Yama's new product: Senko TRD

[J Francho]

Thanks for that. Please understand, the minute we let a pro staffer start posts about a new product, it opens the floodgates to a ton of crap. If someone not affiliated with the company asks, and you can answer, you are welcome to. I know, it's a subtle difference. 

[Glenn]

1 hour ago, J Francho said:

Please understand, the minute we let a pro staffer start posts about a new product, it opens the floodgates to a ton of crap.

^^ This!!^^

[Cgolf]

So other than the name on the bag why would I use these over cut Zinkerz, Robo Ned’s, or any of the other stick baits I have cut in half and used very successfully over the years? I totally agree with Toxic that the standup ability of some baits is way over rated. I fish Ned rigs in current a lot and they never have a chance to properly stand up because the current will knock them over. 
 

I bet the loyal GY customer base will buy them, unless I am missing something unique I will use up the near lifetime supply of Ned baits I have. Some of the colors do look cool though…

[QED]

2 minutes ago, Cgolf said:

So other than the name on the bag why would I use these over cut Zinkerz, Robo Ned’s, or any of the other stick baits I have cut in half and used very successfully over the years? I totally agree with Toxic that the standup ability of some baits is way over rated. I fish Ned rigs in current a lot and they never have a chance to properly stand up because the current will knock them over. 
 

I bet the loyal GY customer base will buy them, unless I am missing something unique I will use up the near lifetime supply of Ned baits I have. Some of the colors do look cool though…

 

Ned rig is one use case - drop shot is another.  Buoyant worms work well in the latter case so Z-man TRDs are what I am using but no reason not to try a new bait with similar characteristics and different color/salt content/etc. options.

[lynxcat]

Interesting...I will not be fishing these. The durability of GY products is a huge turnoff. I'll never dispute that they work but I'll go with more durable options that perform are reasonably the same level. The more baits I've tried, the more I go back to Z-man. 

[ChrisD46]

I will keep an open mind regarding the new Yamamoto Ned offering ... Here is one that gets a fair amount of attention that I find a bit underwhelming for the money : https://www.tacklewarehouse.com/Berkley_Powerbait_Maxscent_Lil_General_Worm/descpage-LGN.html .

[TOXIC]

14 hours ago, QED said:

 

Ned rig is one use case - drop shot is another.  Buoyant worms work well in the latter case so Z-man TRDs are what I am using but no reason not to try a new bait with similar characteristics and different color/salt content/etc. options.

It’s good to see you have an open mind.  Those that feel durability is the only measure are missing a lot.   The only thing I would disagree with is that your statement that the Ned and the Dropshot are one fish baits.  Per new ownership, the new Ned Senko is more durable but I can’t tell you how much more until I try them out.  I will say that my go to Ned baits, the 3 and 4 inch Senko and California Roll would catch multiple fish.  The Ned heads I use are made by a friend and have a spear style bait keeper on them.  I’ve caught multiple fish on multiple outings with the Shad Shape Worm on a dropshot and haven’t felt it having a durability problem.  Make sure you report back on your impressions.  

[Bass Rutten]

On 6/16/2022 at 11:44 AM, BrianMDTX said:

You’re missing out on the 2023 announcement for the 1/4 stick worm! ?

The ed rig?

[Cgolf]

58 minutes ago, TOXIC said:

It’s good to see you have an open mind.  Those that feel durability is the only measure are missing a lot.   The only thing I would disagree with is that your statement that the Ned and the Dropshot are one fish baits.  Per new ownership, the new Ned Senko is more durable but I can’t tell you how much more until I try them out.  I will say that my go to Ned baits, the 3 and 4 inch Senko and California Roll would catch multiple fish.  The Ned heads I use are made by a friend and have a spear style bait keeper on them.  I’ve caught multiple fish on multiple outings with the Shad Shape Worm on a dropshot and haven’t felt it having a durability problem.  Make sure you report back on your impressions.  

 

I don't think it is the case of having a closed mind, I am just waiting till you get them on the water and report back. You have always seemed like a straight shooter to me, so your field test will tell me if I need to add another ned bait to my box. I probably have over a thousand Ned baits in various brands and styles so I need it to be different for me to justify purchasing it. Also my wife is slowing the bait monkey down so she has room for clothes in the closet;)

 

Thanks for mentioning the Shad Shape worm as that has been on my list to try as a Ned bait. Since I hate drop shotting, I have been catching quality fish with drop shot baits on a Ned head. I bought some shad shape worms years ago but never tried them.

 

Doube thanks as I just realized I hadn't even packed them for our clear water lake adventures. I love our week chasing largemouth and smallmouth in clear water, the fish make so much more sense then the featureless weedy green water I regularly fish locally.

[QED]

7 hours ago, TOXIC said:

It’s good to see you have an open mind.  Those that feel durability is the only measure are missing a lot.   The only thing I would disagree with is that your statement that the Ned and the Dropshot are one fish baits.  [stuff deleted]

 

Sorry @TOXIC, I was using the term "use case" in the software jargon context - not implying that you can catch only a single fish per plastic bait.  Here in SV we use domain specific jargon, acronyms, and initialisms far too much.

 

"A usage scenario for a piece of software; often used in the plural to suggest situations where a piece of software may be useful."

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Use_case

[JustJames]

I saw a promotional video of this lure and the way the guy handle it jiggling just like one of those 3X 10x strike king lure or Elaztech without grain of salt??? I think this might also be a good Ned Rig bait depends on how you fish them and will also help those wanna use Ned Rig with baitcaster or use less weight head. Me I use 1/15oz with half ZinkerZ but 1/20oz with TRD. With less dense weight I can fish them slower and less worry about snagged.

I might give it a try, especially different color like black and okeechobee craw. If Ned Senko come with #221 I will definitely stock those for Ned rig and dropshot.

[Team9nine]

On 6/16/2022 at 1:15 PM, Team9nine said:

 

It goes against my anti-Yammi inclinations, but I'll try and get my hands on a pack. I did just receive a pack of Roboworm Ned Worms I need to try out. Adding the Yammi to the mix would be a good test 

 

Pulled the Roboworm Ned Worms out last night to take on a test run today as promised. Here's what I found:

 

A little cooler today after storms rolled just south of us this morning. By early afternoon, we had completely clear skies with sunshine, temps around 87 degrees, and a NW wind at 13 gusting to 20 mph. As for the bait, I did a couple quick measurements against some TRDs. Robo Ned came in just under 3.25" vs. just under 2.75" for TRD. Robo Ned weighed about 5 g. vs 4 g for TRD, so about 25% heavier. It is also a much thicker/robust profile, so it would probably work a little better if you prefer somewhat larger hooks than traditional Midwest Finesse. I saw they also make a 4.5" version of Robo Ned online, and TRD also comes in larger 4" and 6" versions. Price wise, Robo Ned is $4.49 for 8 baits vs. $3.99 for 8 TRDs where I looked.

 

Only pkg of Robo Neds I have is in MM III color. I fished the bait on a 1/16 oz mushroom head jig with braid to 8# leader on a ML rod. I was able to hit one clearer pond (>2 ft vis) and one murky pond (<= 12" vis). I caught 7 bass from each.

 

First Robo Ned bait tore after the 3rd fish at the hook bend exit, the same thing I have experienced with their regular finesse worms, and had to be pinched back a 1/4" and rerigged. It landed 4 more bass before being trashed (7 total). It probably could have been cut back again to a smaller nub, but I usually only do that in winter, as I prefer to have as much of the bait behind the hook bend as possible most days.

 

The 2nd Robo Ned Worm tore on the 2nd bass, and had to be cut back 1/4," after which it caught 4 more bass before being trashed (6 total). I then rigged up a 3rd Robo Ned and caught 1 more bass before calling it.

 

Other thoughts: Durability wise, Robo Ned looks like a 6-7 bass per bait average, which is in line with what I've seen with their worms. Obviously, some days you'll get a few more or a few less. Either way, much less than a typical TRD, which could easily go 25-50 bass per bait or more. Part of that is the Elaztech material, but part is also the design. TRDs are blunt on both ends, so it doesn't matter which end you rig, and if one end gets too messed up, you can simply reverse the bait and keep going strong. Robo Ned appears to me to be more like half a ZinkerZ, with a more defined head end and a pointed tail section that isn't necessarily designed to be fished from both ends, though it could probably be done in a pinch.

 

Robo Ned also appears to at least partially stand up at rest on bottom with a mushroom head jig (45'ish deg. angle), and doesn't just fall flat on its side. Speaking of, it also has a flat side or "bottom" to it, which gives the bait a good gliding action, similar to TRD or other Elaztech-type floating bait. It fished lighter than it appeared, if that makes sense. The extra weight of the bait makes it cast well, especially given the breeze I was dealing with today. Robo Ned, I would say, has more "shimmy" to it than a TRD, but not as much as 1/2 a ZinkerZ, so in-between in that regard. If you're into the pretty colors of custom pours, Robo Ned definitely has the advantage there. Some great looking color patterns online that are available, which might either help in certain water clarities, or with the mental confidence in a bait for some people. I keep a good stash of a favorite colored finesse Roboworm on hand myself just for those reasons. That said, day in and day out, I'd put a standard Zman junebug bait up against about anything on my waters as that color simply gets bit everywhere for me, and often.

 

I didn't notice any real difference in action, texture or softness of the bait after fishing it a while. It's possible the bait only lasting 6-7 bass might not be enough time for any type salt mixture to dissolve and change the action like you get with a lot of Zman plastics, though TRDs don't change that much IMO.

 

I'll try and get my hands on a pkg of Yammi Neds to do a similar run through. Not sure when they'll be available in my area, but I'll keep my eyes open. 

 

Oh yeah, one last thing...this 7 pounder as best fish of the day  It came from the clear water pond, and was a sight to see when it first came toward the surface after being hooked. Everything else was 2 lbs and under today, more typical post front Ned size. I ain't complaining though

 

 

 

 

 

[TOXIC]

16 hours ago, Team9nine said:

 

Pulled the Roboworm Ned Worms out last night to take on a test run today as promised. Here's what I found:

 

A little cooler today after storms rolled just south of us this morning. By early afternoon, we had completely clear skies with sunshine, temps around 87 degrees, and a NW wind at 13 gusting to 20 mph. As for the bait, I did a couple quick measurements against some TRDs. Robo Ned came in just under 3.25" vs. just under 2.75" for TRD. Robo Ned weighed about 5 g. vs 4 g for TRD, so about 25% heavier. It is also a much thicker/robust profile, so it would probably work a little better if you prefer somewhat larger hooks than traditional Midwest Finesse. I saw they also make a 4.5" version of Robo Ned online, and TRD also comes in larger 4" and 6" versions. Price wise, Robo Ned is $4.49 for 8 baits vs. $3.99 for 8 TRDs where I looked.

 

Only pkg of Robo Neds I have is in MM III color. I fished the bait on a 1/16 oz mushroom head jig with braid to 8# leader on a ML rod. I was able to hit one clearer pond (>2 ft vis) and one murky pond (<= 12" vis). I caught 7 bass from each.

 

First Robo Ned bait tore after the 3rd fish at the hook bend exit, the same thing I have experienced with their regular finesse worms, and had to be pinched back a 1/4" and rerigged. It landed 4 more bass before being trashed (7 total). It probably could have been cut back again to a smaller nub, but I usually only do that in winter, as I prefer to have as much of the bait behind the hook bend as possible most days.

 

The 2nd Robo Ned Worm tore on the 2nd bass, and had to be cut back 1/4," after which it caught 4 more bass before being trashed (6 total). I then rigged up a 3rd Robo Ned and caught 1 more bass before calling it.

 

Other thoughts: Durability wise, Robo Ned looks like a 6-7 bass per bait average, which is in line with what I've seen with their worms. Obviously, some days you'll get a few more or a few less. Either way, much less than a typical TRD, which could easily go 25-50 bass per bait or more. Part of that is the Elaztech material, but part is also the design. TRDs are blunt on both ends, so it doesn't matter which end you rig, and if one end gets too messed up, you can simply reverse the bait and keep going strong. Robo Ned appears to me to be more like half a ZinkerZ, with a more defined head end and a pointed tail section that isn't necessarily designed to be fished from both ends, though it could probably be done in a pinch.

 

Robo Ned also appears to at least partially stand up at rest on bottom with a mushroom head jig (45'ish deg. angle), and doesn't just fall flat on its side. Speaking of, it also has a flat side or "bottom" to it, which gives the bait a good gliding action, similar to TRD or other Elaztech-type floating bait. It fished lighter than it appeared, if that makes sense. The extra weight of the bait makes it cast well, especially given the breeze I was dealing with today. Robo Ned, I would say, has more "shimmy" to it than a TRD, but not as much as 1/2 a ZinkerZ, so in-between in that regard. If you're into the pretty colors of custom pours, Robo Ned definitely has the advantage there. Some great looking color patterns online that are available, which might either help in certain water clarities, or with the mental confidence in a bait for some people. I keep a good stash of a favorite colored finesse Roboworm on hand myself just for those reasons. That said, day in and day out, I'd put a standard Zman junebug bait up against about anything on my waters as that color simply gets bit everywhere for me, and often.

 

I didn't notice any real difference in action, texture or softness of the bait after fishing it a while. It's possible the bait only lasting 6-7 bass might not be enough time for any type salt mixture to dissolve and change the action like you get with a lot of Zman plastics, though TRDs don't change that much IMO.

 

I'll try and get my hands on a pkg of Yammi Neds to do a similar run through. Not sure when they'll be available in my area, but I'll keep my eyes open. 

 

Oh yeah, one last thing...this 7 pounder as best fish of the day  It came from the clear water pond, and was a sight to see when it first came toward the surface after being hooked. Everything else was 2 lbs and under today, more typical post front Ned size. I ain't complaining though

 

 

 

 

 

Great write up.  It will be interesting to see your comments on the new Ned Senko in comparison.  I have a couple of comments/questions.  I believe there was a post on here where someone quoted Mr. Ned himself and it was determined that the original/proper way to fish a Ned was a slow steady retrieve just above the bottom.  Doesn’t that negate any “floating” requirements?  Second, there are so many different Ned or mushroom head manufacturers now that durability can be different with the different bait holding methods.  There’s straight shank, corkscrew, spike, spear and offset/weedless to name a few.  

[Team9nine]

2 hours ago, TOXIC said:

Great write up.  It will be interesting to see your comments on the new Ned Senko in comparison.  I have a couple of comments/questions.  I believe there was a post on here where someone quoted Mr. Ned himself and it was determined that the original/proper way to fish a Ned was a slow steady retrieve just above the bottom.  Doesn’t that negate any “floating” requirements?  Second, there are so many different Ned or mushroom head manufacturers now that durability can be different with the different bait holding methods.  There’s straight shank, corkscrew, spike, spear and offset/weedless to name a few.  

Looking forward to trying them.

 

The original retrieve system set up by Ned has changed slightly over the years, but there has always been 5-6 different “retrieves” or presentations to cover the activity spectrum. Much of it does revolve around keeping the bait up off the bottom for various lengths of time, so the ability of a bait to float or glide, in combination with lighter/smaller heads in what Ned refers to as a “no feel” retrieve, is arguably at the heart of the original system.

 

Good point on the various jig head attachment options. It could definitely play a role in how well the head of the bait stays up and intact. Those differences probably play much less of a role though in the tearing I was seeing at the hook bend where it leaves the bait. Once that section gets ripped open, the bait falls apart rapidly, and often fails to work properly. Rerigging helps here, but it also then affects the durability of that head/shank attachment, so it’s kind of a game with every bait to keep both sections in good working order.

[TOXIC]

2 hours ago, Team9nine said:

Looking forward to trying them.

 

The original retrieve system set up by Ned has changed slightly over the years, but there has always been 5-6 different “retrieves” or presentations to cover the activity spectrum. Much of it does revolve around keeping the bait up off the bottom for various lengths of time, so the ability of a bait to float or glide, in combination with lighter/smaller heads in what Ned refers to as a “no feel” retrieve, is arguably at the heart of the original system.

 

Good point on the various jig head attachment options. It could definitely play a role in how well the head of the bait stays up and intact. Those differences probably play much less of a role though in the tearing I was seeing at the hook bend where it leaves the bait. Once that section gets ripped open, the bait falls apart rapidly, and often fails to work properly. Rerigging helps here, but it also then affects the durability of that head/shank attachment, so it’s kind of a game with every bait to keep both sections in good working order.

Agreed.  I think as long as you use the same heads for all of the comparisons' you would get a fair comparison on durability.  

[lunkerboss923]

Personally I'm not all that impressed with Ned Rigs. I used to catch them on that rig, but the bite has just stopped. For finesse, the dropshot is killing it!

 

The Yamamoto looks like it is made of the same soft plastic that the senko is made of and really what's stopping us from using a 5 to 6" senko and brake it off? 

[QED]

1 hour ago, lunkerboss923 said:

[stuff deleted]

The Yamamoto looks like it is made of the same soft plastic that the senko is made of and really what's stopping us from using a 5 to 6" senko and brake it off? 

 

No the ned senko is purportedly more buoyant so it would be more of a z-man TRD competitor.  I ordered a half-dozen packages of the former but they haven't arrived yet so efficacy is still TBD.

[Steveo-1969]

@TOXIC Do you know what the price/quantity will be? Earlier in the thread we had some conflicting information. Thanks.

[MassBass]

So, is it true that this bait mimics goose feces?

[Revival]

2 hours ago, Steveo-1969 said:

@TOXIC Do you know what the price/quantity will be? Earlier in the thread we had some conflicting information. Thanks.

I’m not @TOXIC but on TW, it’s listed at $5.99 for 10.

[MN Fisher]

49 minutes ago, Revival said:

I’m not @TOXIC but on TW, it’s listed at $5.99 for 10.

 

3 hours ago, Steveo-1969 said:

@TOXIC Do you know what the price/quantity will be? Earlier in the thread we had some conflicting information. Thanks.

As I said earlier - I dunno if TW is getting special packaging because right on Yamamoto's site it states

https://www.baits.com/products/3-ned-senko/

[thediscochef]

On 6/16/2022 at 12:35 PM, Choporoz said:

I wonder what 'ol Ned thinks about the fact that there are now 93 different 'Ned rig' baits on the market.

probably thinks he needs a raise LOL

[Revival]

37 minutes ago, MN Fisher said:

 

As I said earlier - I dunno if TW is getting special packaging because right on Yamamoto's site it states

https://www.baits.com/products/3-ned-senko/

Good point.  Hook Up Tackle also has 6 per package.  Midway has 10.  

[QED]

Tackle Warehouse packages include ten (10) ned senkos.  UPS package just arrived this morning so this is NOT speculation based upon the TW website's numbers.

[TOXIC]

I can’t verify anything until I put in an order for some.  I will be doing that soon.  I’m sure someone here will get them before me. ?. As soon as I get some, I’ll give my honest opinion. 
 

19 hours ago, lunkerboss923 said:

The Yamamoto looks like it is made of the same soft plastic that the senko is made of and really what's stopping us from using a 5 to 6" senko and brake it off? 

At this point, I only know what I have been told and that is it is not the same.  Different pour, same salt, air chambers in the bait for flotation.