Is the Ned rig just a small fish bait?

[Bluebasser86]

RSM789

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Posted 10 May 2015 · Report post

After using a Ned rig for the first time a couple weeks ago, I made a thread about the experience (http://www.bassresource.com/bass-fishing-forums/topic/155892-uh-yep-the-ned-rig-is-awesome/).  However, even though it caught a 7lb catfish, I wondered if it was strictly a numbers lure, something that wouldn't catch big bass?  No problem if it was, I am a numbers fisherman, but the mantra of "Big Baits+Big Bass" was in my head.  It made sense that such a small lure wouldn't attract a larger fish.

 

So last Saturday morning I am out fishing, having already caught 3 bass in the 12" - 14" range on little Neddy, when this gal suddenly shows up near my boat.  She was kind of brutish, with a big mouth & she told me that the Ned rig will catch big bass no matter what I think.  I was a bit taken aback, but since she looked like she might win in a fight with me, I didn't argue with her.  I figured it best we just go our separate ways, but before we did, I snapped a few photos of her...

 

  She weighed 7-6 and I could have fit 6 dozen Ned rigs in her mouth...

 

 

 

  

 

 

 

 

[gulfcaptain]

Nice fish, I'm thinking I should have brought little neddy with me to the delta this last week, but didn't.  Might have made a difference for me up there.  Little neddy will be going everywhere from now on "just incase".

[RSM789]

...Little neddy will be going everywhere from now on "just incase"...

 

That sounds like a smart strategy, especially on urban waters with little cover.  I will continue to use many of the specialty techniques & baits that I enjoy, but in just 2 trips, Neddy has become my go to rig for any type of shallow water, bottom bouncing technique.  I'm usually not one to jump all over something new, but Bluebassers & Team9nines testimonials & instructions along with my brief experience with it tells me it is indeed "The Real Deal".  

 

It is the Mike Trout of bass lures, a 5 tool MVP.

[rippin-lips]

I haven't used the rig in question, but it seems like it would be more number verse big fish. However if a big bass is nearby and wants to eat, then it will eat. So catching a big fish doesn't surprise me at all. My 2 biggest fish were on a 5" stick bait, and my 3rd on a 4" dreamshot. I don't ask questions.

[Mccallister25]

I have yet to jump on the Ned wagon, but with more and more of these threads popping up, it looks like I'm gonna have to give it a try. Nice fish!!

[Senko lover]

Did you catch that on Havasu?

[Catch and Grease]

I would like to try the Ned rig but I doubt it would work where I fish... Tons of grass, silty bottoms, and low visibility water doesn't sound like a good combination for the Ned rig....

I have caught a lot of bowfin on something like the Ned rig, a senko cut in half on a jig head.

[Felixone]

I am with you Catch and Grease.  I received the one from the MTB last month, but unfortunately it was a green pumpkin color.  Most of the places I fish that green colors work are nearly choked with weeds so bottom baits, or those with exposed hooks don't work too well.  I did try a relatively new spot this weekend.  I had high hopes for the Ned, but not a single bite.  Then I snagged on something and broke the hook trying to get it free.  I still have one set left, but I don't think it will be getting a lot of action.  

 

Of course I am not a real fan of finesse techniques.  I prefer to fish a bit faster than these techniques usually allow.

[RSM789]

Did you catch that on Havasu?

 

No, it was on my home lake back on May 2nd.  J Francho asked me to wait a few days before posting pictures of it

 

I didn't fish at all at Havasu, my wife was with me so I didn't want to completely abandon her while I wasn't Marshalling.  

 

I did want to ask the pro's about the Ned Rig, but one of the rules B.A.S.S. has is to not discuss anything that could lead to you assisting an angler in finding or catching fish.  To be safe, I only asked questions about what the anglers were doing, not about what they weren't doing.  It is a fine line & I wanted to make sure I didn't cross it accidentally.

 

Ish Monroe spent a few minutes on a couple of bedding fish on the main lake on day 1 and Alton Jones spent a few hours on a couple of bedding fish on day 3.  Jones caught nearly every bedding fish he sat on (including one he worked on for 90 minutes, which he had to release because it was hooked outside the mouth), but Ish was less successful at it.  Inside my head I was screaming "Toss a Ned rig on that bed", but just bit my lip.  I am curious how it would have worked.

[Team9nine]

 

 

Ish Monroe spent a few minutes on a couple of bedding fish on the main lake on day 1 and Alton Jones spent a few hours on a couple of bedding fish on day 3.  Jones caught nearly every bedding fish he sat on (including one he worked on for 90 minutes, which he had to release because it was hooked outside the mouth), but Ish was less successful at it.  Inside my head I was screaming "Toss a Ned rig on that bed", but just bit my lip.  I am curious how it would have worked.

 

It works just fine on bedding fish. Been catching quite a few that way here in Indiana for the past week and a half. A few more thoughts I'd like to share based on what I've been reading on the forums to help clarify a little about what the bait and technique is or isn't. Seems the more people post, the more confusing it ("Ned Rig") becomes at times.

 

• Don't make the Ned Rig into something it isn't. The primary concept behind it is to assist in the task/goal of catching 101 bass a trip (4 hours). Yes, you can expand on that basic concept as others have shown, but that is the main theme behind using it. See: http://www.deseretnews.com/article/700241837/Bass-101--its-the-target-not-a-course.html?pg=all
• As such, it's small size is geared toward picking up numbers of bass, but as others have posted, if a big fish gets in the way, it will entice them too. They're a bonus - not the primary goal. Ned caught and released what many considered to likely be a new state record class smallmouth  (Kansas; 6-10) on it just a year or two back, and recently tangled with another that size already this spring (got off boatside before being lipped).
• "Ned Rig" is a generic term for the mushroom head/small plastic/spinning rod/braid/leader fishing concept. It is not just a 1/2 ZinkerZ or TRD bait on a jig head. There are actually about 8-10 different plastics Midwest Finesse anglers (the broader term for anglers using the rig and it's counterparts) routinely carry and use, some of which aren't Z-Man baits. The Z-Man plastics are simply preferred for their durability and efficiency. Some days the fish want a different shape. We use small craws, leeches, finesse worms, shad-shaped and lizards also. However, all baits are 4" or less in length.
• Obviously, the bait isn't designed for fishing in and around heavy cover. In fact, the concept was designed to specifically avoid such areas. Most all regular bassers get drawn to heavy weeds, laydowns, brushpiles, and other obvious pieces of cover. Midwest finesse anglers specifically target more open, unattractive banks (rock banks, clay banks, sparse weeds, open flats, etc.) because we feel the bass in those places are less pressured. We leave the heavy cover stuff to the masses of anglers with power gear. 
• Stained or silted waters aren't an issue. Midwest finesse is as much an off the bottom presentation as it is a bottom presentation. Swimming the bait slowly just above bottom with shakes and pauses can be just as, if not more effective, than letting it sit on bottom. Even what we call a "straight swim" retrieve can be exceedingly effective when the bass are active. Don't think of this as a bottom bait - big mistake.
• Also, one reason we like the gopher heads so much is because they come in a variety of colors including fluorescent red and chartreuse. In stained water, we frequently use bright colored jig heads. Does it really make a difference? Depends who you ask, but it is the equivalent of dipping your plastic tails in bright dye, just on the other end of the bait. Elaztech doesn't take dyes well, if at all. This is our workaround. If we feel we need extra flash or vibration, we simply add a tiny spinner blade to the existing set-up.

 

-T9

[Shockwave]

I have yet to jump on the Ned wagon, but with more and more of these threads popping up, it looks like I'm gonna have to give it a try. Nice fish!!

 

Yeah, I'm the same way.  I might have to seriously consider adding this to the arsenal as well!

[corn-on-the-rob]

To me, this is very similar in concept to throwing a 3 inch or less tube, grub, or stick bait. Obviously the mushroom head holds the concept together but the aforementioned technique had caught me countless numbers of big bass seemingly in similar proportion to "average"sized lures.

[lou304]

I tried it for the first time this past weekend and I'm sold. Not saying its gonna be my only technique, but it definitely works. I am fishing a tournament in September as a non boater and it seems like a good back of the boat rig. 

[gardnerjigman]

I tried it for the first time this past weekend and I'm sold. Not saying its gonna be my only technique, but it definitely works. I am fishing a tournament in September as a non boater and it seems like a good back of the boat rig.

As long as your boater is moving slower it will be. It won't be successful if he is power fishing burning down the bank.

[Glenn]

Definitely not just a "numbers" bait.  Check out the fish I caught in this video using the Ned Rig:  http://www.bassresource.com/bass-fishing-videos/ned-rig.html

[FinCulture]

Would this be a good spring time bait because of the slow, finesse approach?

[Smokinal]

^^^It's a good anytime bait

[annexation]

The Ned helped me and my dad take 2nd place at a local tourney this past weekend.

 

It's a deadly efficient tool in the arsenal; big or small, Ned catches whatever is there.

[Heron]

Its not entirely uncommon, to catch an occasional lunker, unexpectedly, on a bait that is either intended for/or appeals to, mostly smaller fish. 

[Heron]

Its not entirely uncommon, to catch an occasional lunker, unexpectedly, on a bait that is either intended for/or appeals to, mostly smaller fish. 

That being said...I will be the oddball out and say YES, it is primarily a numbers only bait.

 

But once in a while....do have the expectation to be surprised by the catching of a larger fish. 

[Hurricane]

Just bought the shrooms jig heads and a pbj TRD plastic. . Haven't had a chance to try it yet.

[Smokinal]

PBJ and GP are the only 2 you need

[PitchinJigz]

I don't think any bait is a "numbers bait that doesn't catch big fish." I believe more finesse baits (smaller, less action, moved slower) just catch more fish in general. If there's a fish in a certain spot and you slowly drag a shaky head right past his face, he's going to eat it. Since they do catch more fish, they also catch more small fish because there's more small fish than giants in a lake.

[Hurricane]

PBJ and GP are the only 2 you need

Good to know. . The Cabelas here in Buffalo only had pbj, copper colored or a Canada craw..

[jiggz125]

^^^It's a good anytime bait

Gonna try it this weekend. Its going to be about 90 degrees and muggy. Do you have to have good visibility and rocky bottom for it to work? Will fish hit the Ned rig on the fall like a wacky rigged stick bait? I have green pumpkin and picked up Mud Minnow color as that was the only one avaialble at tackle store.