Is the Free Rig Better Than An Unpegged Texas Rig Weight!

Do you prefer a free rig or unpegged Texas rig weight? Both have their advantages and here is how I make my decision.
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I was born and raised in Chicago, but after working 12 years in the financial Industry regulating the futures and options markets at the CME/CBOT I decided to pursue my passion fishing professional tournaments and left my full time corporate job. At that point, I moved to Junction City, WI with my wife Sara and two boys Hank and Duke. I've been fishing professionally since 2011 and full-time since 2015. I've qualified for seven MLF Championships and won over a half million in tournament winnings at the professional level.

[@spintowinstradic6067]

This is without a doubt the best YT channel for straightforward bass technique info. Thanks once again Matt!

[@MattStefanFishing]

Wow, thanks!

[@sntdc2017]

I agree. I've learned so much from these videos. Thank you

[@lucapelati]

Thank you for reading our comments and taking care of our questions, I really appreciated 💪✌️

[@MattStefanFishing]

i appreciate you all watching!

[@Tonysoutdoorandedc]

Your videos have helped me out a lot. So thank you for taking the time to make them. Keep up the amazing work

[@MattStefanFishing]

Thanks, will do!

[@kerrysanders6668]

The free rig has almost entirely replaced the Texas rig for me. I've caught plenty on both, but the action on a free rig, especially with a creature bait, is difficult to beat. About the only thing I don't use it for are straight-tail, senko-style worms. It's as close to weightless as you can get. I generally power fish with it on a baitcaster, 50lb braid/15lb fluoro, sometimes just straight braid and hoss them out. What's great about it is that, like you said, you can fish it as a finesse presentation as well if you want. It's a killer technique whether you're using it to target specific fish on a spot or using it as a search bait. The secret to the technique is getting your hop game right.

[@MattStefanFishing]

Agreed

[@areddfishing7473]

The tips we get on this channel are incredible! Keep it up

[@MattStefanFishing]

Glad you like them!

[@dickkleiner8787]

Thanks for your video's, they are great !! I've been "free rigging" for quite awhile now.. I use a skinny sinker most of the time, I do not get hung up very often.. I throw it in wood, weeds, cribs, brush piles, everywhere...

[@MattStefanFishing]

Great to hear!

[@wilyfisherman3953]

Thank you Matt for your explanation. However you did not cover the type of hookset on the Free rig; like a Jig (straight up)or like a C-Rig (side sweep)??

[@MattStefanFishing]

im more of a reel and sweep

[@rodchurchill5576]

have you ever tried a carolina rig using the same weight design as the free rig . seems like if you used a bobber stop instead of a swivel you could adjust the distance too .

[@MattStefanFishing]

I’ll give it a try

[@jasonrutherfordbassfishing]

Agreed!! Texas rig is the first real technique I really starting catching quality bass on! I’ve gotten way better results unpegged than pegged! Great advice as always, you are truly a treasure and I hope you continue to excel!!

[@MattStefanFishing]

Thanks so much for the support!

[@Bankfishindude]

Always top shelf info man, Drink it in people! thanks as usual

[@MattStefanFishing]

You bet!

[@LUE68]

I just learned something completely new Matt!! Well demonstrated sir! I got some frog bites tonight!! Man that never gets old!!

[@MattStefanFishing]

love frog bites!

[@johnrayner5599]

Great info on these two types of set-ups!!! Thanks for making this issue crystal clear and very informative!!!

[@MattStefanFishing]

Glad it was helpful!

[@514fishing_official]

Thank you for the info on the 2 different set ups!! As usual very useful and quality video!

[@MattStefanFishing]

Glad it was helpful!

[@mikeeller557]

Thanks Matt , The page is growing .

[@MattStefanFishing]

little by little!

[@rcandy4u]

Thanks man watching you wins me money

[@MattStefanFishing]

cashin' checks!!!

[@davidcrump2348]

I have Texas rigged many of years with up to 1/4 oz bullet weights with spinning rods and never had a problem. But this rig sounds good I’m going to have to try it!

[@MattStefanFishing]

give it a try!

