Ned rig with weed guard

[billmac]

Fished yesterday in a power reservoir close by.  Lots of bites on the ned rig, but a really poor hookup rate.  I don't remember the brand, but they are the ones sold at our local Walmart.  They have a single wire weedguard, and I'm wondering if that's the problem.

[Scott F]

I use the Zman ’shroomz with the double wire weed guard and rarely lose fish. Some days, we just don’t make good hook sets or the fish just aren’t as aggressive and don’t take the baits all the way. Maybe the hooks weren’t as sharp or got dull.  Maybe the weed guards were the problem. Hard to say for certain. 

[detroit1]

Or maybe they were small panfish.

[MN Fisher]

I don't think the single weed-guard is the problem - was it an 'off-brand'?

 

Strike King Tour Grade and Outkast Perfect Ned both come in weedless with a single weed-guard...and both are touted as being very good.

[gim]

The weed guard mushroom head jigs do virtually nothing to “guard from weeds” in my experience. I get hung up in thick weeds whether I’m using a standard mushroom head or one with a fake weed guard.

 

Whether the weed guard caused the OP to miss fish, hard to say.

[Jig Man]

I’ve never seen a Ned head with a weed guard that would cause a problem with a hook set.

[ironbjorn]

6 minutes ago, gimruis said:

The weed guard mushroom head jigs do virtually nothing to “guard from weeds” in my experience. I get hung up in thick weeds whether I’m using a standard mushroom head or one with a fake weed guard.

 

Whether the weed guard caused the OP to miss fish, hard to say.

Those should be called "hard object guards". They're trash in the weeds, but help in rocks and wood. If I'm fishing the river with a normal mushroom head, I'm losing them every other cast. The mushroom heads with two wires last so much longer.

 

The hook-up ratio of the wired ones is really bad though. If you remove one of the wires it gets better while maintaining a lot of its resistance to hard stuff.

[gim]

1 minute ago, ironbjorn said:

They're trash in the weeds, but help in rocks and wood.

When the weeds are thick like they are this time of year, the Ned is just not a great option. I need something that keeps the hook unexposed, like a Texas rigged soft plastic instead.

[billmac]

I was fishing mostly wood and rocks.  Bringing up lots of green slime on the jig however.

[MN Fisher]

8 minutes ago, gimruis said:

When the weeds are thick like they are this time of year, the Ned is just not a great option. I need something that keeps the hook unexposed, like a Texas rigged soft plastic instead.

Course you could go with this...

[gim]

51 minutes ago, MN Fisher said:

Course you could go with this..

Yes. That’s the solution.

[GetFishorDieTryin]

3 hours ago, billmac said:

Fished yesterday in a power reservoir close by.  Lots of bites on the ned rig, but a really poor hookup rate.  I don't remember the brand, but they are the ones sold at our local Walmart.  They have a single wire weedguard, and I'm wondering if that's the problem.

Weedguards on a nedhead just seemed like a good idea when I first started throwing neds heavy winter-spring.  They really dont work well at all IMO and I think they hurt the landing percentage especially with the smaller #2 and #1 light wire heads so I just wind up pulling the out.  

If you want to make your ned rig more snag resistant your better off with an EWG ned head.  They work really well.  They're over priced, but you save money in the long run if your anything like me, I lose lots of open hook ned heads.  

[Team9nine]

I'd like to say if you have to use a weed guard with your Ned rig, you're doing it all wrong, but I won't...  Any time you introduce a weedguard into the Ned equation, I would think you are always going to introduce at least a slightly greater chance for a botched hook-up compared to a completely open hook presentation...and some days way more than "slight." But trade-offs abound with each approach, so just live with the consequences whichever way you choose to go. Proper technique and presentation can go a long way in solving many issues though.

[billmac]

12 hours ago, MN Fisher said:

Course you could go with this...

Do have experience with Texas rigged Neds?  Since we typically use light line, I'm wondering about breakoffs when trying to punch the hook through the plastic.

[MN Fisher]

6 minutes ago, billmac said:

Do have experience with Texas rigged Neds?  Since we typically use light line, I'm wondering about breakoffs when trying to punch the hook through the plastic.

If you texpose the hook, you're not having to punch through...the hook point is right there.

[desmobob]

15 hours ago, MN Fisher said:

Course you could go with this...

 

I use the very similar Owner Finesse ball heads.  

[TOXIC]

Here is my setup and from just my personal experience, the light wire weed guard doesn’t hinder catching.  As a matter of fact, after 5 or 6 fish it usually get broken off anyway?

[NHBull]

Before adding a weed guard to a Ned, I would go to a small child rig.  Very similar results without the frustration 

[galyonj]

21 hours ago, billmac said:

I don't remember the brand, but they are the ones sold at our local Walmart.

 

I just about guarantee they're Eagle Claw, and they look like this:

 

 

If that's the case, the weed guard hasn't been a problem for me the times I've used them. Check the hook to see if the point's rolled or something. Eagle Claw doesn't really have great quality control, in my experience.

[thediscochef]

18 hours ago, GetFishorDieTryin said:

Weedguards on a nedhead just seemed like a good idea when I first started throwing neds heavy winter-spring.  They really dont work well at all IMO and I think they hurt the landing percentage especially with the smaller #2 and #1 light wire heads so I just wind up pulling the out.  

If you want to make your ned rig more snag resistant your better off with an EWG ned head.  They work really well.  They're over priced, but you save money in the long run if your anything like me, I lose lots of open hook ned heads.  

This! EWG neds only for me. You can buy them custom poured from individuals for less than what you spend at Walmart too