Favorite Zman Trd Colors ? 2025

ChrisD46 reply :

With the Ned Rig : What are your favorite three (3) colors you would choose for the typical S.E. reservoir (clear to slightly stained water) for spotted bass and the occasional largemouth bass ?... While Green Pumpkin is a given - having trouble deciding on the next two (2) colors that would provide the right options for sunny & cloudy sky conditions along with the previous mentioned water conditions. Currently I'm leaning towards Coppertreause and PB&J (along with the previous mentioned Green Pumpkin ) and if it's overly cloudy a traditional Junebug may be best... A wild card option might be the New Money color as it's kind of craw looking - what has been working for you and what would you recommend ? Thanks in advance !

Team9nine reply :

Chris - the 4 you listed should serve you very well. Hard to go wrong with any of them. PB&J and green pumpkin are almost universal, and junebug is a good dark water color. Coppertreuse should be a good spotted bass color (and smallies for that matter). If you were looking to add a couple more to that list, Cali Craw (TRD) and green pumpkin/orange (1/2 ZinkerZ) have both been pretty productive, though there isn't a color I haven't caught fish on.

-T9

ChrisD46 reply :

T9 : Thanks - I will research a bit more to cover the ranges I just mentioned ... * In looking at the TRD more closely , I notice the small bumps on the tail section (similar to ZMan craw trailor) that serve to create the quivering action on the fall which is unlike any soft plastic stick bait I have previously seen .It appears 1/2 of a ZinkerZ will have close to the same action as the TRD once on the bottom - but those bumps on the TRD tail ...

Team9nine reply :

On 5/27/2015 at 2:35 AM, ChrisD46 said:
T9 : Thanks - I will research a bit more to cover the ranges I just mentioned ... * In looking at the TRD more closely , I notice the small bumps on the tail section (similar to ZMan craw trailor) that serve to create the quivering action on the fall which is unlike any soft plastic stick bait I have previously seen .It appears 1/2 of a ZinkerZ will have close to the same action as the TRD once on the bottom - but those bumps on the TRD tail ...

LOL - those bumps on the TRD tail.........are just bumps on the TRD tail. Many of us don't even throw the TRDs because we still have so many 1/2 ZinkerZ to use up, or have tested them side by side and not seen a catch rate difference. They both quiver like Jello once the salt dissolves. Plus, you get more baits for less money buying and cutting up ZinkerZ along with a greater color selection. What's not to like about that? Trust me- they will both catch plenty of fish...and if it really makes you feel better, just shake your rod tip slightly on the fall with a ZinkerZ and you'll get plenty of quiver - LOL

-T9

ChrisD46 reply :

T9 : You sold me on trying the ZinkerZ's - do both halves of a ZinkerZ fish pretty much the same ?

rangerjockey reply :

I throw pb and j probably 70% of the time..then green pumpkin and the gp/orange laminate but lately, it seems they have too much orange ..

I don't think the ends matter although I know some who prefer the narrower side.

Team9nine reply :

On 5/27/2015 at 4:02 AM, ChrisD46 said:
T9 : You sold me on trying the ZinkerZ's - do both halves of a ZinkerZ fish pretty much the same ?

Both halves fish the same, as well as both ends. If one end gets too torn up, just flip the half around and rig the jig head in the opposite end. That said, I always start with the half with the more pointed tail, and rig it with the larger portion as the "head" of the bait - LOL. Just can't help myself. However, some believe that their quality of fish goes up when reverse rigging with the fat end as the tail of the bait. Short answer - no wrong way to rig it. You'll catch fish regardless.

Ditto on the green pumpkin/orange. A great crawdad imitating color for riprap and gravel banks, but many reports of packages with too much orange and hardly any green pumpkin. Only buy them in the store where you can see what you're getting. The more green pumpkin the better, IMO. Another favorite of mine.

-T9

ChrisD46 reply :

Thanks for the heads up on the GP / Orange color bleed - I'll think I'll pass on ordering that one on line .

T9 - cool rigging tips ...Thanks !!

