rig.
• Fishing docks, rock or wood with a slow bottom bait? Power shaky head.
• Fishing pressured, clear or finicky fish? Neko rig.

Most anglers keep at least two rigged at once: a Texas rig, Free rig or Power shaky head on a baitcaster for fishing cover, and a Neko rig on spinning gear for when the bite gets tough.

Best Straight Worm Colors for Clear, Stained and Dirty Water

Match the color to the water. Check visibility by lowering your bait until you lose sight of it.

• Clear water (4+ feet of visibility): fish get a long look, so go natural and translucent. Throw Green Pumpkin, Watermelon Candy, Plum, Green Pumpkin Blue Flake, The Secret or Black & Blue.
• Stained water (1.5 to 4 feet): use a darker base with more contrast that still looks natural. Throw Green Pumpkin, Plum, Tilapia or Black & Blue.
• Dirty water (under 1.5 feet): give them a solid, dark silhouette to find. Throw Black & Blue or Green Pumpkin.

Not sure? Green Pumpkin and Black & Blue work in all three. Shop all colors of the Standby Worm.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the best way to rig a straight worm for bass?

The Texas rig is the most versatile way to rig a straight worm because it's weedless and works in almost any cover. For pressured or inactive fish, the Neko rig usually gets more bites.

What size hook do you use for a 7-inch straight worm?

Use a 5/0 offset worm hook for Texas rigs and Free rigs, and a 1/0 drop shot or Neko hook for a Neko rig. A power shaky head uses the jighead's built-in heavy-wire hook.

What is a power shaky head?

A power shaky head is a heavier shaky head jig, usually 3/16 to 1/2 oz with a heavy-wire hook, fished on 15 to 20 lb fluorocarbon and a baitcaster. It pairs with bigger worms like a 7-inch straight worm for fishing docks, rock and wood where a light finesse shaky head is under-gunned.

What is the difference between a Neko rig and a Wacky rig?

A Wacky rig hooks the worm through the middle with no weight in the nose, so it falls flat. A Neko rig adds a nail weight to the nose and moves the hook toward the head, so the worm stands up on bottom and gets down faster.

What is the difference between a Free rig and a Texas rig?

On a Texas rig the bullet weight sits right against the worm. On a Free rig a separate weight slides on the mainline and lands first, so the worm falls slowly behind it and floats off the bottom on every pause.

What color straight worm is best?

Match the color to water clarity. Use natural, translucent colors like Green Pumpkin and Watermelon Candy in clear water, and dark colors like Black & Blue in dirty water. Green Pumpkin and Black & Blue work in all water clarities.

Should you peg the weight on a Texas rig?

Peg it when you're pitching or flipping into heavy cover so the weight and worm don't separate. Leave it unpegged in open water or sparse cover for a more natural fall.

When is the best time to fish a straight worm?

A straight worm catches bass all year. Fish Texas rigs, Free rigs and Power shaky heads around cover when bass are holding tight to it. Switch to a Neko rig in cold water, after cold fronts, or when fishing pressure is high.

Get Rigged

Grab a pack of the Standby Worm, tie on the rig that matches your water, and keep one on standby next to your jig. Tag your catches with #catchMOfish. We want to see them.