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Here’s what we got for you today:

• Why you need the Texas Rig in your fishing toolbox 🧰

• A heads up that it’s National Boating and Fishing Week 🎉

• A new way to make beautiful trout fillets 🐟

🎣 Texas Rig: Weedless and Deadly

The Go-To Setup for Weedless Soft Plastics

The Texas rig is a go-to for bass anglers who need a stealthy, weedless way to fish soft plastics. It’s simple, versatile, and deadly in thick cover like grass, brush, or rocks.

How to Rig a Texas Rig (Step-by-Step):

1. Slide on a bullet weight
   Thread a bullet-shaped sinker (1/8 to 1/2 oz) onto your line, pointed end first.

2. Tie on an offset worm hook
   Use a 2/0 to 4/0 offset or extra-wide gap (EWG) hook and tie it with a strong knot like a Palomar or improved clinch.

3. Insert the hook into the bait
   Push the hook point into the nose of your soft plastic bait about 1/4 inch, then bring it out and slide the bait up to the hook eye.

4. Rotate and reinsert
   Turn the hook 180°, then bury the point back into the bait so it lays straight. For easier hooksets, you can slightly expose the hook tip (called "Tex-posing")—just rest the point on or barely under the surface of the plastic. It still stays weedless but helps with penetration.

5. Optional: Peg the weight
   Use a bobber stop or toothpick to pin the weight for better control in heavy cover.

How to Fish It
Cast near cover—grass edges, docks, stumps, or rock piles. Let the bait sink and keep slight tension on the line. Use slow lifts, short drags, or gentle hops. Don’t overwork it—the goal is to mimic a natural, struggling prey. Watch your line closely; many bites feel like nothing or just a slight “tick.”

How to Set the Hook
When you feel a bite, don’t swing right away. Lower your rod tip, reel in slack until you feel the weight of the fish, then deliver a sharp, upward hookset. The hook has to punch through plastic and into the fish’s mouth—so don’t be shy.

Pro Tip:
Add a small drop of super glue where the bait meets the hook eye. This keeps the plastic locked in place through multiple casts, hooksets, and short strikes—especially helpful when skipping under docks or fishing in thick brush. It also keeps your bait running true, which can be the difference between getting looked at or getting bit.

The Texas rig isn’t flashy—but it flat-out catches fish.

🎣 IN THE FIELD

• It’s National Fishing and Boating Week (June 1–8), which means you officially have permission to skip yard work and hit the water. NOAA’s marking the occasion by reminding us that casting a line helps the economy, the environment, and your blood pressure. Many states are offering free fishing days—so even your unlicensed cousin can legally tangle your line this weekend.

• The Texas Rig in action:

• Georgia’s fisheries teams are using electrofishing to monitor lake health—sending a mild current through the water to temporarily stun fish for measurement and study. It’s a fast, effective way to get data without harming the fish. Think of it as a quick physical… with a little jolt to wake them up.

AI CORNER

Every week we generate fishing related AI images. See the coolness/weirdness below:

💋 CHEF’S KISS - FILLET OF THE WEEK

A great way to mix it up from the traditional trout fillet techniques: