What way do you rig your decoys?

I'm thinking about switching from a standard rig to a TX rig. What are the pros and cons to each. I like carrying my dekes in a bag but the wrapping and trying to get the lead weights to land on the right spot is getting old.

If you hunt shallow water all the time, texas rig can't be beat.

I have been through several variations of Texas Rigs.

The old school method of wrapping the lines around the keels/heads is a pain in the butt to me.

Texas rig pro is super easy to pick up and put out, much better in the cold than wrapping up line and weights. Con would be if you don't use the right cord, it can tangle, and loading them in a decoy bag can be interesting if you hunt solo.

Texas rig!

I use a slip not. Lets me hunt from 1 inch all the way up to 6ft

this is texas

texas rig now but I used to run a line clip and weight and just set the clip out depending on how deep the water was. When I was done I would just pull all the slack out till the weight was against the keel and slide the clip up against the other side of the keel, both are effective, tejas is just faster

X2

Texas Rig! Used the standard rig for years and the Texas makes all aspects of dealing with the decoys much easier.

All three

Nice

I Texas rig with coated cable. I use an egg weight and secure it at one end and a loop at the other. I never fight with tangled decoys.

^ this

I TX rigged 2 dozen this year for the 1st time. I'm kicking myself for not doing it earlier. Only one time have I needed longer lines and that was when I was hunting lake X with wind blowing at 20 mph and the waves were picking up my decoys and moving them.

95% of the time, TX rigs will work for me. I'm switching most of my decoys to that set up.

The one "frustration" I've had is that my lines get twisted. Not a big issue and they never end up in a knot.

Texas rig with 1.05 diameter weedeater cord from Northern Supply. The weedeater cord seems to work better than the ones I have rigged with 400LB mono, cheaper too, and do not get tangled up.

Every decoy I own is Texas rigged. Life Time Decoys makes a nice rig using coated cable. It prevents getting that kink in the mono when the lines are knotted. We run one dzn with their rig and I like them! For all the others we use 300# mono with a 4 oz egg weight pounded flat on one end and a loop crimped in the other. Works great!

I marked 'other' because I use a bit of a hybrid. I like the sliding weight aspect of the Texas rig, but didn't like having to clip all my decoys together and wrestle them into the bag. Instead of using mono on my rig, I use black nylon chord, the tarred kind used for trotlines. It retains no memory, so you don't have any loops sticking above the water, it sinks, and if it does happen to poke above the surface, it's hard to see. I ran the chord through the keel loop, and tied a weight to one end. On the other end, I made a loop just bigger than the decoy's head. To store the decoys I pull the weight up to the keel, wrap the chord around the keel, then slip the loop over the decoy's head. It lets the weight free-slide when I unwrap it, but is much neater for storage.

Texas rig for sure. Don't put them in a decoy bag though. It will be like untangling Christmas lights trying to put them out.

Well I guess I'll be trying a Tx rig for the rest of the season and next. Went and bought 24 H&H 36" premade rigs.

Don't post this in public on the THF. You will be referred to as cheap, why I don't know. I like the WE string much better than the mono.

It's just flat better. No two ways about it.

Texas rig... Deployed standard rigs for about 3 years before I made the switch. I often recount how much of a pain it was to wrap all those cords around the keels. It was terrible when it got real cold... It used to take us 20+ minutes to pick up decoys, now it takes 5 minutes at the most...

I tell my hunting partner all the time that switching to texas rigs was the greatest decision I've made for duck hunting...

Yeah, they cost more but they increase your time in the blind...

Also, I use the velcro cable ties on each set of Texas rigs. One at the top and one close to the decoys. Cheap solution to keep the cords from getting all tangled...

For everyone who says they get tangled, What I have done when mine seem to be tangled is unclip them first and then just grab the actual decoy and the other end usually comes right out of the spaghetti knot... I know some are rigged different than others though...

I actually prefer the Game Winner version that Academy sells. They work great for me...

I'm really digging the lifetime rigs, I keep them in a knot unless they're on the water and they have absolutely no memory. Can't say the same for my mono rigs

I build Texas rigs

I run store bought rig em right Texas rigs... I want to make my own for all my dekes next year and I think ill use weed eater string. But Texas rigs are the only way to go.

Don't know much about buying premade ones or anything about them but when we starting making them you could not buy them.
I have bought some pretty expensive 400lb mono to keep them from tangling but that weedeater cord actually works better and is tons cheaper.

All you need is a loop on one end with a metal crimp, slide the line thru the decoy keel hole, place a weight on the line, put a loop and another crimp and your done. The line slides both ways and the loops can be picked up from either end, not much to it. You really do not need swivels.

I use 400# mono and the standard lead strap weight. Cut the strap in half and attach to one end of mono using crimp tool. Thread the other end through your decoy and form a large loop on other end. The loop will be the handle for your decoy clips. This has proven to be a great way to rig for waist deep water or less.

http://www.snlcorp.com/snl/other/duckdecoykit.aspx

rig em right. the right way

I like to have a dozen rigged with 15 foot of line for some of the ponds I hunt. It just looks more natural when you have a few ducks out a little deeper. However, the majority of mine are now Texas rigged.

Goto snlcorp.net this is SNL website for decoy rigging. But buy the Rig em right egg weights because they have large holes which makes them slide better.

And yes they carry in a decoy bag just fine with a .99 cent aluminum snap clip from home depot.

I have almost all of mine Texas rigged. I still have a few in a bag with the standard rig, just because every now and then the situation will work better carrying dekes in a bag. If you use a boat Texas rig is way easier. Takes no time to put em out, and you don't have any hassle when picking them up.

I made alot of mine out of weedeater cord, but I also have a few dozen on te rig em right weights, and I prefer those. They are a little pricey, but seem to work a little better than the ones I made, although those get the job done just fine as well.

Word of advice though, carry a couple extra carribeaners clipped onto your blind bag for when you inevitably drop that clip in the water when it's not attached to a deke.

X2

I carolina rig my jerk cord to keep the grass off...............

I'm 100% Texas rigged now. I love how fast and easy it is to put out and pick up and that your fingers stay dry on cold mornings, but I hate how easily you can get really nasty tangles.

I made some sleeves out of 3" PVC that take care of that issue and make them a lot easier to carry if you have to walk a considerable distance, but it's still not as convenient as a decoy bag.

I used 4-5 foot of 400# mono with 4 oz. egg weights to Texas rig all of my decoys. Set-up and take down of a spread is so much easier. Also I hang my decoys in the garage to take the memory out of the mono. Hanging my dekes also makes storage great.

I used to have an old fishing bobber on mine, also a key float for boat keys work well too!