Ned Rig Is Now 3 For 3

[RSM789]

I used a Ned Rig, specifically the ZMan TRD in Green Pumpkin on a 1/16 oz mushroom head, for the 3rd consecutive week & once again it produced.  It was responsible for 46 of the 49 bass I caught, as well as a bull bluegill that weighed just shy of 2 lbs.  However, the results of this trip made me realize a bit more of how really effective it can be.

 

The morning started under overcast skies, water temperature at 71 degrees (having dropped a few degrees from the previous week) and the fish were post spawn.  I started off with some top water and moving baits and didn't get a strike for the first 45 minutes.  I had the Ned Rig set up with a TRD in Peanut Butter & Jelly, the first time I was going to try this color, and I began casting to different depth targets.  After 30 minutes without a strike, I was puzzled.  I switched over to a 4" plastic worm in green pumpkin, got a couple of strikes & landed a fish in about 30 minutes of fishing.  My expectations for the day was much higher, so I tried a couple of different baits and areas for the next 45 minutes without a strike.  For the first time, I began to doubt the effectiveness of the Ned rig over other baits.  I figured to be fair, I would switch back to the Green Pumpkin color (which I had used exclusively on previous trips) and give it a try.  About the time I got it switched over, a light rain began to fall and wouldn't you know it, first cast resulting in a fish.  For the rest of the day it was lights out.

 

However, as I started catching fish, I began to wonder if it was the start of the rain that triggered the fish or the lure choice.  During the day, when I would get to areas that held fish, I would try other lures.  Many of the fish came in 2 feet of water between docks, but these fish would not bump a topwater lure nor touch a small swimbait.  In areas where I found them a bit deeper, they wouldn't bite a crankbait and just a few grabbed a small plastic worm or wacky-rigged senko.  I even put the Peanut Butter & Jelly TRD back on and didn't get a strike in a spot where I had caught bass on back to back casts.  I can only guess that as of right now, the Green Pumpkin TRD is doing a killer job of imitating the minnows & bass fry that I believe the fish are keying on.  I think the bass may have been a little less aggressive with the slight drop in water temps, but could not pass up such an easy meal as the TRD.

 

Total for the 3 trips using the Ned rig (about 22 hrs of fishing) is 122 bass (including one that went 7-6), a 7 lb catfish and a near 2lb bluegill.  Those hours include the time that I was using baits other than the Ned rig.  Wow.

 

For those of you who have been unsuccessful with the Ned rig, I can only suggest making sure to use a color combination that most closely resembles whatever prey the bass in your lake may be eating.  For me, that has made a huge difference

[Tim Kelly]

That's a great report. I've so rarely noticed colour making a difference that I rarely change colours these days. Maybe I should try swapping colour a bit more often if the action is a bit slow.

[johnedmonds]

Awesome report. How do you fish that? Is it like a wacky worm or do you move it on bottom like shaky head?

 

John

[Choporoz]

Appreciate the report.  Thanks!

 

What size hooks are you using?  I have yet to try a Ned Rig, but I had a very hard time this weekend finesse fishing.  I was using the Jackall nose jig which was great for rate of fall, weedlessness and action.  However, I lost a lot of fish after hookset.  I can only guess it was because of the tiny hooks.  (I've not yet found what the hook size is on these, but I'm guessing about a 6.)  I'm a little gun-shy of hooks that small now.

[ThatFishin'Guy]

I don't really get what the big deal with this Ned rig is. I've been throwing small grubs on an 1/8oz jig head for a LONG time and produces the same numbers as fish. I don't get what's so revolutionary about this technique. Maybe someone can help me think differently about this or if its just another fishing fad that will loose its spot in the limelight in a few months.

[RSM789]

There are 6 or 7 ways that it is recommended to fish it, but I have used just 3 methods.  Quite a few hits come on the fall, but once it has reached bottom, I initially tried swimming it slowly along the bottom, kind of like slow rolling a spinnerbait.  I didn't have much success with that.  I also did the lift & glide retrieve, where once it had settled, I would lift it a foot or so off the bottom & let it glide towards the boat.  For my lake & conditions, this was unsuccessful for me as well.  What has been lights out for me was been as you mentioned, bouncy it slowly back kind of like a shakey head.  When I watched that retrieve in shallow water, it really looked like a small minnow or fry feeding on the bottom, which is a good fit for my current conditions.  I'd highly recommend you experiment with different retrieves, the fish will definitely tell you when you are using the right one.

 

I followed the advice of Bluebasser & Team9nine when choosing the jighead, a mushroom shaped one weighing 1/16 oz.  The only reason I chose the BPS mushroom jigs over the Zman ones was they had a choice of hook sizes, 1/0 & 1.  I have used the size 1 and had almost no lost fish.  Most of the hooksets are deep (not swallowed), only a few in the lip.  In fact it is kind of weird, I get more gut hooked fish on wacky rigged senkos than the Ned rig.  It is as if they try to swallow the larger baits as fast as possible, but with the Ned rig, they swim around content to just keep the whole thing inside their mouth.  Maybe since the small size allows them to engulf the entire rig, they don't feel the need to have to get it down their gullet so quick.

