Neds Work When Nothing Else Does

[Gerry Zagorski]

A few years back I was struggling fishing the S Branch for Smallmouth.. Many people told me they were there and even told me their usual spots but I never caught one so I posted here about my struggle. I think it was Fast Eddie or Mikey Topaz who suggested I try a Ned Rig "A Ned Rig, what the heck is that? For those of you who don't know read on...

Quick history on the Ned Rig. It was invented by Ned Kehde, a fishing guide in the Mid West that was looking for a different ways to catch more bass... The Ned is a small mushroom shaped jig head with a short stubby soft plastic. As you'll see below, it doesn't look like much since it has no tail curly tail and really no action. It might not have the looks to catch fishermen but it catches fish!!

Back to my struggle and off I went to the tackle store to get me some Neds. Although I still wasn't convinced, I was hopeful and gave it a shot.. Took a bit to get the technique down but it wasn't long before I had my first Smallmouth on the same stretch of the S Branch I thought was dead.

The technique in a fast running streams that seemed to work best was casting it upstream of a deeper hole behind rapids. Make sure there is some slack in the line and let the current move your line and bounce the Ned along the bottom downstream into the hole bringing it tight once and while to trigger strikes and to detect bites. When in slow running water or lakes, cast it out and let it sink and work it slowly along the bottom. Some like to hop it but seems like the most effective way for me has been a slow steady reel so it skirts along the bottom.

Took a float trip recently with Mikey on the Delaware river with and it was lights out on the Ned Rig... I lost count at 60 Smallies and my buddy Jake who never fished one is now a believer.

Next time you're out and nothing seems to be working, try a Ned and I'll bet you'll never leave home without one.

[Mikey topaz]

They work for literary evreything lol stupid fish!

[Broad Bill]

Interesting rig. Like Mr Zagorski, I heard about it but never fished it until this year. Once you've tried it, you'll always have it in your bag of tricks. When it was invented it was intended to imitate bottom dwelling forage that bass typically feed on including crayfish, leeches, shrimp or in the Great lakes gobies. Caught a lot of smallmouth and largemouth on it this this year as well as some very large crappy in the summer when they're deeper or suspending.

For a lure that appears to do nothing and have absolutely no action, it delivers great results. I've never swam the rig during the retrieve, will have to try that. Always fished it like a jig and crayfish, twitch it a few times and let it sit and repeat. Most hits I've gotten have come raising it while twitching or while it's falling, not while at rest. Definitely a great lure.

[thmyorke1]

Ned rigs with a Zman TRD is my preference when bottom fishing now. I've caught a lot of different species on them. In some lakes caught pike, in some rivers caught trout like Tigers. It's a great profile and simple. I believe the TRD floats and points the small lil bait upwards so it's not just laying down on the bottom too.

I would recommend doing similar with bigger worms, if you ever find yourself not getting the right bite with the small TRDs, try rigging up a longer senko like worm and doing similar.

Comments on the technique:

For lake fishing, i dont tend to even touch it, the less you mess around with it after casting- the better. I let it drop as freely as possible and try to tell once it hits bottom by looking at the line.

I try and leave it alone as it sits on the bottom, thats usually when i get the most bites. Once I move the jig, and start "working it back" i find i dont get as many bites.

So often I am casting, letting it drop, letting it sit on the bottom, and reeling in immediately in order to make another cast to a new spot.

Rarely, I will try and do a very forceful POP after it has been sitting on the bottom for some time, maybe 10 seconds. and repeat this. This worked a few times. I think the long pop basically raised the jig high up and it free-falls just far enough for any fish to come check it back out, if they missed the initial drop.

I find if you try and "work the bottom" you dont get as much bites as you would just re-casting and letting it sink and sit to a new spot. It also just puts you at risk with snagging the bottom.

For river fishing, you can do similar if you get a heavy enough jig or fish a spot without that much current.

[Gerry Zagorski]

Some great tips here Luke and Bill, thanks!

The ZMan TRD (The Real Deal) or what some call the Tird, is the gold standard of Ned plastics and like Luke mentioned, the grub/plastic is buoyant so the jig head sits on the bottom and the tail tends to sit straight up. I would think this makes it a bit more attractive and since the hook is pointed up too, it might make it less prone to snagging the bottom. The hot color for us on the Delaware was ZMan Peanut Butter and Jelly. They're very tough and unlike softer plastics, they don't get all torn up, even after catching multiple fish.

As far as jig head weights, it all depends on depth and current, the deeper and more current, the heavier weight you'll need. Most popular size is 1/16 and the largest is 1/4 but you want to fish as light as possible.

I use braid since it casts better then mono, is way more sensitive so you can feel strikes and the smaller diameter helps it sink better in current. I top off the braid off with an 8 pound floro leader and joined with an improved Alberto knot https://youtu.be/BsRmMYdFj6s . I like this knot since it has a lower profile then a uni to uni and doesn't tend to hang up in the guides as much.

Happy Neding and keep the tips coming!

[thmyorke1]

+for the PB&J color. I know other colors work but ive fished with just that 1 for so long it's just great.

I know Hookmanski has slayed with the bubble-gum pink however. And ive tried a few other colors before with Nick and they seem to work fine.

For jig weight the lighter the better. I think the slower it sinks the more you capitalize on that initial drop. But sometimes fishing in deeper water and windy days just make you want to tie on a 1/4th oz :P

[Chrisper4694]

Unfortunately no denying it 😅

[bulletbob]

There's nothing new under the sun.. Decades and decades ago,old timers were catching fish on the identical rig... A short piece of plastic worm, or a rubber or plastic grub body, or even a Mister Twister or similar on a plain unpainted jig head... I mean honestly , we caught a lot of fish on grub bodies when I was a kid, and i'm now 69......

Some old timers here will remember the 70's and early 80's, When it was child's play to load a boat with 10 lb+ Tiderunners, by just throwing a 2 or 3 inch stubby rigid actionless tube called a "Tiger Tail' I think over the side, and putting the rod into the holder.. same profile..Stubby actionless body on a jig head.. We have been doing it for many decades,, These days however, everything is named, and overhyped.. I have been catching lakers, Walleyes, SMB up here as well for over 32 years, on short no action grub bodies on a jig head, again, decades before the term ""Ned Rig"' was ever heard of. Fish just pick them right off bottom, without ever even wiggling the rod tip.. bob

[Hookmanski]

Originally Posted by thmyorke1

+for the PB&J color. I know other colors work but ive fished with just that 1 for so long it's just great.

I know Hookmanski has slayed with the bubble-gum pink however. And ive tried a few other colors before with Nick and they seem to work fine.

For jig weight the lighter the better. I think the slower it sinks the more you capitalize on that initial drop. But sometimes fishing in deeper water and windy days just make you want to tie on a 1/4th oz :P

x2, go with the lightest jighead possible and either PBJ or Bubblegum Pink. I find Pink works better when it's cloudy.

We've deadsticked a rod with ned rig on it while casting other lures and it will get hit when we're not even holding the rod

[thmyorke1]

Originally Posted by Hookmanski

x2, go with the lightest jighead possible and either PBJ or Bubblegum Pink. I find Pink works better when it's cloudy.

We've deadsticked a rod with ned rig on it while casting other lures and it will get hit when we're not even holding the rod

heck you trolled with it on the delaware river and gottem lol.

I know people will troll similar looking pink worms for big stocked rainbows