[@cpk2GIRL]

Fantastic, logical breakdown of these systems. Ty, sir!

[@MattStefanFishing]

Glad it was helpful!

[@michaelloucks4448]

Hey Matt I think the Free rig and the Ozark rig are more natural falling compared to the Texas rig . But then if we are fishing grass we need the Texas rig they All have their place. Awesome stuff Matt God you and your family.

[@MattStefanFishing]

Right on

[@frankhunt5018]

IDK how I missed this video when it came out, great stuff. Can you elaborate on weights and hooks for the free rig setup? I'm really looking forward to trying this technique for giant Smallies on LSC and some of our rivers here in Michigan.

[@MattStefanFishing]

will do

[@beavisbrowne3497]

You have the best tips and tricks channel by far

[@MattStefanFishing]

Thanks so much for the support!

[@MichaelGaston-yb6sg]

Always Good Stuff MS.. Fish - On !!

[@MattStefanFishing]

Thanks 👍

[@bassfishingasia]

So the free rig became popular here in Korea more than a decade ago, and one of the guys who made this popular explained to me that the bait falls straighter and thus, more accurately, if you are targeting cover in some depth. But another popular use was bank fishermen who wanted to get their baits far off shore..couldn't buy heavy enough texas rig sinkers. And then the technique was typically dragging on the bottom, and the free rig sinker does a better job avoiding wedging between rocks

[@MattStefanFishing]

thanks for sharing with us!

[@johnnyweaver1300]

I'm not familiar with the free rig, but I've heard it said that when a fish sees the bait it makes the fish think that the weight is a bait also & the plastic bait is chasing it, I don't peg my texas rigs much, here lately the rig has been working really good!🎣

[@MattStefanFishing]

thanks for sharing!

[@joelambert1676]

I have very good success using a drop shot rig with only about 3-6 inches of dropper line on spider wire. I only use zman products because they float. When I see articles like this I always question "why" since most plastic baits dont float or have neutral boyancie(spl??). I do understand that if you have a good deal of seperation after the bait hits the water you will have a slow fall to the bottom with the bait but after that it is all ways on the bottom unless you do big hops.

[@MattStefanFishing]

sounds great!

[@rcandy4u]

The zappu pin shot swivels like Spro power swivel

[@MattStefanFishing]

awesome!

[@kdouglas14]

Very nice video, Matt

[@MattStefanFishing]

Glad you enjoyed it

[@guywithagoprofishingshow3011]

I been throwin the free rig a few seasons now;& last year,by far was a SMASH fest w/the free rig.For me,I fopund it to be way more productive in high visibility waters.My 1st two free rig fish were actually Walleye. 8 lb flouro leader ,an old lead tear drop sinker where even the line tie is lead;and what is now the Yum Kill Shot with a worm hook rigged ?backwards? (so the bait could lay flat on the bottom.I slayed not only our toothy friends;but with the zoom 4inch finesse worm,I would crack their heads.Sad thing is they drained the flood control lake where I would catch good free -rig fish, my still current P.B. (lil under 6 & a half on the 6 inch Magdraft)-said the overflow tower by the dam had structural integrity issues.Bout broke my heart.Its in a LOT of my video library footage.anyways,sorry for being long winded,but Decoy has the coated free rig weights so your flouro doesn't get knicked up. # bassfishing #freerig (feel free to watch my free rig episodes y'all) - Take care,Matt

[@MattStefanFishing]

drained it1?!?

[@guywithagoprofishingshow3011]

@@MattStefanFishing yeah here in West Virginia all the Inland like lakes and ponds that you can Bank beat our flood control so you know they all empty usually into a river system or a creek that goes into a river system but yeah man they drained it didn't give anybody a heads up to relocate any fish or nothing and it's in probably over 50% of my video library including episode 31 where my PB come out of

[@Triple87]

I’m a bullet weight guy. I rarely peg the weight. I definitely want to give the free weight a try in the river. I usually have good success drop shotting and Texas rigging pools. Maybe the free weight will work well.

[@MattStefanFishing]

worth a try!

