Difference between Shakey Head and Ned Rig

[CybrSlydr]

So, I don't have any jigs or worms for shakey head, so I was looking into them on here.  To me, it looks like the Shakey Head and Ned Rig are quite similar in rigging and presentation.

 

Is the main difference the Shakey Head uses larger worms than the Ned?  Because I'm going to be buying some of those Big Bad Bait Squirrel Tail 6" and the Ned Rig sticks I have are in the 2.75-3" range.

[fishballer06]

42 minutes ago, CybrSlydr said:

Is the main difference the Shakey Head uses larger worms than the Ned?  

 

In my opinion, there are some major differences besides the size of the plastic bait they use.

 

• Ned rig is an open hook presentation, shakeyhead is normally a weedless texas style rigging
• Ned rig uses a very lightweight jig head, shakeyhead can go upwards of 3/8, 1/2, 3/4oz
• Ned rig generally uses 3-4" stick bait, traditionally of the Zman Elaztech material, so it's buoyant. With the light jighead and buoyant plastic, it has a slow, abnormal fall rate through the water. A shakeyhead can use any type of plastic (craw, worm, swimbait)
• Traditional ned rigging requires spinning gear because of how light the baits are. A shakeyhead can be thrown on spinning or casting gear

[IndianaFinesse]

Shaky heads use much larger hooks than what should be used for "ned rigs", often in the 2/0-4/0 range, while the Ned rig uses hooks between the sizes #6 and #2.  Another difference is the weights used, shaky heads weigh between 1/16 and upwards of 1/2 ounce, while the ned rig uses jig heads in the 1/32 to 3/32 ounce range.  Larger plastics (typically 4" and over) are paired with the heavier heads and larger hooks (sometimes rigged weedless) on shaky heads, and plastics 4" and under are paired with the tiny mushroom heads and the open small hooks used for the ned rig.

[deep]

Presentation

On the bottom- usually target (cover) oriented, vs off the bottom.

Feel vs no feel.

 

The technical details have been addressed above.

 

Oh yeah, your rod + reel needs to cost <$20 to fish ned rigs properly.

[Choporoz]

I get how they seem to be similar/related.  I agree with the replies above.  One other big difference for me is that I work ned rigs exceedingly slow...I try hard to maintain bottom contact; and with such a light head, that isn't always easy to retrieve on the bottom.  I am much more likely to move and hop a shakey head much more than the ned.  I still like a slow drag much of the time, but it allows a lot more versatility in the way you move it, IMO.

[Bluebasser86]

Along with other things mentioned, when I'm fishing a shakyhead, it's almost always on the bottom. When I'm fishing a Ned rig, it's rarely on the bottom and sometimes just a few inches below the surface. A Ned rig is a much more versatile rig IMO. 

[fishwizzard]

8 hours ago, Bluebasser86 said:

Along with other things mentioned, when I'm fishing a shakyhead, it's almost always on the bottom. When I'm fishing a Ned rig, it's rarely on the bottom and sometimes just a few inches below the surface. A Ned rig is a much more versatile rig IMO. 

 

Lately I have been trying for the best of both, small ~4" plastics on small (1/16oz - 1/0) shakyhead jigs.  I can work them back with the MWF retrieves or work them on the bottom as the situation dictates.  

 

 

[Bluebasser86]

15 minutes ago, Bunnielab said:

 

Lately I have been trying for the best of both, small ~4" plastics on small (1/16oz - 1/0) shakyhead jigs.  I can work them back with the MWF retrieves or work them on the bottom as the situation dictates.  

I fish a Ned Rig on the bottom no problems where there aren't any Zebra Mussels. Drop a Ned or shakyhead to the bottom in Zebra territory and you might as well have just thtown it into the lake instead of tying the bait on. Plus I can use a much lighter rod with the little open hook on a Ned and get the most out of that subtle action with the light and short hook.

[fishwizzard]

I have gotten to the point where I will fearlessly swim a ned through brush and small rock cover, but as soon as I let it settle on the bottom it snags.  I still throw the mini-shakys on the same combos I fish the Ned on, it's just a matter of using soft plastics or skin hooking them on the side to insure good hooksets.  Those little Biospawn worms, if skin hooked, have almost as long a life as a zman lure.  

[Dorado]

For those who swim a ned rig   besides mimicking a baitfish eating food off the bottom, what advantages does the ned rig have over small paddletails and single tail grubs? 

[padon]

actually if you read up on Midwest finesse fishing before the TRD or the half zinkerz small paddle tail grubs were used frequently and sometimes still are. manns stingray grub is a favorite of mine (if you can find them) as well as the 3" erie darter. most people are fixated on the TRD and the mushroom head but that is the most basic part of the Midwest system. the idea is a lightweight head and a small subtle bait either swimming or crawling on bottom. I use 4" finesse worms 3-4" grubs small original flukes or fin s fish.there are a lot of small subtle type baits fished on 1/16 3/32 or 1/8 small jigheads that produce very well with the technique, especially in pressured or clear waters.

[NHBull]

The common thing for me is that I have little patience to throw them.

