Ned Rig Believer

[Cody S]

I bought a new spinning set up and some Ned rig items from a new gander mountain that opened up in Marion IL and decided to give it a go earlier today. I fished for and hour with my casting gear with jigs, plastics,etc and had no bites so I decided to try out my new rig and first cast I hooked up. I caught didn't catch any real good size today but I caught good numbers. I fished floating docks and all my strikes came on the pillers when I hopped it then gave it some shakes so needless to say I am a big believer in the Ned rig and a big thanks to Glenn and many others on the forum for their input i can't wait to get back out there!

[IndyGlockMan]

I just bought some NED rig 1/6oz jig heads (black) and two packs of the Zman worms - Money and California Craw 

Those were the only 2 colors the shop had in stock.   

Heard good things about the money color

 

The NED rig seems an awful lot like a Shakey Head but  with some minor differences.

 

I'd like to try a Rage Craw on that Ned rig jig head.   The craw should stand up pretty well on  there.

[Cody S]

I bought the 1/16th black heads with silver sparkle flake because that's all I could find and cut a 5" yum dinger in half and I fish it pretty similar to a shaky head I don't know if it's right or wrong but it works.

There's only one way to find out about the Rage Craw

[Paul Roberts]

Ned Rig represents the current form of an old standby -the finesse grub. I started using them in the 70's using the head section of a broken plastic worm on a jig head. They worked, and still work, great. The use of the "elastic" plastics in the Ned Rig adds buoyancy and durability. But the old school ones work too. Don't wait for the new stuff to arrive in the mail. Nip the head off a broken worm and fish it.

[einscodek]

A beat up senko piece on a grub jighead

This is supposed to be revolutionary?

[Sea NaCl]

The Ned Rig in my eyes is just a worm on a jig head. To me its really nothing revolutionary or new because I've been using this technique in saltwater for years. I cannot deny that its very effective for bass in the right conditions though.

[frogflogger]

Pieces of worm on a jighead have been around a long time - Chuck Woods' original beetle was cut from a plastic worm - the ned rig is a refinement - the mushroom head combined with the attributes of the elaztech products make for subtle yet very effective changes in the set up.

[Team9nine]

Pieces of worm on a jighead have been around a long time - Chuck Woods' original beetle was cut from a plastic worm - the ned rig is a refinement - the mushroom head combined with the attributes of the elaztech products make for subtle yet very effective changes in the set up.

 

^^ Pretty much this ^^ 

 

It's only "revolutionary" or "new" if you have no idea of the history behind it. It is Ned's way of resurrecting (and paying tribute to) the original concepts (the Beetle, using only spinning gear, frugality, fishing small waters, etc.) developed by Chuck Woods and a few others in the 1950s and 1960s. Ned's only spin on it is the newer material baits that help with his 101 fish per trip goal, and perhaps the dedicated retrieves.

 

-T9   

[Primus]

I've been fishing a 3" Senko on a Gopher mushroomhead for a few years before the Ned rig . Cast great for a small bait and it's a good way to catch numbers with an occasional 3 or 4lber . Another good one is to take the smallest size of the R.I. Beaver with a 1/16 oz mushroomhead . Maybe I should name it after myself before it catches on . 

[frogflogger]

Ned didn't name the rig.

[gardnerjigman]

Ned didn't name the rig.

 

Pretty sure the guy that "created" it is Ned Kehde.... 

[Team9nine]

Pretty sure the guy that "created" it is Ned Kehde.... 

 

Yes, Ned Kehde is the one who has popularized and developed the main concept and rig, what he refers to as "Midwest Finesse" fishing, but the name "Ned Rig" was basically given to the bait by his readers and followers. I don't believe Ned even liked it referred to as such, and I can't ever remember seeing him use that name in his many writings. He has tried giving it other names such as "Little Varmint," but they never really "took." Ned Rig is what has stuck.

 

-T9  

[Ondrejka]

Yes, Ned Kehde is the one who has popularized and developed the main concept and rig, what he refers to as "Midwest Finesse" fishing, but the name "Ned Rig" was basically given to the bait by his readers and followers. I don't believe Ned even liked it referred to as such, and I can't ever remember seeing him use that name in his many writings. He has tried giving it other names such as "Little Varmint," but they never really "took." Ned Rig is what has stuck.