[@Triple87]

@@MattStefanFishing Absolutely. I think it might be a great choice for moving water like the river I fish. The plastic can few float in the current near the bottom. Although, I expect some cats and freshwater drum out of it to. 😂 Fish are fish I suppose. 😅

[@academicmailbox7798]

Worth a look at, from November 2019.

[@academicmailbox7798]

On Iaconelli Live interview from November in 2019. Scott Martin gave insights into how he made his decision. On what way to fish, and where to fish. From that point on. What came into the same conversation. Was the decision made in 2018 too. At that point in time, there was the 'three way' option on the table. And he second-guessed himself after. If he had put enough time into that decision in 2018, or not.

[@MattStefanFishing]

very interesting

[@dwheeler016]

Thanks

[@MattStefanFishing]

No problem

[@ata1421]

Brass and glass is way to go, and that’s very good with bullet weights. Thanks Matt for great tip.

[@MattStefanFishing]

you bet!

[@rvfishingyet]

Great break down

[@MattStefanFishing]

thanks!

[@rcandy4u]

Nose hook the mid size watermelon candy and use that zappu pin shot or turn it into a super weighted wacky and hook the 7” senko in line with that same Hayabusa weedless wacky 202 in line with the bait

[@MattStefanFishing]

thanks for sharing!

[@jeremyguenther6209]

So I take it you use a baitcaster and a heavier sinker when you use it like a Carolina rig?

[@MattStefanFishing]

yep

[@LowBrowFishing]

For me, I more compare a free rig to a drop shot. I'm usually fishing a floating plastic with a free rig to try to get that bait off the bottom. A free rig offers much less line twist and since I'm usually fishing it in deeper water, or on a steeper incline from the bank, I don't worry about getting the weight gunked up as much.

[@MattStefanFishing]

thanks for sharing!

[@danlaminger5265]

Which would you throw around docks?

[@MattStefanFishing]

both would work

[@joelambert1676]

Sorry, forgot to say you are one of the top tippsters on youtube fishing.

[@MattStefanFishing]

awesome! thanks!

[@bobjohnston5527]

I always use unpegged Texas rig in river current

[@MattStefanFishing]

stick with what works for you!

[@bobjohnston5527]

@@MattStefanFishing I always do. If the tide in I will go weightless weightless. The tide back up to Fredericton from the Bay of Fundy, its a long way from Fredericton

[@juleswinnfield826]

Thanks for the vid

[@MattStefanFishing]

you betcha!

[@ukstorm2727]

What's your thoughts on rod power and free rig weight ? I quit fishing a free rig for a while because I found that I was gut hooking a lot of bass, I would feel the bite and would reel down the slack and set the hook, but picked it up again with a much more sensitive rod and have had better results , currently using a MHF rod and a 1/2oz weight but wondering if using a heavy action rod and maybe a 3/8 or lighter weight would allow me to pick up the line quicker? btw always use a 8 gear ratio reel for all my bottom baits

[@MattStefanFishing]

you want a sensitive fast action rod IMO

[@dontnonowuno9953]

Make sure you watch videos here on KZbin on how to successfully remove gut hooked fish without harming them.its a real must for bass fisherman

[@jacquesgolfacademypauljacq5186]

@@dontnonowuno9953 5:02

[@hookedonbassncats]

Completely agree. 👍

[@MattStefanFishing]

thanks!

[@k1llerdir]

On a Texas rig I do not bury the hook into the plastic. I have the plastic barely touching the top of the plastic. The free rig is better for smaller baits on sandy and rocky bottoms except when the size rocks over a foot thick that is when get more line fray and break offs.

[@MattStefanFishing]

thanks for sharing

[@joestrummer9507]

Interesting rig but I see the separation between the weight and bait as creating slack line which hinders bite detection. The weight and bait hit the water, the weight sinks along your line to the bottom while the bait slowly falls creating more and more slack as it sinks. From your rod tip to the bait there's a big V with slack between the weight and the bait. Any bite you feel is after the fish takes the bait, swims with it (maybe) and takes up the slack in your line. This gives the fish ample (way too much) time to spit the bait out before you can set the hook. The term controlled slacklining describes what you do with a t-rig, jig, etc. You're always in touch with/in control of your bait and it seems to me you can't do this with this rig. The bait is free to do whatever it wants, free from you, your line, and your rod.

