Texas RigBill Dance tells all about Texas Rig Plastics here...
First you need a hook and this is determined by the size of the bait. Using a Texas rig worm for our example, a 6 to 8 inch worm is best rigged on a 2/0 hook.  A 4 to 6 inch worm is best on a smaller 1/0 hook, and 8 to 10 worms ride on 3/0 hooks. A wide gap hook will help get a better hook set and are easy to remove. Modern hooks are so effective that you can pinch the barb down and still land most of the hooked bass. Pinching the barb is a good idea if you don't intend to keep fish to eat. If a bass hits aggressively, or you don't feel the hit, the bait could end up deep in it's throat. Removing the hook will hurt the fish severely if the barb is left sticking up.
The next item is your bullet sinker. Generally the weight is free and slides back and forth on the line. You can slide a bead on the line to protect the knot and make a little clatter when the bait is pulled along. Also the weight can be pegged in place with a toothpick to keep it from grabbing vegetation in heavy cover. This makes the Texas rig completely weedless and you can fish just about anywhere. Start with the lightest weight that you can cast about 30 to 40 feet so you are not right on top of the bass. This can be as light as a 1/32 ounce sinker. If the wind picks up , or you want the bait to sink faster just move up in weight. Line selection will help the Texas rig really perform and can be adjusted to the conditions. Your line should match your worm,hook and sinker.  Generally if the cover is not terribly thick 6 lb test will do fine. If you hook into a 5 lb largemouth you might be left wanting though! A good line is Berkley Trilene XT in low visibility green. This line in 10 lb test will pull bass out of some tough cover and is thin enough to disappear in the water. The thicker the cover and stiffer the rod will force you to go with a higher test line.
Speaking of rods, a Texas rigged worm is best fished on a 6 to 7 foot medium to medium/heavy rod with a soft action tip. You want the end of the rod to flex so you can see the light strikes. Also once the bass is hooked, you keep your tip up and the fish will be fighting the rod and it is less likely to break your line. There are hundreds of rods that fall into this category, but a Shakespeare Ugly Stick will never let you down! So now you are ready to put something on the hook. As far as worms go, the original 7.5” Culprit worm is hard to beat.  It's tail wiggles as it drops and drives bass crazy. Some good colors to try are Red Shad,Tequila and Pumpkin Pepper. A good creature bait is the Baby Brush hog from Zoom bait company. Good colors for these are Amber black,Pumpkin and Watermelon Seed. Both are slim and very weedless baits. The bulkier the bait, the easier it is to get snagged if you are not careful.
Any bass fishing trip must start with locating the likely areas that hold fish. Some excellent structure for the Texas rig is heavy weed cover. Blocks of lily pads on a flat near a spawning area is great largemouth fishing in the spring and early summer. Largemouth will tend to stay shallow for a longer period of time when they are in spawn and shortly after. Locate breaks and points in weed beds as they are good ambush spots. Cast your Texas rigged worm or creature in front of these and let it sit for about a minute. Now you need to watch your line carefully and if it starts to tighten or jumps suddenly, you are in business! Lower your rod tip and gently reel up the slack line so you can feel the weight of the bass. To set the hook, snap the rod straight up and over your shoulder. Keep the tip of the rod up and haul the bass out as quickly as possible. This will prevent getting pulled back into the weeds and spooking nearby bass. Get your Texas Rig, and get some bass!
If you don't get bit on your initial cast, jump the bait by pulling up on the rod tip about a foot and then let it settle down to the bottom again. Then wait for the same line action. Sometimes the bass will have trouble locating the bait at first, but that second jump will pull them right in. Be ready to set the hook quickly so you don't get stuck in it's throat. The first few seconds after the Texas rig hits the water or is jumped will produce a violent strike. After that you may have to look for a gently tick on the line as the bass sips the rig off the bottom. If the bass are in a good mood the pause can be shortened between jumps. Bright sunny high pressure days will require a slower presentation. If anything will pull fish out of the water on a tough day, the Texas Rig is it!
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