Ned Rig on Texas Resivoures

[TxHawgs]

Been thinking about adding some Z Man TRD and Shroom head jigs to my TW order. Anyone have any experience with these on the Texas resivoures? I fish Fork a lot and tourneys on it every 2 wks. Figured I would give em a shot as its such a high pressured fishery. And lately the club has been killin em on the Zoom Centipede. Only other question was with all the stumps I should go with the weedless jig they make and what's the hook up ratio with it? Is the weedgaurd too stiff or does it work well? Thanks guys.

[gulfcaptain]

The weed guards are just two little wires so no issue with it being too bulky and affecting your hookup ratio.  I'd suggest getting the Zinkers and cutting them in half as well.  Had more success with the half of zinker then the TRD.  

[tander]

I used the TRD with the Shroom head with the weedguard. Super easy to set the hook with 7# test line. Warning, if you start fishing it you might get 'hooked' on it. It flat catches a bunch of fish. Junebug is my favorite color.

[Bluebasser86]

One of the regular posters on the Midwest Finesse Blog is from Texas fwiw.

[primetime]

I have been playing with this rig for a few months now and every time I walk my dog I try a new rigging option with a finesse worm, Zinker, or hula stick...I like the mushroom heads from Z-man but I have been working on rigging the longer finesse worms and zinkerz cut down to 3-4" on heavier line and a stronger hook and I think I found 2 good options that I like so far..

1- Lazer Trokar makes a 1/16 saltwater boxer jig that Dicks had on clearance for $3 a pack, and the hook is 1/0 and will not bend like the z man jigheads, but I have been able to texas rig them on this hook or make a weedguard on the jig but the action and stand up properties still work well and I throw it on casting gear...14lb Trilene XT and pitch it deep into bushes etc..

2- Slider Pro Spider jigheads and Pro Snagless which I really like as they both have strong hooks, but my favorite way to fish the rig in areas that you need heavy line is to simply take a Small worm hook you would use to texas rig a zoom centipede, and then I crimp on a 1/8 or 1/16 bull shot which is the same as having a pegged bullet weight. I like the 1/32 bull shots since the hook makes the rig heavier and I notice anything over 18 seems to get less bites. I have noticed that lighter line really makes a difference, but I have been going straight 30lb braid and with 6lb diameter it seems to be ok in stained water or weeds. On a good stand up shaky head, you can rig up almost any bait and the rig works, the Gamber Giggy stick on the shroom heads has been working well for me as I had a bunch of them I never used but they also float upright on the right jig...

The smaller the hook the better the action but the right hook, even nose hooking them or wacky rigging with a nail allows you to get similar action, but the z-man jigheads are nice as many strikes come as you snap them off of snags, plus the hooks bend and come back so you don't lose many. I am not a fan of the weedless jigheads in weeds, I find a 1/16 slider rig with smallest hook possible works well, I do believe the Elaztach works better than a standard saltless slider worm or grub, but I am still in the trial period...Don't be afraid to mess around, A Full Zinker on a shaky rig with salt rinsed off is really good, I am starting to use that more than the half and fishing it on heavier weights and just shaking on the bottom and barely moving it....PB&J seems to give a new look as Elaztach colors look different in the water at least in stained tanic water.

[Chris at Tech]

I've only fished Fork once but from what I saw, fishing the Ned rig there may be setting yourself up for heartbreak unless you pick your areas very carefully. 

I'm sure you'll have no problem getting bites, but I'd be sweating bullets that my light rod, light line and light wire hook held up especially if one of the big Fork gals pulled you into the stumps.

 

[ChrisD46]

I would tend to look at a Ned Rig at Lake Fork only when a bite is tough to find or if I am just looking for numbers . In the Spring pre-spawn is when other techniques for larger bass more common this time of year might be better .

[IndianaFinesse]

I agree that it would probably work, but I would definitely recommend using the weedless shroom-z around all the brush.  And because the bass run so much larger there I might try using ten pound or twelve pound line instead of the usual six to eight pound.  I would also recommend using a medium power rod instead of a medium-lite to match the line.  I have used the weedless version and can tell you that the weed guard is not very stiff, it is only two thin wires.  It is flexible enough that a fast reel set is all that's needed.