Weedless presentations have accounted for many structure dwelling fish over the years and for good reason too. Peter Morris describes the best methods for rigging weedless in a variety of scenarios.

I think I can write with ‘reasonable’ confidence that some of the earliest soft plastics I ever owned were the very famous ‘Mr Twisters’. These wildly fluorescent curly tailed grubs looked very much like something from a kids show bag and apart from the odd flathead there remained (on my part) a real lack of angler confidence.
As rod, reel and line technology moved forward, at almost warp speed, there came widespread realisation of how incredibly effective these ‘soft baits’ really were. The soft plastic craze was quick to evolve.
Bream were a species that triggered a whole new world for sport fishing and today we find ourselves throwing soft plastics wherever there is water.
With some incredibly lifelike soft plastics hitting our lure market, the concept of ‘weedless’ presentations has really gained momentum. The weedless approach is incredibly effective and will work on any fish that favours snags, rock or weed cover. The list of species successfully targeted is a long one and ranges from bream, barramundi and mangrove jack in the salt, to Murray cod, saratoga and even trout in the freshwater. This really is one form of lure casting that can be daring, exciting and most importantly, super effective.

WHAT IS A WEEDLESS PRESENTATION?
The term ‘Texas’ rig, is one many anglers would have heard of at some stage and originated from the US bass angling scene. To really simplify things, what this term refers to is a rather simple method of rigging a soft plastic that will be ‘snag proof’. The set up involves a bullet shaped sinker that is allowed to run down to your worm style hook and soft plastic. The bullet shaped sinker/head and cleverly designed hook pattern enables the angler to slide presentations through heavy vegetation and rolled over obstacles. This type of innovative rigging strategy has enabled us to cast soft plastics into areas that were previously unreachable. The original Texas rig (with bullet style head) has led to angler experimentation and rigging variations have clearly emerged. While the majority are still centred on the same concept, there are those small differences that can see a plastic swimming well or awkwardly rolling, looking that little bit lifeless and unnatural. Presentation always remains the biggest factor for triggering a bite.

I think I can write with ‘reasonable’ confidence that some of the earliest soft plastics I ever owned were the very famous ‘Mr Twisters’. These wildly fluorescent curly tailed grubs looked very much like something from a kids show bag and apart from the odd flathead there remained (on my part) a real lack of angler confidence.
As rod, reel and line technology moved forward, at almost warp speed, there came widespread realisation of how incredibly effective these ‘soft baits’ really were. The soft plastic craze was quick to evolve.
Bream were a species that triggered a whole new world for sport fishing and today we find ourselves throwing soft plastics wherever there is water.
With some incredibly lifelike soft plastics hitting our lure market, the concept of ‘weedless’ presentations has really gained momentum. The weedless approach is incredibly effective and will work on any fish that favours snags, rock or weed cover. The list of species successfully targeted is a long one and ranges from bream, barramundi and mangrove jack in the salt, to Murray cod, saratoga and even trout in the freshwater. This really is one form of lure casting that can be daring, exciting and most importantly, super effective.

A nice bass that fell to an unweighted soft plastic rigged weedless and cast into snags.

INGREDIENTS
Starting at the very beginning, we need to look at the ingredients required to make a weedless presentation. Specifically made wide gape ‘worm style’ hooks are our starting point and are readily available from the majority of tackle stores. There is enormous choice here. Some hooks come totally ‘weightless’ with the absence of lead, while others feature lead heads or keel weights in a fixed position. A few of the more well-known names producing quality worm style hooks include Owner, Gamakatsu, Decoy, TT and Mustad. Within these ranges there will be hook sizes to cater for even the smallest of soft plastics and each will have slight variations in hook gauge and overall shape.
Plastic selection is your next step and it becomes obvious pretty quickly that there are hundreds of soft plastics that can be rigged weedless. Your selection needs sensible consideration however and should be based (as always) on your target species. Soft plastic patterns that work effectively when rigged weedless include paddletails, shads, jerkbaits, grubs and frog patterns. To be honest it is actually quite hard to think of many soft plastics that cannot be rigged weedless.
Your choice should also be based on ‘how’ you wish to fish your soft plastic. Do you wish to slow roll your presentation along a rock bar? Do you wish to simply flutter and hop through snags? Or do you wish to walk over thick vegetation such as lily beds? These types of scenarios and surrounding terrain will largely determine plastic selection.
RIGGING METHODS AND SUGGESTIONS
With a lure and hook market that can be described as fairly monstrous, anglers will commonly gain confidence in combinations that have worked for them in the past. This generally results in personal ‘favourites’ and ‘the only ones’ to use. The reality though, is that the majority will work when presented correctly. What I aim to do here is accurately explain the methods of rigging which have worked consistently and successfully for me over a number of years.
HEAD WEIGHTED VARIATIONS
My first and preferred method of weedless rigging begins with the Owner Beast hook range. These hooks are available from sizes 4/0-10/0 and come keel weighted or as an unweighted hook. While other wide gape worm style hooks exist within the Owner range, what sets the Beast hooks apart from the rest is an ‘in line’ eye and a twist lock bait keeper which makes rigging very simple. Using a paddletail style soft plastic (as an example), the head of the plastic is simply screwed into the twist lock keeper and hook placement through the belly becomes rather obvious. What I love to do with these hooks is crimp on a split shot or small ball sinker. A ball sinker can be crimped on (with standard pliers) very easily after making/cutting a small groove into the lead. The enormous benefit of this is it enables you to position the weight exactly where you want it. Much like a swimming troll bait in game fishing, you can position your lead on the hook so it will sit very nicely under the chin of the soft plastic. What this immediately does is give a seriously impressive ‘swim’ through the water, eliminating any sideward roll. A slow wind will generate the desired action or swim (in the case of a paddletail) and really get that tail beating. This set up is my clear favourite when slow rolling plastics aimed at barramundi and mangrove jack.