I hit up TW with an order - went with the 1/15th oz. and 1/10th oz. Shroomz heads in GP color to start plus assorted Zinkerz and a couple of TRD's just for grins (a lot on B.O. though) ... I have two spinning set ups (both with 2500 size reels) ; one rod is a 6'6" ML action and the other is a 6'10" M action . *Line choice I'm undecided on at this time : I could go 6lb. ~ 8lb straight Co-Poly and the same in FC line OR 10lb. ~ 15lb. braid with a 6lb. ~ 8lb. FC or Co-Poly leader ... What line set up has worked for you the best on a Ned Rig ?

rangerjockey reply :

I've been through a some in the last few years, I tried my shaky head rod which is a yamamoto medium and I though it drug the bait too much, then a drop shot rod Loomis dsr 820 ,and I though it was a touch soft, I really like the zodias 7ft. ML. the best.. I used 6lb mono at first but now I've gone to 20lb. power pro with a 6lb. FC leader.

Team9nine reply :

You'll find a lot of variability between anglers as to best set up. If you use Ned as the standard bearer, then it's a cheap $20 Shakespeare med. action 6' rod with 8# or 10# Cajun braid and using an 8# fluorocarbon leader. That said, you'll find other guys using $300-$400 setups to fish the rig. Most tend toward a rod between 6' and 7', and either a ML or M action. Some recommend a dropshot labeled rod. I've used a variety of rods myself over the years, and find that I like the shorter rods (6'0" - 6'3") for shorter casts and best control, and longer rods (6'6" - 7'0") for more horizontal swimming retrieves and/or longer casts. I use either 5# or 8# braid with a 6# or 8# fluorocarbon leader.

Here is a slightly older piece Ned wrote detailing some of the various setups that some of the "regulars" use: http://www.in-fisherman.com/midwest-finesse/midwest-finesse-tackle-bass-rods-reels-and-lines/

-T9

ChrisD46 reply :

Good read T-9 !

LOL - the only time I saw #5 lb. & #8 lb. braid was on a Power Pro rack at the big MN. based catalog fishing store . As I held both size lines between my fingers I thought : "Wow , I could cast a 1/16th oz. jig Ned Rig a mile on these lines ... Then snap the line on the first hook set" !! ... Perhaps one day I will venture into the <#10lb. braid Ned Rig - but for now I'm waaay to chicken to go there !!

Team9nine reply :

On 5/28/2015 at 12:48 AM, ChrisD46 said:

Good read T-9 !

LOL - the only time I saw #5 lb. & #8 lb. braid was on a Power Pro rack at the big MN. based catalog fishing store . As I held both size lines between my fingers I thought : "Wow , I could cast a 1/16th oz. jig Ned Rig a mile on these lines ... Then snap the line on the first hook set" !! ... Perhaps one day I will venture into the <#10lb. braid Ned Rig - but for now I'm waaay to chicken to go there !!

Power Pro it is...and I use 3# micro braid for my crappie fishing, and have used the Ned rig with it too. One of the best pieces of advice I ever got came from Fish Fishburne. He said, "Do not panic! The line is very, very strong."

I've literally caught thousands of bass on the light line combo over the past several years, and can only think of a couple instances where I ever broke fish off. Once was when a bass wrapped me up on a piece of sheet metal edging and finally sawed his way off. The other couple times are simply because I failed to retie either the leader line to lure knot or the leader knot itself after catching dozens of fish. Hey, sometimes I get a bit too complacent. If your setup is right, you won't break off unless you make a serious error in playing your fish - or go into overly heavy cover where you shouldn't be with the rig in the first place.

-T9

ChrisD46 reply :

On 5/27/2015 at 6:15 PM, rangerjockey said:
I've been through a some in the last few years, I tried my shaky head rod which is a yamamoto medium and I though it drug the bait too much, then a drop shot rod Loomis dsr 820 ,and I though it was a touch soft, I really like the zodias 7ft. ML. the best.. I used 6lb mono at first but now I've gone to 20lb. power pro with a 6lb. FC leader.

You definitely are close to : "Ned Rig Ground Zero" ! ... When you live in KS. or MO. I believe you can quote : "Ned's six different retrieves" by heart (lol) !

Bluebasser86 reply :

On 5/28/2015 at 4:40 AM, ChrisD46 said:
You definitely are close to : "Ned Rig Ground Zero" ! ... When you live in KS. or MO. I believe you can quote : "Ned's six different retrieves" by heart (lol) !

I actually run into Ned on the water pretty often. One of his main haunts is Gardner City Lake, 5 minutes to the ramp from my house.

Hunter16 reply :

I just went out to buy some zman trds and I was wondering if these colors would be good and if I should get any other colors, the colors I got were green pumpkin orange, molting craw, coppertruse. Any help or advice would be fantistic! Tight lines and good luck.

