Neko rig

[KP Duty]

Who is regularly neko rigging around here?  I was looking at the '23 Classic winning baits, and in a field of anglers throwing the usual prespawn baits, Jacob Powroznik's neko rig stood out and got him a top 10 finish.  I've never fished with anyone in a tournament fishing a wacky worm.  I'm wondering if he was working this thing back to the boat or target casting and then reeling it in.  If you rig this way somewhat routinely...I'd like your insight/method.

 

[gim]

Its essentially a nail-weighted wacky rig.  I use both the wacky and neko regularly for largemouth here in the summer time.

 

The wacky has a much slower fall rate because it has no weight.  The neko has a faster fall rate so you can fish it in deeper water more effectively.  I use it when the fish are set up on a deeper weed line, which is a common pattern here during the warmest time of year.  You can put various size nail weights in the stick bait to make it fall faster or slower.  Deep weed lines develop anywhere from 10-20 feet here in the summer time, depending on water clarity.

 

Anything over about 5 feet gets the neko nod for me.  Less than 5 feet I can use a plain wacky and just allow the natural sink rate to get the job done.

 

The neko put my biggest largemouth (length) in the boat last season.  It was kind of skinny but it was in late June after the spawn so not that unusual.

 

 

[FryDog62]

I Neko a fair amount. It’s the ideal dock skipping lure for me… it’s weighted but buried in the plastic - no klanging off docks, pontoons, etc.  

 

I like fatter or longer offerings that get the attention of bigger fish. My favorite worms have floating tails - You can either work them or let them soak, and they get noticed! 

[gim]

14 minutes ago, FryDog62 said:

It’s the ideal dock skipping lure for me… it’s weighted but buried in the plastic - no klanging off docks, pontoons, etc.  

 

I don't use a neko for dock skipping because the water depth is like 2 feet or less underneath.  But if it was deeper, I could see it as effective.

 

I'm with you on avoiding the noise though.  No exposed lead or hard baits for this guy around docks.

[FryDog62]

1 minute ago, gimruis said:

 

I don't use a neko for dock skipping because the water depth is like 2 feet or less underneath.  But if it was deeper, I could see it as effective.

 

I'm with you on avoiding the noise though.  No exposed lead or hard baits for this guy around docks.

Even in 2 fow with the floating tail… it’s like Flippin’ the bird at the alpha bass sitting on the dock post or way back in the dark corner…. Can’t resist… boom! 

[KP Duty]

38 minutes ago, gimruis said:

Its essentially a nail-weighted wacky rig.  I use both the wacky and neko regularly for largemouth here in the summer time.

 

The wacky has a much slower fall rate because it has no weight.  The neko has a faster fall rate so you can fish it in deeper water more effectively.  I use it when the fish are set up on a deeper weed line, which is a common pattern here during the warmest time of year.  You can put various size nail weights in the stick bait to make it fall faster or slower.  Deep weed lines develop anywhere from 10-20 feet here in the summer time, depending on water clarity.

 

Anything over about 5 feet gets the neko nod for me.  Less than 5 feet I can use a plain wacky and just allow the natural sink rate to get the job done.

 

The neko put my biggest largemouth (length) in the boat last season.  It was kind of skinny but it was in late June after the spawn so not that unusual.

 

 

Right on.  Yea...I figured the nail weight would allow the wacky rig to be worked more effeciently like those wacky jigheads.  I bet with the Neko rigging it looks like the worm is feeding on the bottom.  I'm ready to try it...I like the weedless hook on Kacob's bait 

[gim]

@KP Duty quite often a fish will take it on the initial fall.  Watch your line.

[waymont]

Neko in water 5-12' is a great presentation for me. I also like skipping it under docks. My longest every LMB  23.5"was a caught on a Neko under a dock in 3' of water. I usually like a little more depth though to get the action right.

[RRocket]

I use Neko, but more to get a deeper, more pronounced "flap" of the hanging appendages. I put a nail weight in each appendage.

 

Not a worm, but I wacky rigged this Raid 2Way with a .9g weight on either side yesterday.

 

 

 

[bowhunter63]

Been doing really good Neko rigging a Baby or regular Rage craws . Smallmouth have been tearing them up . They way there built makes it easy to rig them with a worm like body .

