I missed several strikes the other day fishing a t-rigged worm. I am fairly new to this type of fishing so I have two questions. How close to the surface of the worm do you place your hook on a Texas-rig, and what tips do you have for setting the hook when you get a strike.

Thanks

I bring the point through the lure and then bury is back just barely under the surface...unless I am fishing in heavy weeds, then I bury it just a bit deeper so bumps against the weeds do not push the hook through and snag me up.

You may want to shorten up your lure, get the hook near the back...you will have more success on hook sets and learn the feel quicker.

As far as setting the hook...

that is a thing that just takes practice and learning the feel...

if you are getting actual STRIKES, you should not have a hard time ( when the fish are actually hitting the lure)...all fishermen still miss some strikes on the days when the hits are soft...or the fish just seem to scoop it up and walk away with it without you ever feeling it...those days are hard for us all...

The best suggestion I have ever gotten for those days...when you do not feel the hit but your line starts moving...

alot of the time the fish are just carrying the tail in these situations...If you set the hook you may pull it out of thier mouth...

an old timer told me...reach down and flick the line with your finger....to give the bait a little jerk/vibration...this usually makes the fish gulp at the lure to keep it from getting away....flick the line...SET the hook...

we have had alot of success with this!

Depends on the hook-an offset shank worm hook I leave just underneath the surface of the plastic and with an EWG hook I skin hook it-push it all the way through so it lays flat on the worm and then punch the point of the hook in just under the skin.

Hookset-I cranh the handle real quick to pull in the slack leaning forward at the same time-then I straighten up quick and whip the rod tip away from the fish, either over my head or off to the side.

I go by a piece of advice I read that seemed to make sense, and that was to set the hook as soon as you think you've had a strike. In my case, almost all strikes are detected not by feel, but by seeing the line move off to the side. When I see that line movement, I set the hook.

Also, you say you're new to this type of fishing. Panfish often nip at the tail of the plastic. Typically, it's short, rapid taps and if they move off with the worm, it's usually faster than a bass, which usually moves off slowly and steadily in my experience.

I fish a texas rig all the time when I need to get that worm deeper. Generally the fish won't exactly "nail" it. But when you go to reel in slack, you can the nsee the line getting taken away, which is one of my favorite feelings in the world, then you nail that fish with a strong hookset. I like to put the hook right through the head of the worm and then texas rig it. Then I will put the hook all the way through and you can see it rest on the worm. Doesnt snag up too often and improves your chances of catching the fish that just nibble at it.

When fishing t-rigged, set the hook same as you would a topwater frog. Fish with your rod up, then when the fish strikes, drop you rod tip, and when you feel it on the line...  set the hook upward.

Also use a MH rod with fast action

Just to add what others have said, I'm convinced that you can try to set the hook too early.  Especially when you're new to this type of fishing.  When I first started, every time I felt the slightest tick on end of the line, the adrenaline would start pumping and I'd set the hook.  More often than not I think I just pulled the worm away from the fish.  Now, when I first feel a tick-tick I wait just a second or two for some other sign that the fish has taken the bait like a tug or seeing the line move.  I'm not sure what the fish is doing when I feel that first tick.  He may just be nudging the worm or maybe he picked it up by the tail and hasn't gulped it all in yet.  

Some people will tell you that you should set the hook as soon as you feel anything because the fish will spit the bait back out.  That may be a problem with a jig or a crank, but with a good quality soft plastic, especially one with scent in it, the fish will typically hold on for at least a few seconds.  

Anyway, my advice is to not get too anxious and set too early.  Yes, hook sets are free.  And it's better to swing and miss than let the fish spit your bait back out.  BUT, it's VERY rare that I feel that tick-tick and then have the fish get away because I waited too long to set the hook.