Ned Rig- Weedless jig

[Junk Fisherman]

I have mostly been a Texas rig guy but last year I started using the Ned Rig.  I only used the open hook.  I lost a few on snags but nothing terrible.  For those of you that use the weedless Ned rig, how dramatically did it cut down on getting hung up?  Did you fish it in heavier cover because of the weedguard?  Thanks for any info.  

[smalljaw67]

When I started messing with the Ned Rig I tried different weights and different sizes and type of baits as well as head styles. One thing I found is the more weight, the less bites I got, straight up fact, and because of that I never used a weed guard and I have only been hung up a few times. If I'm fishing cover like brush piles I'll use a shaky head and that is because the if fish are holding in cover, they'll bite a T-rigged worm, the Ned Rig is more about catching fish that are suspending or cruising open water when pressured or in a neutral mood, fish holding on cover will usually bite other baits so I never felt the need to use a weed guard.

[Bluebasser86]

With the correct weight and hook size, a weedguard helps very little. A Ned rig isn't meant to be fished in heavy cover, but it will come over limbs and through sparse cover very well as long as it's a head that fits into the traditional Ned rig standards. 

[fishwizzard]

Like everyone says, use the lightest head you can.  I do run a weedless version on either an Owner Ultra Head or a Decoy Nailbomb head.  Both work well but you do miss more hits then the exposed hook version.  I do prefer them for faster water and for when I want to drag/deadstick the lure.  

 

[georgeyew]

5 hours ago, Bunnielab said:

Like everyone says, use the lightest head you can.  I do run a weedless version on either an Owner Ultra Head or a Decoy Nailbomb head.  Both work well but you do miss more hits then the exposed hook version.  I do prefer them for faster water and for when I want to drag/deadstick the lure.  

 

 

Those look pretty cool. Seems like a good solution to make the ned rig weedless as long as the hook is not too long to impede the worm's moment.

[WRB]

Simply use a dental rubber band as a weed gaurd. The rubber band goes around the jig hook eye, stretched and under the hook barb. I have used the rubber band with dart jigs when fishing sparse cover for decades. Larger jigs I use a CPS or Hitchhiker spring to attach a small section of finesse worm to protect the hook point.

 

Tom

[tander]

I order my 1/16oz weedless hooks from a guy from around Table Rock I believe. They have one small strand of wire for a weed guard. Works great and a good looking jig.

 

[ChrisD46]

Do-It Molds has a new Ned Rig mushroom style jig mold which TANDER shows above - buy from those that use this mold along with a good quality hook (i.e. Gamma , Owner , Mustad , etc.)

[Bluebasser86]

56 minutes ago, ChrisD46 said:

Do-It Molds has a new Ned Rig mushroom style jig mold which TANDER shows above - buy from those that use this mold along with a good quality hook (i.e. Gamma , Owner , Mustad , etc.)

The new mold actually has a metal keeper so glue is no longer needed to keep the bait up on the hook. It works great, no longer have to deal with the mess of gluing baits in the boat. Another added benefit is the ability to change baits or colors without ruining a bait and/or jighead because of the glue. 

[Jagg]

Yeah, if your using a jighead that gets snagged 2-3 casts out of 10, your jighead is to heavy. It's supposed to kinda slide and hover just over rock, rip rap, timber and such. I like the OG mushroom heads and really like ones with a single or double wire weed guard for when I'm dead sticking in between retrieves on chunk rock and rip rap. I like Sliders Spider jigheads for this too. 

[roadwarrior]

[fishwizzard]

6 hours ago, Bluebasser86 said:

The new mold actually has a metal keeper so glue is no longer needed to keep the bait up on the hook. It works great, no longer have to deal with the mess of gluing baits in the boat. Another added benefit is the ability to change baits or colors without ruining a bait and/or jighead because of the glue. 

