We started doing it back in the late 80's to early 90's but were using 1/4" olive drab rope from the surplus store. Probably did not start using heavy mono until the mid to late 90's.

 

That's sorta how Cajun Duckman and the guys out east had been doing theirs when I first met them in the early 2000's. A large dia. non-nylon rope with a washer, nut, etc. on the end.

Saved copy of the said write up from Glenn.

http://www.drundel.com/hunt/texasrigged/

 

Same here, late 80's using 1/4 rope dyed in black ret dye using swivel clips and knots. Went to mono in early 90's.

 

Can't prove anything by me. I was a keel wrapper for 30+ years. Went to Texas Rigg 5 years ago.

 

It was me. I Texas rigged by first batch of decoys in 19 and ought 46, right after I got back from the war.

 

First I saw it was Max Heatherington in Aransas Pass...Coastal Guide Service then, late 70s...I changed mine after seeing how easy it was..I remember the line was green swordfish line I believe...Had a piece of heavy mono in the middle...I still have decoys with that line...It was a spool about a mile and cost $150...I loved it that I could put out 30/40 dozen decoys and never leave my spot...

 

Max used an almost 4 Oz. weight, poured into a mold that was flattend with a stem, eye for the sword fish line. Even in storm wind, the decoys stayed in place. We did learn when you picked them up to use tie wraps for a dozem dekes and mad putting them out easy as well. As guys attempted to use better systems, this was the one we did find to work best and I see many varaiations of it to this day.

I do shake my head when I see "Patten panding" on any decoy system. I have a great patten attorney as a client, you may be wasting money and time on this, just FYI. To get a patten these days, it has to be unlike anything out there and such a new idea, mighty difficult to do so boys.
:work:

 

I first saw it as it is today with heavy mono in the early 90's. The guys in POC had been rigging them like that before then.

It really took off after the writeup on the Fuge. I tongue in cheek titled that writeup "Texas Rigged Decoys" and it stuck.

 

First time I read about it was you Glen.
Was it the Fuge or SDH?
Anyway it sure changed the way I and the whole industry rigged decoys. The old way is a PITA.

 

I first saw this type rig around 2000, but the only thing that moved was the weight on those. Line was secure to the deke and had the loop down at the weight end. Wasn't long till I saw the line and swivel rig where the deke slid up and down the line.

 

I don't know if it started around POC, but that's where I first saw it in the early-90s.

I bought my first airboat from Bill Hertenberger and he had a bunch of dekes hanging in the boat shed - all rigged this way. He called them "slinger rigs" because there was no fumbling around; you just slung 'em out there. Of course the keels have to be weighted so the decoy will right itself when it lands.

 

Jeff Foiles? NOT

 

I was shown how to Texas Rig decoys in '72 by an old timer here in Port O'Connor. His name was Aurthur Barr. He was the last Lighthouse Keeper at the Matagorda Island Lighthouse. He also called it a slinger type

 

Whats the big deal. I still wrap keels. All these fancy decoy rigs don't bring the ducks in do they?

 

You can probably pick up 10 dozen Texas rigged in the same amount of time it takes to pick up 1 dozen keel wrapped.

 

To say it was popular due to the Fuge is laughable. Before the inner web it was a very popular method amongst a bunch of us. Heck I was using it 15 years before I ever used the web. Still haven't seen the Fuge or duck hunting sites.

 

Pretty sure none of the old time guides in rockport ever read the"fuge".....They all hung their decoys from the cage of their airboats.....

 

They fuge.... What a joke. Before all the internet hunters were around and any forums were put into code I watched my Ol grampa texas rig decoys. Said he learned it while stationed on Matagorda Island. That's back when they used to shoot greenheads in POC.

 

Al Gore!

 

Oh yea, well I saw it.......... and then...... LMAO