Ned Rig

[cody_kowalski]

When it comes to the ned rig do you have to have a mushroom jig head or can you use a round jig head as long as the eye where you tie the line is on top?

[Russ E]

you can use a round head , but the small mushroom head does not snag into crevices as often.

One of the problems a lot of people have with the ned rig is using a jig that is too heavy.

I personally use the shroomz 1/15 ounce 99 percent of the time. If fishing extremely shallow I will use 1/20 ounce.

 

[cody_kowalski]

8 minutes ago, Russ E said:

you can use a round head , but the small mushroom head does not snag into crevices as often.

One of the problems a lot of people have with the ned rig is using a jig that is too heavy.

I personally use the shroomz 1/15 ounce 99 percent of the time. If fishing extremely shallow I will use 1/20 ounce.

 

So 1/8 ounce is out of the picture?

[Darren.]

36 minutes ago, cody_kowalski said:

So 1/8 ounce is out of the picture?

No, you can use 1/8 if you want to. Ned prefers using lighter jigs,

and many will say the rig works best going lighter...but they make

1/8 and it's usable. I have used it, but prefer to go a little lighter 

unless really windy.

 

@Team9nine can offer a lot of insight on Ned rigging.

[Russ E]

48 minutes ago, cody_kowalski said:

So 1/8 ounce is out of the picture?

 if you are fishing deeper than 10 foot 1/8 ounce will work fine.

Shallower than that and it will snag a lot more than the lighter heads.

 

Try it. If you snag a lot go to a lighter head.

[newyorktoiowa57]

I fish 1/10 and it seems pretty versatile for all depths of water.  The Ned is definitely not my favorite way to fish, as I dislike spinning gear, but it will catch fish when nothing else will.   

[Jig Man]

I have tried several shapes and found the mushroom head to be the most trouble free.  I make my own and have several sizes but rarely fish heavier than 3/32 with 1/6 being my go to.

[Glaucus]

The mushroom head does better at avoiding snags, especially in the rocks, and it allows the TRD to stand up when touching bottom. Using a round head is like using a cut up stick bait for the plastic; it will work, but it won't be nearly as good.

 

I personally only use the 1/10oz heads at the moment because that's the lightest Z-Man mushroom head with a weedguard. I fish them in rivers for smallmouth and these rivers have a rock and sand bottom. If I don't have the guards they snag almost every cast, with the guards I hardly snag at all. The ponds I fish are too weedy for the Ned Rig and I don't visit the lakes frequently enough. Hopefully Z-Man will make the weedless version in 1/15oz.

[Oregon Native]

I pour my own heads with 1/16 being my favorite.  I use two strands of fiber weedguard and it works amazingly well.  Friend who is a machinist made the mold so I was very fortunate.  But now he moved so I have to drive 50 miles to borrow it and make some more!!

[Jig Man]

1 hour ago, Oregon Native said:

I pour my own heads with 1/16 being my favorite.  I use two strands of fiber weedguard and it works amazingly well.  Friend who is a machinist made the mold so I was very fortunate.  But now he moved so I have to drive 50 miles to borrow it and make some more!!

Barlow’s has the Midwest Finesse jig mold.  That is what I bought.

[frogflogger]

2 hours ago, Glaucus said:

The mushroom head does better at avoiding snags, especially in the rocks, and it allows the TRD to stand up when touching bottom. Using a round head is like using a cut up stick bait for the plastic; it will work, but it won't be nearly as good.

 

I personally only use the 1/10oz heads at the moment because that's the lightest Z-Man mushroom head with a weedguard. I fish them in rivers for smallmouth and these rivers have a rock and sand bottom. If I don't have the guards they snag almost every cast, with the guards I hardly snag at all. The ponds I fish are too weedy for the Ned Rig and I don't visit the lakes frequently enough. Hopefully Z-Man will make the weedless version in 1/15oz.

I fish a rocky smallmouth river and usually find a 1/32 mushroom head very effective and snags seldom I drift them like I would a streamer when fly fishing.

[FryDog62]

I Texas Rig a #1 Neko hook in my Ned’s and push a 1/16 oz nail weight in the fat end.  Most snagless way I’ve fished it.  I use a VMC Neko hook for this and the hook up ratio seems as good as an open hook for me.  Sticky sharp, but no/few snags...

[Oregon Native]

22 hours ago, Jig Man said:

Barlow’s has the Midwest Finesse jig mold.  That is what I bought.

Like the mold but hard to put a fiber weedguard in.

[PourMyOwn]

For those of you who have the mold and like the light heads, pour them with bismuth. The bismuth/tin mix is lighter than lead, which falls even slower. 

[Jig Man]

14 minutes ago, PourMyOwn said:

For those of you who have the mold and like the light heads, pour them with bismuth. The bismuth/tin mix is lighter than lead, which falls even slower. 

I use lead that contains antimony.  That makes it lighter.  I might consider your idea if I ever run out of lead but I have oner 100 # right now.

[PourMyOwn]

18 minutes ago, Jig Man said:

I use lead that contains antimony.  That makes it lighter.  I might consider your idea if I ever run out of lead but I have oner 100 # right now.

Sounds good-I live in a lead free state or I'd still be working from my pile of lead too.

[NYWayfarer]

I would use a round head jig in a pinch but I prefer the mushroom head ones. They help the bait sit straight up on the bottom when dead sticking. 

 

I have been using Berkley halfhead jigs lately. Cheaper than Z-Man and the TRD actually stay on the jig with no glue.

[Topwaterdog]

I use the mushroom heads, 1/10th is my favorite. Lifted jigs is making an EWG ned jig that I just picked up. Yet to fish it but it seems like a good idea.