[@MattStefanFishing]

But if you get more bites isn’t that better than only feeling the bites?

[@joestrummer9507]

​@@MattStefanFishingOn the surface yes, more bites sounds great but at the end of the day all that matters is hook-up percentage and bite detection. If you don't feel the bite or see your line move, how do you catch the fish? More bites are meaningless if you don't know about them and the fish are rejecting the bait.

[@MrJohnB-qs6dp]

Great video!!! Thanks for those tips!! I think I know why I was having trouble setting the other day, was using a finesse rod and had the bait Texas rigged where I should have been using my MH spinning rod. Lesson learned very well from this video!! Have a couple rods ready to go on free rig, reverse drop shot & reverse wacky worm. Can't wait to try them👍🏻🤛🏻 Stay Safe & God Bless

[@MattStefanFishing]

glad i could help!

[@bxcloud104]

I don't really notice any issues with grass with a pencil style. When casted or the bait pulls near the weight. It's basically a Jika rig, which has been very weedless. I notice the weight drops at a near 90 degree angle, hence I can use a size down weight compare to a Texas rig. I think the biggest advantage may be that the weight drop faster to bottom and creating a longer weightless drop for the plastic. There's a video floating around comparing how both drop and look underwater vs a T-Rig. It's in Spanish, but just skip to the underwater comparison.

[@MattStefanFishing]

ill try to find it to watch. thanks

[@bigmikefishingchonicles9950]

man i have always had that question just did have anyone to ask

[@MattStefanFishing]

thanks for watching

[@rcandy4u]

This rig rocks

[@MattStefanFishing]

its a good one!

[@jeffcompton6937]

Are we 😅sure that the customer didn't install some Bosch 02s in this car because if they have them in their instead of the factory NTK sensors the ecm definitely can keep going into open loop and cause the symptoms you're chasing.

[@MattStefanFishing]

Thanks for watching

[@magicworldbyjorg]

[@MattStefanFishing]

Thanks for watching!

[@magicworldbyjorg]

@@MattStefanFishing Thank you very mutch... have a nice day.... see you….

[@clintperry799]

👍

[@MattStefanFishing]

thanks for watching!

[@irwinm.fletcher2612]

No tuber has done a comparison in a swimming pool

[@MattStefanFishing]

interesting

[@ct5465]

A Texas rig can be pegged, unpegged or even a Carolina rig, all in one.

[@jakeevans4858]

I've been doing that here lately peg both sides of the bullet weight

[@MattStefanFishing]

agreed!

[@williamknight5142]

👍👍👍

[@MattStefanFishing]

thanks for watching!

[@brandonsmith606]

Lol I made this comparison on another channel

[@MattStefanFishing]

thanks for sharing

[@nickkerr5714]

Free rig weight creates more distance between bait and weight than a bullet weight. Test it out yourself

[@MattStefanFishing]

ZThanks for sharing!

[@terrytresemer2864]

I won't even go there, cause I fish both. It all depends on where I'm fishing.

[@MattStefanFishing]

agreed

[@joffrechampagne7908]

Free rig + grass = Cutting off your line and throwing it away. Go ahead, try it - I did once

[@MattStefanFishing]

haha

[@shannonkirby9295]

I prefer unpegged

[@MattStefanFishing]

sounds good!

[@jenlvjim]

All of these different rigs are a little bit of a scam. You just need to find fish that are hungry and put something in front of them.

[@MattStefanFishing]

Good rigs catch non hungry fish

[@tonyduran4764]

Pay Matt comment

[@MattStefanFishing]

thanks!

[@jacobperez5977]

Man you throw some big weights. I throw lighter weights. Maybe I should go heavier.

[@MattStefanFishing]

just depends on the depth

[@jacobperez5977]

@@MattStefanFishing makes sense. I didn’t know if it was due to the size of your soft plastic but that probably shouldn’t matter if the weight is supposed to lead the bait.

[@siryarwammowray3445]

👍👍👍

[@MattStefanFishing]

Thanks for watching!