 

-T9  

 

The "Varmint" name originated elsewhere, a name that stuck by a bunch of old guys that fish Table Rock and LOZ. I don't think Kehde coined that term. And no, he doesn't like to refer to it as the Ned Rig, lol. I see him very often at a little local lake, as I live in the same town as him.

[Team9nine]

The "Varmint" name originated elsewhere, a name that stuck by a bunch of old guys that fish Table Rock and LOZ. I don't think Kehde coined that term. And no, he doesn't like to refer to it as the Ned Rig, lol. I see him very often at a little local lake, as I live in the same town as him.

 

Thanks for the clarification. Not certain who exactly coined the name "Varmint" (or "Little Varmint"), but I do know that many of the guys on the Ozark forums refer to the "Ned Rig " by that name, and that didn't start happening (at least publically) until after Ned had written a couple stories calling the bait (ZinkerZ/mushroom head jig) by that name last June. 

 

-T9

[livemusic]

...It is Ned's way of resurrecting (and paying tribute to) the original concepts (the Beetle, using only spinning gear, frugality, fishing small waters, etc.) developed by Chuck Woods and a few others in the 1950s and 1960s.

 

So, the concept is to use spinning only? Why, I'm curious.

[Team9nine]

So, the concept is to use spinning only? Why, I'm curious.

 

Ned considers the late Chuck Wood as the father of finesse fishing for bass. Chuck always used spinning tackle for everything he threw, finesse or otherwise. I believe part of it stems from that history which dates back to the late 50s and early 60s. Additionally, part of Ned's Midwest Finesse Modus operandi is frugality, so not only does he use only spinning gear, but it is old and inexpensive spinning gear (LOL). He uses 1970s Cardinal 4 reels  that he bought for $20 back in the day (but are still widely considered to be some of the best spinning reels ever built), along with cheap $20 Shakespeare Synergy rods. He even cuts the bails off his spinning reels. Ned fishes the lightweight jig/worm baits almost exclusively, and frequently makes casts less than 40 feet long, so he has no need for baitcast gear, or even fancier spinning equipment. As he has stated, he shuns versatility.

 

-T9

[Cody S]

So, the concept is to use spinning only? Why, I'm curious.

Lighter line and lighter weight lures work much better with spinning gear to cast and skip. I also feel the bite is easier to detect with spinning while using these lighter lures and line vs using casting

[rippin-lips]

So, the concept is to use spinning only? Why, I'm curious.

To fish it on casting gear would require one to have a BFS combo. Generally speaking it's not a cheap combo to put together. $400 +\- $100

The basics of the ned rig are

1/16oz jig head

#4-8 line #6 for most

1/2 a Zinker or a whole TRD worm

[livemusic]

To fish it on casting gear would require one to have a BFS combo. Generally speaking it's not a cheap combo to put together. $400 +\- $100

The basics of the ned rig are

1/16oz jig head

#4-8 line #6 for most

1/2 a Zinker or a whole TRD worm

 

What is a BFS combo?

[rippin-lips]

Bait

Finesse

Special

[dtrs5kprs]

Thanks for the clarification. Not certain who exactly coined the name "Varmint" (or "Little Varmint"), but I do know that many of the guys on the Ozark forums refer to the "Ned Rig " by that name, and that didn't start happening (at least publically) until after Ned had written a couple stories calling the bait (ZinkerZ/mushroom head jig) by that name last June. 

 

-T9

 

It was B-Squared...Bill Babler and Bill Beck hung the Varmint name on it last summer, because Ned has never liked the other name. Ned seems to like Varmint well enough, and of course Zman has the other name slapped all over the new bags and heads. I've always called it "the little rig", except in videos. The "midwest finesse style rig" has always been too wordy to use. Like calling a TM an "electric positioning motor". 

[Team9nine]

It was B-Squared...Bill Babler and Bill Beck hung the Varmint name on it last summer, because Ned has never liked the other name. Ned seems to like Varmint well enough, and of course Zman has the other name slapped all over the new bags and heads. I've always called it "the little rig", except in videos. The "midwest finesse style rig" has always been too wordy to use. Like calling a TM an "electric positioning motor". 