[GetFishorDieTryin]

I use them alot around here, especially this time of year.  They work in place if a Shakey head when the bottom is nasty.  Light line and knots are a little more protected with a neko v SH.  Worms are great, but the most successful bait I use on a neko in early spring/late winter is a baby brush hog or game hog.  What's nice is the long shank neko style hooks stick them in the roof nearly every time, I don't lose or miss many fish on a neko.

[Bass Rutten]

Just like getfishordietryin, I think of it more as a shakeyhead alternative than a wacky rig variation. It's much less likely to pick up weeds or get wedged in hard cover.

[Bird]

I throw a Shakyhead and a wacky rig much more then I do a Neko but perhaps this thread will rekindle my desire to throw more often.

I've only ever used Elaztech worms for Neko " they stand up well " and the O-ring is roughly 1" closer to the weighted end.

 

[gim]

1 hour ago, Bird said:

I've only ever used Elaztech worms for Neko

How are you able to get the nail weight into elaztech? I’ve tried before and I can’t get a weight in there. The material is too tough.

[Bass Rutten]

41 minutes ago, gimruis said:

How are you able to get the nail weight into elaztech? I’ve tried before and I can’t get a weight in there. The material is too tough.

These are great, but if you don't want the weight exposed get a nice sturdy pointy toothpick, one of thick old school ones not the newer flat wimpy ones, and "pre-drill" a hole in it, about and inch or so long or a little longer than the nail style weight you plan to insert, then insert the weight with your fingers about 3/4 of the way then use the toothpick to push it in the rest of the way and "bury it", then use a dab a superglue to seal it off.

[gim]

14 minutes ago, Bass Rutten said:

These are great

What exactly are these things? I don’t usually use my neko around docks so the exposed weight doesn’t bother me. They look interesting.

[Bass Rutten]

10 minutes ago, gimruis said:

What exactly are these things? I don’t usually use my neko around docks so the exposed weight doesn’t bother me. They look interesting.

Z-Man Neko Shroomz Wacky Rig Nose Weight, works great, slides right in to elaztech baits, a little pricey but worth it to me.

[PhishLI]

2 hours ago, gimruis said:

How are you able to get the nail weight into elaztech?

You'll need a tungsten nail weight with a diameter no larger than 1/8"(0.125") or (3mm) for this to work, but it works just fine. Great for rattles too.

[Bird]

2 hours ago, gimruis said:

How are you able to get the nail weight into elaztech? I’ve tried before and I can’t get a weight in there. The material is too tough.

My not so conventional way is torching a large safety pin as a guide, works for screw locks as well.

Yes Elaztech is crazy tough and can be frustrating on the water.

[@reelChris]

On 3/25/2024 at 11:11 PM, Bird said:

My not so conventional way is torching a large safety pin as a guide, works for screw locks as well.

Yes Elaztech is crazy tough and can be frustrating on the water.

 

I've tried this, and it works well for making space for a nail weight, but the problem I always run into is that, eventually, the weight goes flying out after a few casts.  I've tried gluing the weights in with crazy glue, but that just delays the inevitable.

[fishingtx]

I use Neko rigs 99% of fishing trips. They are extremely versatile. My primary use for them is targeting shallow cover. They are good for ffs and deep brush as well. I have found that the Neko rig performs best in highly pressured areas, similar to a wacky worm, however the Neko rig is not as commonly thrown. The applications for this technique are endless and the variations in lure choice are as well.

[WRB]

Long before the Neko rig this was called the Nail weight back in the 70’s or 50 years ago. It’s always worked and I posted a detail post on the nail rig several ago on this site,

Glad you all discovered it😎

Tom

[Catt]

@WRB Down here it was called a Wacky Rig, depending on water depth we would at a paneling nail for weight. Oh! Yeah it was a Trick Worm not a Senko.

[KP Duty]

29 minutes ago, WRB said:

Long before the Neko rig this was called the Nail weight back in the 70’s or 50 years ago. It’s always worked and I posted a detail post on the nail rig several ago on this site,

Glad you all discovered it😎

Tom

My favorite 'new' rig is the shakey-head.  Everyone had been using jigheads for decades, and sometimes shaking them to coax a bite.  Now we have dedicated rods for shaking a jighead.

[WRB]

Don Iovino was shaking (doodling) finesse worms in the 70’s developing his Phoenix Doodle rods ideal for today’s shaky head jigs.

Tom