They surely work, but it like going to the dentist 

[Fishin' Fool]

5 hours ago, Dorado said:

For those who swim a ned rig   besides mimicking a baitfish eating food off the bottom, what advantages does the ned rig have over small paddletails and single tail grubs? 

 

This is a great question I'd love to hear someone's opinion on it.

[Team9nine]

1 hour ago, Fishin' Fool said:

 

This is a great question I'd love to hear someone's opinion on it.

 

6 hours ago, Dorado said:

For those who swim a ned rig   besides mimicking a baitfish eating food off the bottom, what advantages does the ned rig have over small paddletails and single tail grubs? 

 

Small paddletails and ST grubs are "Ned rigs" when fished Midwest Finesse style, mostly with the "straight swim" retrieve. Padon touched on it in his reply above. Several MF anglers use the Zman Slim SwimZ (paddletail), and Ned has written numerous times about using a ST (curlytail) grub.

[WRB]

On August 16, 2017 at 4:53 AM, CybrSlydr said:

So, I don't have any jigs or worms for shakey head, so I was looking into them on here.  To me, it looks like the Shakey Head and Ned Rig are quite similar in rigging and presentation.

 

Is the main difference the Shakey Head uses larger worms than the Ned?  Because I'm going to be buying some of those Big Bad Bait Squirrel Tail 6" and the Ned Rig sticks I have are in the 2.75-3" range.

Shaky head jigs use a screw lock to hold the soft plastic onto the jig head with longer shank hook that is designed to be a bottom contact presentation. Ned jigs are half round jig heads with shorter length hooks to Kane a more compact lure. Both come weights from 1/16 to 3/16 oz +/- 1/32 oz. The question is what advantage dies a Ned jig have over a ball head or dart head with the same weight and size hook, rigged the same when not fished on the bottom? Answer....nothing! All 3 worked using the same soft plastics and presentation.

Tom

[Cgolf]

At this point I have given up trying to label the technique I use. I toss a lot of Ned style plastics on Ned sized jigs, but I tend to fish them the way the fish want them. Sometimes a straight in retrieve scraping over the rocks and sometimes like a shakey head bouncing if off the bottom. 

 

Another great Ned bait, is the Arkie crawlin fry that I cut into like four pieces. Smallies love it, probably is a good imitation of a Helgie. Only downside is they aren't the most durable, but if you can get 80 baits per bag who cares. 

[Bluebasser86]

14 hours ago, Dorado said:

For those who swim a ned rig   besides mimicking a baitfish eating food off the bottom, what advantages does the ned rig have over small paddletails and single tail grubs? 

I swim the TRD and ZinkerZ for the subtle action. The tail end wobbles very slightly during a straight retrieve. As subtle as we see a small swimbait or grub being, it's a very exaggerated action compared to the swimming motion of a small baitfish. 

[Comfortably Numb]

Most of these "new" techniques are just slight mods on old style rigs. 

 

Who hasn't thrown a light jig with a grub? 

 

We used to use the Slider heads with 4" Slider worms years ago. 

[Cgolf]

20 minutes ago, Comfortably Numb said:

Most of these "new" techniques are just slight mods on old style rigs. 

 

Who hasn't thrown a light jig with a grub? 

 

We used to use the Slider heads with 4" Slider worms years ago. 

 

I still use a ton of slider heads, just not the way Charlie Brewer intended them. Maybe some day I should actually try out his method.

[Team9nine]

[RichF]

Major difference...the shakey head is semi-acceptable bait/technique, the Flanders rig is a down right disgrace to bass fishing! 

[padon]

yes team 99 that's how I feel.im waiting for someone to ask why you cant throw it on a bait caster. its not lure people it a technique , a general system. its not putting a trd on a 1/4 oz head and dragging bottom. google Midwest finesse and read up on it. if the trd had never been invented the system would be the same with slightly different baits.

[deep]

d**n! you Midwest finesse guys are pretty fanatical.

 

That was a joke btw

[Team9nine]

18 minutes ago, RichF said:

Major difference...the shakey head is semi-acceptable bait/technique, the Flanders rig is a down right disgrace to bass fishing! 

 

Only to Kumar and his BassBlaster buddies, but he's slowly losing the war on this one 

 

8 minutes ago, deep said:

d**n! you Midwest finesse guys are pretty fanatical.

 

That was a joke btw

 

 I'm fine with the jokes. J Francho dogs me all the time about matching shoes, socks and Ned rig colors - lol  The frustrating part is still the lack of understanding about the whole thing despite everything we've posted, which I largely place the blame at the feet of Zman.

[NYWayfarer]

The Ned rig is pretty simple to me. Mushroom style jighead and a TRD, half a Zinkerz or other stick bait for the non-purist.

 

Shakey head on the other hand... While simple in its presentation, the jigheads used: screwlock, football, swinging, non-screwlock, etc. can be confusing. I had to watch videos on rigging these various style heads before I found the one I liked.

 

After watching Justin Rackley's 4 ways to rig a plastic worm vid I realized I liked what he did with the Biospawn Exostick. He took a Strike King football head jig hooked it sideways through the Exostick's first jointed segment. He then rotated the head 180 degrees and then buried the hook. This quickly became my favorite bait and jighead to shakey head fish with.