LARRY NIXON ON BASSING

One Of Larry Nixon's Favorite Lures -- The Texas-rigged Plastic Worm

EDITOR'S NOTE: Fifty-one-year-old Larry Nixon of Bee Branch, Arkansas has fish professionally since 1976, won 14 B.A.S.S. tournaments and two Angler-of-the-Year titles. He was also the first professional angler to earn more than $1 million in B.A.S.S. winnings.

QUESTION: Larry, why is the Texas-rigged plastic worm one of your favorite lures, and why do you fish it?
ANSWER: I usually like to use a plastic worm, espeically a 7-inch worm with a ribbon-type tail. It's a very productive lure to fish in any water with weeds or grass beds. The ribbontail comes through grass and weeds easily, and it resembles a small baitfish. I'll rig the worm Texas style because in a lot of water where you've got cover -- cover is the most important ingredient when you fish with the Texas rig -- it penetrates cover better than a Carolina rig will. A Carolina rig works edges, and a Texas rig works inside the edge. You can fish the Texas rig in heavy brush. I throw it out, let it sink to the bottom on a relatively slack line and get my rod to about the 10:00 or the 11:00 position. Then I hop and swim that worm through the top of the brush and let it sink to the bottom before crawling it over the limbs and allowing it to sink to the bottom again. I thoroughly work that cover with the Texas-rigged worm. Once I come out of the cover, if I haven't gotten a bite, then I'll reel the Texas-rigged worm in and cast to the next piece of visible cover. A Texas rig is very good for casting to a specific spot, about a 5- to 10-foot zone where I think the bass will be holding.

QUESTION: What line will you use to fish the Texas-rigged 7-inch worm?
ANSWER: I'll use 10- to 12-pound test line to get more bites. I just think a fisherman catches more fish when he uses lighter line. I never fish with more than 14-pound test line, unless the cover is really heavy. I want the line to be as invisible as I can get it.

TOMORROW: LARRY NIXON'S FIVE FAVORITE WORM COLORS FOR FISHING FOR PRESPAWN OR SPAWNING BASS