Team9nine

Fish are all over the beds in many waters here in central and southern IN. Considering this is the first week of May, everything is about right on time for the most part. They first tried about a week to 10 days ago, but a good cold snap knocked them back pretty quick. Nothing but upper 70s to low 80s the next week, so they're all over it now. Water 62-66 and warming quickly. -T9

The more you fish, the more you'll realize there is no such thing as too cold, especially for northern bass acclimated to cold winters and water. If the water is open, they'll bite. When it starts to freeze over, pull your bait off the ice into open water, let it drop, and they'll bite. Once it completely freezes over, drill a hole and drop your bait through it and they'll still bite. Seriously. Just use a bait appropriate to the activity level of the fish, and keep in mind that in very cold weather/water, they're usually not everywhere. Very easy to fish past a school. -T9

Mccallister496 hit on several good points. I've fished various retention ponds in the Indy area for much of my life. My recommendation is to keep things simple. The lives of most of the bass in these small ponds still revolves around the shoreline regardless of cover or lack thereof. Spend a good part of your time focusing your effort there (as in casts parallel to shore, within several feet of the bank). Take advantage of prime feeding windows. If it rains a lot and the water gets murky, go. If you get an influx of rain coming into or out of the lake via drains, go. If you catch a cloudy day before a storm moves in, go. If the wind is blowing 20 mph, go. Anything that gives you a slight advantage is what you want to look for. Baits are dictated by the water and weather conditions. Spooks and Pop-R's can be good, as can buzzbaits, floating worms, jigs and shallow cranks (Minus 1-, etc.). Use what makes sense for the time of year and the conditons, no different than any other lake or person. Just don't over-focus on the deep water dragging stuff. There are some out there, but you'll catch a lot more tight to the bank. -T9

You make a good point. I always tell guys to read the tourney standings from last place up, not from the top down. Everyone focuses on who won, and the media loves to spotlight a winner, but if you start at the bottom, sooner or later you'll see every angler, including the big name "favorites," right down on the bottom and not even close to being in contention. Lots of guys beat themselves up when they have a tough day, but that's fishing. Nobody catches them all the time, even the best in the world. -T9

Nope - never had a use for it. Keep fresh line spooled as needed, and take out line twist when necessary - always good to go. -T9

Yep, Z-Man Trigger Hook. The original version was made by Lew's way back in the day and called a "Speed Sticker." Ebay has a bunch, and I saw a large assorted package at Outlet Bait & Tackle. -T9

+5 -- Did the thumbnail thing for 25 years - Texas Tackle Split Ring Pliers are better LOL.... Just wish it hadn't taken me so long to find out - too stubborn, I guess. -T9

Yep - Very strong - forged - very good "spring" so they rarely, if ever, deform when attaching to baits - plus the regular "bass" sizes come in black chrome which is nice. Seems like most of the recognized swimbait guys swear by them, so that is a pretty strong testament. Others might work fine, but in this case, all the positive comments and recommendations for them outweigh taking a chance on an off-brand. -T9

Another you might look at is either the Davis X-Wire or the Davis Fatboy Spinnerbaits from Coose Tackle (find them online). Not exactly the same as the one you pictured, but pretty darn close, from the same area, and very top notch... -T9

Water bottles are good, as is having some type of conditioner which will help offset any chemical impurities, but the bit about chlorine levels in bags of ice is a bit overblown, IMO. I've never heard or seen of a livewell full of dead bass in 25 years of tourney fishing from a bag of ice in these parts, and the Maryland DNR actually did a test on local suppliers many years back and found no issue with bulk produced store bought ice: http://dnr2.maryland.gov/fisheries/Documents/IsChlorineinLiveWellsaProblemdoc.pdf -T9

Owner Hyper Wire - Size 2, 3 or 4 (smaller to larger) for most baits. #3 is a pretty good all-around size. -T9

