What non-ideal rod to use to fish a Ned Rig out of these two choices?

[tcbass]

I have 2 spinning rods that I can use to fish a Zman Ned Rig, however, neither are ideal. One is a Cabelas Tournament ZX Dropshot rod which is 7' long, made for 6-12lbs. line and lure weights that are 1/8 oz - 3/8 oz. It has 15lbs. Power Pro braid. The other is a St. Croix Premier Ultralight which is 4'6" long, made for use with 6lbs. line, and lure weights of 1/16 oz - 1/4 oz. which has 5lbs. Power Pro braid. Basically one is too heavy and the other is too light. 

 

My plan was to use some type of Co-Polymer leader on the Cabelas rod so that I can cast longer, although I'll have to be careful not to pull too hard and bend the hook. 

 

 

What rod would you use?

 

 

And what's a good Co-Polymer leader?

[Turkey sandwich]

I typically use a 6'9 ML XF Avid X dropshot rod for drifting a Ned rig in current and it's excellent.  Depending upon conditions, I could see reason for using either, but I'd probably try the 7' Medium weight rod first.  As for copolymer, I generally use Yozuri Hybrid anytime I'm fishing nasty stuff, and it's yet to let me down.  Even the 8lb test is incredibly abrasion resistant and performs extremely well, even in fast current in boulder and ledge strewn rivers. 

Also, the high viz braid main line will make casting and detecting strikes much, much easier. 

[smalljaw67]

The drop shot rod will be a lot better. I like shorter rods but 4'6" is too short for UL power. I was using a St. Croix Avid X 7' ML-F but I now switched to a G.Loomis Bronzeback 6'9" light power-fast action, and the light power on that series of rod is more like a ML, rated 1/8oz to 5/16oz.

[WIGuide]

I would probably use the dropshot rod. You could try it on both and see which you like it better on though.

[Comfortably Numb]

The 7' will sling even the lighter Neds no prob.

[fishwizzard]

The dropshot rod for sure.  I have a Premier 6' L/F spinning rod and it is even a little too soft to get a good hookset.  

[Scott F]

Since you are asking what I would use, I'd use the medium rod with no leader.

[tcbass]

15 minutes ago, Scott F said:

Since you are asking what I would use, I'd use the medium rod with no leader.

 

 

Intersting. Why no leader?

[Scott F]

You've been on here long enough that you've seen the leader-no leader debate many times. But I'll give you my opinion. I see no reason to use one. I don't believe bass are line shy. Even if they were, no line is truly invisible. Even in the rocky waters I fish, I have never had an issue with line abrasion. The extra knot going through my line guides would drive me crazy in addition to shortening my casts. The only advantage I see is that a stiffer leader could help reduce the number of times my braid gets fouled on my bait. That isn't a big enough concern to offset having to tie the additional knot to join the lines and having that knot go through the guides. Overall, I just can't see where using a leader is going to provide me with enough benefits to offset the additional bother.

[tcbass]

29 minutes ago, Scott F said:

You've been on here long enough that you've seen the leader-no leader debate many times. But I'll give you my opinion. I see no reason to use one. I don't believe bass are line shy. Even if they were, no line is truly invisible. Even in the rocky waters I fish, I have never had an issue with line abrasion. The extra knot going through my line guides would drive me crazy in addition to shortening my casts. The only advantage I see is that a stiffer leader could help reduce the number of times my braid gets fouled on my bait. That isn't a big enough concern to offset having to tie the additional knot to join the lines and having that knot go through the guides. Overall, I just can't see where using a leader is going to provide me with enough benefits to offset the additional bother.

 

 

Cool. I agree with like shyness too, bass aren't walleyes which usually have a long time to look at most baits. Bass are usually fairly aggressive too. 

 

The knot going through the guides would suck too.  

[Deleted account]

Use the dropshot rod. Use a long leader, and resist the urge to move the bait too much. Better yet spool with something other than braid. YMMV (but it won't)