 

Do they hold much better than the ones on the Z man heads? I picked up a couple from Siebert but haven't used them or really even messed with them yet.  Before I started using the Gopher's, I would use the VMC half-moon heads which have a similar wire keeper, but once the plastics got soft saw they would require glue as well.  

[Bluebasser86]

57 minutes ago, Bunnielab said:

 

Do they hold much better than the ones on the Z man heads? I picked up a couple from Siebert but haven't used them or really even messed with them yet.  Before I started using the Gopher's, I would use the VMC half-moon heads which have a similar wire keeper, but once the plastics got soft saw they would require glue as well.  

Never used the Zman ones but I caught over 70 fish on the same head and it held the bait up great. A little work to rig the first time, kind of have to pull out on the bait while you push it up.

[fishwizzard]

Good to hear.  What specific plastics are you using on them? 

 

I like the idea of stronger hooks, but I really hope people start offering the new heads with #4-6 hooks at some point.  

[Onvacation]

I do not like the ZMan weedless at all. Seems like I picked up more grass and moss on the weed Guard than without it.  I am using the Siebert heads almost exclusively now because the hooks hold up.

[Bluebasser86]

On 1/25/2017 at 11:11 AM, Bunnielab said:

Good to hear.  What specific plastics are you using on them? 

 

I like the idea of stronger hooks, but I really hope people start offering the new heads with #4-6 hooks at some point.  

I've been using the TRD, 1/2 Zinker, punch craw, and Hula Stick. This is a Hula Stick that was nearing 100 fish before I changed baits. Cool thing is, I took it off the hook and put it back in the package, still ready to catch more fish.

The nice thing about pouring my own, I can choose what size/brand hooks I want to use.

[fishwizzard]

Nice, thanks for the info.  The Hula Stick is maybe my favorite Zman lure, both cut down and full sized.  I think I also want to try a cutdown Boarhog this year, maybe try it two ways, one with the large flappers cut off, leaving the body and the small arms, the other with the body cut down to 1" for maximum flapping.  

 

If you ever pour any  heads with smaller hooks, please post how it works out.  

[snake95]

On 1/23/2017 at 6:03 AM, Junk Fisherman said:

For those of you that use the weedless Ned rig, how dramatically did it cut down on getting hung up?

I also asked a similar question for the same reasons.  @Bunnielab introduced me to those ballhead jigs and I tried them.  They are super jigs, but I find I have to glue the bait on to prevent sliding.

 

After a summer of experimentation, I feel like (per Bluebasser and others) that a smaller jighead (for many reasons) and not fishing right in the cover is the way to go.

 

However, at someone else's suggestion, I also tried using them T-rigged on a small EWG with a small bullet weight or spit shot.  That works, and I have chucked them very close to cover rigged like that.

 

 

[fishwizzard]

Yea, I really noticed that the weedless jighead is only really needed when I am fishing cover or for whatever reason I don't want to have to retie all the time.  I will also them when I take non-fishing friends out as a weedless lure is far less frustrating.  

 

I want to try the micro t-rig but have never gotten around to it.  

[iceintheveins]

I'm going to try more Ned Rigging at another lake this year, water clarity permitting. Do you guys get tons of snags when fishing over rip rap rocks?

[Bluebasser86]

5 hours ago, iceintheveins said:

I'm going to try more Ned Rigging at another lake this year, water clarity permitting. Do you guys get tons of snags when fishing over rip rap rocks?

Not often, because the bait doesn't touch the bottom except occasionally. Even when it does hang, the bowstring pop will usually knock it right free. 

[Preytorien]

12 hours ago, iceintheveins said:

I'm going to try more Ned Rigging at another lake this year, water clarity permitting. Do you guys get tons of snags when fishing over rip rap rocks?

 

I've had a few instances of this. Especially when I'm using it for smallmouth in a shallow river I fish. Like Bluebasser said, the bowstring trick usually does the trick, and if you're using braid, sometime you can just straighten the hook on it to free it up. But overall, you should be using a light enough jighead that sinking fast and heavy enough to snag itself is a rarity.