A couple kayak clubs in the area. The first is a central IN club, the second a larger state organization. Both fish some tourneys: Central Indiana Kayak Anglers http://www.indyyaks.com/ cikayakanglers@gmail.com http://indianayakfish.com/ https://www.facebook.com/IndianaKayakAnglers As for regular bass clubs, there are several Westside clubs, most all of which are usually looking for non-boaters. Here are a few to look into: Speedway 500 B/M Hendricks Co. B/M Raccoon Bass Anglers P.O. Pluggers Cataract Hawg Stalkers -T9

Yes there is, but in your case, it will be a noticeable difference in the lack of feel going back to mono. On the other hand, stretch is a wash, IMO. Wouldn't worry about that too much. Whatever works best for you is what you need to be using though.... -T9

^^^ That's where I'm at, too...but whatever works for you. -T9

Red - just another braid color. It discolors also, turning more whitish with red tinting than anything after a lot of use. It also seems to leave much more residue as the red wears off compared to other colors. Very obvious around my rod guides and such. I personally think it is very difficult to see, so I wouldn't recommend it for a line watching technique. If you want to try something in place of the more traditional green, then red might be a good option. If you want something you can easily see, go yellow/chartreuse or white. -T9

This ^^ - If you fish long enough with enough different jig heads, you'll see the difference. Not that you can't use others, but mushrooms definitely seem to be best overall, at least for the conditions the technique was originally created for. Technically, no. Depends on how close you want to stick to the "original." Elaztech is the material in Z-Man baits, as well as the Strike King Ochos. Other baits will fish and react differently being made of a different type plastic material, as well as differences in salt content or addition. They will all catch fish, but the best thing for anyone who wants to try Ned Rigging is to first begin with the exact original setup, Elaztech plastics and light (1/32, 1/16, 3/32) Gopher mushroom head jigs. Once you've fished those and learned how they react and why they work, then you can start playing with all the different component alterations that are possible. But until you have fished with the baseline rig, you'll have no basis for comparison...only another similar version that you won't have any idea why it's different than Ned's original setup. -T9

Welcome to the congregation That little excerpt above is about the best piece of advice I would give anyone first wanting to try the rig out. As for fishing it in weedy areas, go to a 1/32 oz. head with some of the Elaztech plastics that will help float the bait over and around weeds without bogging in them. Could also go to one of the single strand guarded jigheads to help. Works good around regular weeds, but not much help in moss/algae. Takes a bit more patience, but works. -T9

You didn't dream it. Steve Reideler of Lewisville, Texas, who provides lots of reports to Ned's Finesse News Network, was regularly using a bobber-and-scented LeechZ rig and other Z-Man baits to catch several bass these past couple winter/springs. He frequently uses a rattling bobber to make some extra noise as a possible attractor. Below is a brief mention from one such report: -T9

Like any bait, you can fish it however you like. I believe Ned now has 6 specific "named" retrieves he performs with his baits, most all of which I believe he describes in the following video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qqGTzPt6TIQ. I have kept my retrieves to versions of the original 5, with the "swim and glide" my most utilized retrieve. -T9

On weight, 1/16-oz is probably the most used "all-around" weight if you wanted to just pick one...and 18" - 3' water clarity won't be any issue. -T9

Have it spooled on nearly every baitcaster I own, plus used regularly as a leader for my spinning outfits with braid. Great stuff. Increased sensitivity and abrasion resistance are the two main reasons for me using it. -T9

I'm still sticking by my answer from your original post... -T9

Grey reel with the green line looks about perfect to me...where I always fill all mine to, but many consider it "overfilled." As one or two others have stated, I'd start there, and if you can't handle it, strip a little more off and try again. The other reel, I'd just as soon not fish with if I didn't have to nowhere near enough line for me. -T9

Biggest limits: Largemouth - early to mid pre-spawn (45-55 deg. H2O) Smallmouth - very early winter (<50 deg. H2O) Biggest numbers: Largemouth - late post-spawn/early summer Smallmouth - late pre-spawn -T9

Similar, but different.