Probably the most successful bass lure currently know to fishermen is the Texas worm rig--a weighted soft plastic worm with the hook point imbedded. In the early years the hardness didn't make any difference because the hook was exposed. Until about 1964, most worms had hard bodies, and the traditional way to fish them was with weedless hooks. But by the late 1960s,worms of much softer plastic were manufactured. I don't know who gets credit for it, but some Texas fisherman were taking plain 5/0 and 6/0 Sproat hooks and imbedding the hook into the soft worm so that the point was concealed. There is no weed guard, just the plastic itself: when the hook is set, the point and barb come through the soft plastic and hook the fish. At the time, this was a popular lure in lakes around the Dallas and San Antonio area.

There are some advantages to the Texas worm rig over the old weedless-hook style of worm fishing. The biggest advantage is it's more compact and streamlined. We're using cone-shaped bullet worm weights instead of split shot or the old egg sinkers. the cone shaped weights swim their way through grass and other cover much better. Also, the hook is less exposed.

The real advantage, though with the Texas rig is the fact that it can be snaked, crawled, and jigged across almost any bottom surface.