 

Thanks, Dave! Saw those two referenced in a post about the name, but couldn't tell from context if they were the ones who coined it or were just a couple of the first to adopt the name. "Ned Rig" is simply too short and easy to reference, so I'm afraid Ned is stuck with it whether he likes it or not  - LOL. The name on the packages must have really thrilled him Jig heads are working great so far!

 

-T9

[Brian Brazier]

I have tried the "Ned Rig" I havent had a bite her, but I fish from the bank or a dock, and ffinding the fish has been hard latley. I have had better results with a Wacky Rigged Moneymaker, but I will continue to try the Ned Rig.

[dtrs5kprs]

Thanks, Dave! Saw those two referenced in a post about the name, but couldn't tell from context if they were the ones who coined it or were just a couple of the first to adopt the name. "Ned Rig" is simply too short and easy to reference, so I'm afraid Ned is stuck with it whether he likes it or not  - LOL. The name on the packages must have really thrilled him Jig heads are working great so far!

 

-T9

 

It popped up in an email to Ned and myself last June while I was at the lake, after Babs and Beck really picked it up. Babler knew Ned was sensitive about the name, and wanted to work around it. They go back a bit. Ned featured the "new" name shortly after in a piece on his blog. Would have been about June 11 or so. Still have the email stored away.

 

Folks...if you aren't catching fish with it, slow down, waaaay down, stop trying to cover water, and just fish. The little guy really flies in the face of all the "cover water and find fish" conventional wisdom. Fact is, most of us have a good idea of where fish should be, but simply zoom by them, even when fishing traditional finesse baits. It is mostly a big mental change. Lighten up your line, and don't get caught up in all the various retrieves. Swimming it slowly, with or without shaking, works great up shallow, and around grass. Deadsticking it is usually the deal on rock lakes- Table Rock, Stockton, the TN lakes, etc. Just dropping it down beside pole timber in 20', like a crappie jig, is killer on lakes where that is available. Rip rap and gravel are always good.

 

If it is only producing little fish, slow down even more, and put it in cover. Dark, nasty places like brushpiles, and cedars. That requires a weedless head. By slow, I am talking about fishing 1-3 spots in a twelve hour day. At TR in April I had a day where I thumped fish that were stacked up outside spawn coves, some going in and some pulling out due to weather. I fished one side of a single secondary point for close to 5 hours, and caught fish and keepers throughout.

 

After close to 20 years of fishing Table Rock, this spring was my absolute best for numbers of nice fish. Not killers, just solid 16"-18" fish, with some 19"/ 4# fish thrown in. We had several 20+ keeper days, and a couple that pushed 30 keeps. Fishing it deeper and in cover goes against some of Ned's canon, but it works like crazy. That is where I veered off his path a bit, by necessity.

 

For some video links just search Ned Rig on YouTube. There is a recent video featuring Stacey King, an interview with Ned by Ethan Dhuyvetter (sp?-Sorry Ethan if not correct), some from myself that focus on location and presentation, and some from Don Baldridge on his WinkieDoodles channel that are just fish catching frenzies- at Table Rock and smaller MO lakes. A bunch of Don's are shot from a float tube.

 

Glad to hear you are having fun with it T9. 

[Team9nine]

On 5/14/2015 at 7:27 PM, dtrs5kprs said:

 

 

For some video links just search Ned Rig on YouTube. There is a recent video featuring Stacey King, an interview with Ned by Ethan Dhuyvetter (sp?-Sorry Ethan if not correct), some from myself that focus on location and presentation, and some from Don Baldridge on his WinkieDoodles channel that are just fish catching frenzies- at Table Rock and smaller MO lakes. A bunch of Don's are shot from a float tube.

 

 

Z-Man just posted a brand new video about the "system" as they referred to it this evening. Some nice underwater footage, along with several different versions of their baits. Keep in mind that in shallow water, things like tiny brush hogs and 4" Zoom lizards can be killers on the little jigheads, also. They just don't hold up quite as well. Anyway,   

 

-T9