I hardly ever use weights when fishing soft plastics, but I know a lot of people do.

I was just curious, is there a rule of thumb when using a weight as to whether or not you peg it?

I guess what I'm looking for is what type of situation you peg a weight and when do you just let it run up and down your line.

Thanks in Advance!

the only time i peg a weight, is when i am flipping. when i am using a texas rig, i just let the weight slide up and down the line.

IMO, when fishing heavy cover it's better to peg your weight. It will help the bait can get though the cover. If it's not pegged then your bait might get caught up and the weight just slide on down the line. If you're working an open area it's OK to let your weight slide. I like to use some type of stopper about 6 to 8 inches above my bait to keep the weight from sliding too much. I believe it's just personal preference.

I peg for heavy grass and wood, other than that I don't.

I rarely peg but that has a lot to do with the fact that I almost always have a glass bead between my weight and my worm.

I also tend to lose my rig less if I don't peg.  It seems that the weight floppinng around helps free the hook.

I have a buddy that never pegs his weights, but if he gets into a situation where he needs to keep the weight tight to the hook, he will use his pliers to crimp the weight.  There are probable lots of reasons not to do this, but his theory is that he can change up quickly and he does often load the boat.

if I use a weight, its a screw-in weight.  Always pegged I guess you could say...but I fish weightless a LOT.

I never peg my weight unless fishing heavy cover, like already mentioned.

I TOO DON'T PEG UNLESS FLIPPIN.  I DON'T THINK THERE IS A RIGHT OR WRONG ANSWER TO THIS QUESTION.  EITHER YOU WILL OR YOU WONT.

If I'm going to peg I use the screw in bullets.  Pegging is too time consuming for me.  It's definately a preference thing.  I wouldnt say there is a wrong answer.

Heavy cover is a must peg situation.

B

I peg it in cover only. I use a rubber bobber stopper as a peg. If you decide to unpeg it, just slide it up the line. I never like the idea of jammin a toothpick in the weight. Looks like a place for the line to break to me.

Cheers,

GK

The only time i peg is when I am fishing zone three at Bennett Spring for trout. This helps me out because i can put a somewhat heavy weight to drag the bottom, but yet keep the bait, in this case Power Bait Dough, in the strike zone. Outside of that I tend to not peg.

Now i have a follow up question: Isn't pegging sort of the same as a carolina rig? It kind of accomplishes the same thing, at least to me.

The Radio Guy

If your weight is pegged anywhere on the line except adjacent to the hook/lure, a modified Carolina rig is exactly what you have.

I fish heavy cover 95% of the time and never peg any thing  

I fish very weedy, grassy conditions, and peg virtually everything.

I also like the feel better.  When using a worm etc. that is unpegged and I feel resistance like a litle hump or something.  I know where the weight is, but not my bait.

It's a confidence thing.

I never understood why a person would take the time to tie a Texas Rig and then peg the weight? That is killing the entire purpose of a Texas Rig which is to have the weight and bait separate.

To me you may as well tie on a lead head and be done with it  

I fish heavy cover 95% of the time and never peg any thing  

Me too.

Ronnie

I was surprised to hear the difference in opinions.  Most people say they only peg in heavy cover and several said they fish heavy cover most of the time and don't peg.

I guess it's just a preference thing, but as always, you can count on getting great responses on this site!

Thanks for the help!

I'll peg if I'm going to be skipping.

I never peg for one simple reason: an unpegged soft plastic has more random action. The majority of the time I fish soft plastics unweighted. Tubes, lizards, GYCB Kut-tail and an occasional split shot worm would be the exceptions.

I only peg for flippin.

The thing with your lake Bill is that there isn't much call for weight because of all the milfoil.

When you come down this summer, I can show you a few different applications in person, using a bullet weight.  It's nice because you can often catch a visual of the bite, like the day we explored that creek channel. (back cove)

A major mistake is made when fishing grass and it is the belief that one should use a light weight to stay above the grass. When fishing grass you want a heavier weight to penetrate the grass because a majority of the bass is located under the grass not above it.

I have experimented with pegging, but I don't care for it.  I think I get better action on the fall when the line can slide back through the bullet and let the bait fall more naturally.  Also, on the retrieve, I think the sliding weight kicks up a little more silt from the bottom, making the bait look like its being chased and attracting more fish.