Variations. From top-prawns rigged on keel weighted hooks, Paddle tails rigged on owner beastlocks with crimped weight, paddle tails on TT Snakehead hooks with weight at front, paddle tails on worm hook with ball sinker in loop.

A second variation and rather commonly used method is to simply use a weightless weedless hook with a ball sinker. Popular hook patterns exist within the Owner, Tackle Tactics (TT) and Gamakatsu ranges, all offering super strong needle sharp hooks. In nearly all cases these wide gape worm hook patterns feature a downward facing eye (unlike the Owner Beast hooks) allowing for a small ball sinker to sit inside the loop knot attached to your hook. This is quite easily achieved by making your initial ‘loop’ in your loop knot and threading on a sinker before feeding through the eye of your hook and final completion of your knot. The ball sinker inside the loop knot set up does get the majority of plastics swimming well but it must be done correctly. If the sinker favours one side, it will ultimately kill the desired swimming action. The obvious benefit with this method is weights can be changed and depths set very easily via a quick re-tie.
Still concentrating on the idea of a ‘lead head’, a third variation comes about with worm hooks that come rigged with an attached lead head weight already inserted in the eye of the hook. Huge variety in this area exists with hook patterns and differing size shape and lead weights. Quality can be found with the Owner Jig-rig, TT’s Snakeheads and Decoy Nail Bomb range. The advantage with these set ups is the fact they come pre-rigged, ready to go which makes the job rather convenient. You must however carry a range of hooks and weights as you cannot change the pre-made set ups. If attached weights are not your thing, you can go right back to basics and simply run a sinker on your leader down to a worm style hook. Just make sure your plastic always swims as it should.
KEEL WEIGHTS AND TOTALLY WEIGHTLESS
A fixed belly or keel weight can also be found on many worm style hook patterns. Again many of these hook patterns are made from heavy duty wire and are ideal for powerful species of fish. Keel weighted hooks offer an alternative to typical Texas style rigging or the other head weighted variations mentioned. With the weight positioned under your soft bait, it provides the angler with the option to alter the ‘fall’ and retain a more seductive glide to the bottom. These are an excellent choice for the many grub and craw style soft plastics where you may want a slower fall/glide through the water column. This tactic most certainly has its place at certain times and the slow glide to the bottom provides that little more stealth required.
Taking the stealth factor further still, many worm style hooks come totally weightless and can be fished that way. The obvious advantage here, with any plastic rigged weightless, is it allows for an incredibly slow and natural sink rate. This gives an ultra-realistic appearance, imitating a wounded baitfish or grub struggling for life. On those calm, wind free days where you are casting in close quarters the unweighted approach can work very successfully. A slight twitch or hop with the rod tip can produce some beautiful life-like actions from your chosen plastic.
There is however obvious disadvantages with the unweighted approach and these include the inability to cast them any considerable distance and they can become near impossible to fish in windy conditions. The belly created in your line, working with the minimal amount of weight being used, can continually frustrate you as your lure does nothing but track the line belly away from your initial target zone. The conditions of the day will largely determine your ability to fish weightless plastics.
FORMULATING YOUR GAME PLAN
As with any form of angling, the more preparation and thought you put into your game plan, the more likelihood of success. Important aspects of throwing weedless presentations will be type of terrain, amount of current/tidal movement, your target species, plastic choice, how you will retrieve your lure and the prevailing weather conditions. Experimentation will often lead you to success as you discover what the fish are responding to on a particular day. Weedless presentations have opened the door to anglers and provided us all with endless possibilities.
Born in Sydney, Peter has spent 15 years fishing the coast of NSW targeting everything from whiting to marlin. Now resides in Queensland and has fished many tropical locations throughout the top end, the Coral Sea, Fiji and Vanuatu. Peter enjoys all forms of fishing from heavy GT popping, land based spinning for big pelagics, soft plastic work for snapper and luring the local estuaries for hard running trevally and mangrove jack. Peter began freelancing in 2009 is currently a pro angler with Purefishing Australia and Tonic Eyewear.