 

I have used small grubs as well, usually curly tail models & swam them along with decent results.  For me, in the limited time I have used it, the Ned rig has produced more fish each trip than a grub ever did.  It may just be my lake, but I feel when fished in a manner that the fish want, it is a very accurate & slow presentation, resulting in reaction, defensive & feeding strikes.  As far as it being the flavor of the month, from what I have read, it has been a staple in the midwest for years.

 

I promise to post the first time any other bait outproduces the Ned rig on a future day of fishing.  My bet that day will be a sunny, warm summer day when most of the fish are tucked way back under docks.  I can skip the Ned rig under the docks, but enjoy and am better with skipping wacky rigged senkos.  I may have to handicap Ned with fewer casts to allow another bait to pass him in catch totals

[senile1]

I don't really get what the big deal with this Ned rig is. I've been throwing small grubs on an 1/8oz jig head for a LONG time and produces the same numbers as fish. I don't get what's so revolutionary about this technique. Maybe someone can help me think differently about this or if its just another fishing fad that will loose its spot in the limelight in a few months.

 

The Ned rig is more subtle and more of a finesse technique than a grub.  Every grub I have has some kind of tail on it.  The Ned rig typically doesn't have a tail but is essentially half of a stick worm or senko (I'm probably not telling you anything new there).  Also, it seems that the lighter you go with the jighead, the better.  A 1/8th oz jighead is on the heavier side for the rig.  Using a smaller jighead results in a "no-feel" presentation emphasized in many of the Ned rig writings.  So why do the fish bite it?  It glides and sinks very slowly when allowed to drop to the bottom.  In my opinion it is this very subtle sinking, gliding action that is the best way to fish it for suspending bass.  There are other ways to fish it and I have read that Ned Kehde will sometimes use a grub with a tail when the bass are aggressive and he is using a swimming presentation.  Ned has 6 methods that he has outlined to fish the rig.  It is not my favorite way to fish, but when the bite is tough it is a good technique to know.

[johnedmonds]

What kind of rod & reel set up do you like for this?

Spinning? 7' Medium?

 

John

[moguy1973]

What kind of rod & reel set up do you like for this?

Spinning? 7' Medium?

 

John

 

Yes and Yes, with no more than 8lb line, preferably 6lb.

[johnedmonds]

Have you tried braid?

[moguy1973]

Have you tried braid?

 

Braid doesn't work well with this rig since it floats and since this is a finesse method braid is pretty visible.  Best to use co-poly or flouro.

[Team9nine]

Have you tried braid?

 

Braid works perfectly fine - it's what Ned uses, though we do use a short leader of fluorocarbon with it.  8# to 10# braid with a 6# or 8# fluoro leader is the standard with this style of fishing. 

 

http://www.in-fisherman.com/midwest-finesse/midwest-finesse-tackle-bass-rods-reels-and-lines/

 

-T9

[Bluebasser86]

I don't really get what the big deal with this Ned rig is. I've been throwing small grubs on an 1/8oz jig head for a LONG time and produces the same numbers as fish. I don't get what's so revolutionary about this technique. Maybe someone can help me think differently about this or if its just another fishing fad that will loose its spot in the limelight in a few months.

It's not new, Ned himself doesn't claim it to be and doesn't even like that the rig has been given that name. The baits used on the rig (Elastec) aren't really new but they haven't really gotten much more than a cult following until their effectiveness was shown with this rig. 

 

Like senile said, a grub, while subtle, has far more action than a TRD or ZinkerZ does. They do, however, have more action than half of a regular Senko or something like a small finesse worm. The material is so soft that it almost pulsates with and water movement and it is almost constantly wiggling, even when it's sitting still. The technique itself is also very different than most bass fishermen would ever think to use. The proof is right there when guys can see all the pictures and hear all the reports of guys fishing this rig, and still have their doubts. It's small, it's lightweight, the hook is small, the rod/reel/line used is small and light, you're not supposed to really be able to feel the bait. It just goes very against the grain. Yet, it's wildly effective in the right situations, and not just for numbers of fish

 

What kind of rod & reel set up do you like for this?

Spinning? 7' Medium?

 

John

A 7' Medium is going to be at the very upper end of what I'd suggest using for this rig. The small hook and light line is much more effectively fished with something a bit lighter. My best suggestion is pretty much any dropshot rod can be an effective Ned rod. I use a dropshot rod for my Ned Rig rod, and never for a dropshot. It's a 6' 10" ML/XF with a 25 size Pfluegar Supreme XT. 

 

Have you tried braid?

It's all I fish mine on. I use 10lb/2lb diameter Power Pro Super Slick with an 8lb fluoro leader and I'm 100% convinced I catch more fish with braid than I do with straight fluoro with this rig. As mentioned, braid floats, causing this lightweight rig to parachute down to the bottom even slower. Ever seen a craw fall to the bottom after flipping away from a predator? It's very slow, with lots of movement from their legs grasping at anything for them to hide under. It's also when they're at their most vulnerable because their best defense mechanisms are basically useless a fish is foolish enough to attack from head on. So when this bait is parachuting down towards the bottom, and the body of the bait is pulsing, it imitates a craw sinking towards the bottom very well. 

[moguy1973]

I take that back.  Forgot most use a leader with braid.