Bluebasser86 reply :

On 1/5/2018 at 12:44 PM, Hunter16 said:

I just went out to buy some zman trds and I was wondering if these colors would be good and if I should get any other colors, the colors I got were green pumpkin orange, molting craw, coppertruse. Any help or advice would be fantistic! Tight lines and good luck.

Yes, those are great colors to start with.

tander reply :

Hard to beat green pumpkin for clear and junebug for stained.

cgolf reply :

Creamsicle is my favorite color. I left some pink ones in a box with the water orange zinkerz for a while and the smallies seemed to prefer that pale orange color over others by a wide margin at the time, they really hit it hard. I must have stumbled on the shade of the crawfish or something.

NYWayfarer reply :

Besides green pumpkin I like, Mud Minnow and Canadian Craw for clear water.

I was using a 1500 size reel paired with a 6'10" ML fast action rod last season. I have since upgraded to a 7' M fast action rod and a size 2000 reel. I did that because I caught a 3lb Channel Cat and a Smallmouth Bass close to same weight on the Ned that tested the limits of the lighter gear.

I had a Channel Cat that was probably in the 6lb range on as well using the Ned rig. After a long fight on 6lb mono he snapped me off right at the kayak.

All my Ned reels are now spooled with 8lb Kastking Flourokote line.

fishwizzard reply :

As part of my ongoing KISS program, I have tried to get down to the following color combos;

Junebug w/ Chart jighead

New Money-Coppertruse-*bright green* w/ Red jighead

The Deal-MudMinnow w/ Black jighead

That being said, I did just pick up a few packs of Drew's Craw to replace The Deal/MudMinnow as I am a sucker for glitter. I have a small pile of other colors and plastic styles to work through, but moving forward I am going to try and stick with the combos above unless my catch rate starts going down.

MDBowHunter reply :

The Deal is an awesome color in clear water reservoirs, it definitely gets me more bites then green pumpkin colors for some reason.

thinkingredneck reply :

Not trying to hijac the thread, but does water get too stained or muddy for the Ned? I have caught a couple with it. I caught one on The Deal, and one on some other color I can't remember, probably a junebug. I ain't doing something right.

cgolf reply :

On 1/6/2018 at 2:36 AM, thinkingredneck said:

Not trying to hijac the thread, but does water get too stained or muddy for the Ned? I have caught a couple with it. I caught one on The Deal, and one on some other color I can't remember, probably a junebug. I ain't doing something right.

I don't believe so, I fish it on a stained moderately fast river system and have had good success.

MDBowHunter reply :

On 1/6/2018 at 2:36 AM, thinkingredneck said:

Not trying to hijac the thread, but does water get too stained or muddy for the Ned? I have caught a couple with it. I caught one on The Deal, and one on some other color I can't remember, probably a junebug. I ain't doing something right.

If I were fishing it in dirty or stained water, I think I'd be throwing a coppertreuse TRD

Dorado reply :

Does anyone have succes fishing these baits at night?

Hunter16 reply :

On 1/5/2018 at 1:08 PM, Bluebasser86 said:

Yes, those are great colors to start with.

Thanks for your tips and good luck and tight lines.

On 1/5/2018 at 1:08 PM, Bluebasser86 said:

Yes, those are great colors to start with.

Thanks for your tips and good luck and tight lines.

On 1/5/2018 at 8:53 PM, tander said:

Hard to beat green pumpkin for clear and junebug for stained.

Thanks for your in put and good luck and tight lines.

On 1/5/2018 at 9:31 PM, NYWayfarer said:

Besides green pumpkin I like, Mud Minnow and Canadian Craw for clear water.

I was using a 1500 size reel paired with a 6'10" ML fast action rod last season. I have since upgraded to a 7' M fast action rod and a size 2000 reel. I did that because I caught a 3lb Channel Cat and a Smallmouth Bass close to same weight on the Ned that tested the limits of the lighter gear.

I had a Channel Cat that was probably in the 6lb range on as well using the Ned rig. After a long fight on 6lb mono he snapped me off right at the kayak.

All my Ned reels are now spooled with 8lb Kastking Flourokote line.

Thanks for your input and good luck and tight lines.

On 1/5/2018 at 9:45 PM, fishwizzard said:

As part of my ongoing KISS program, I have tried to get down to the following color combos;

Junebug w/ Chart jighead

New Money-Coppertruse-*bright green* w/ Red jighead

The Deal-MudMinnow w/ Black jighead

That being said, I did just pick up a few packs of Drew's Craw to replace The Deal/MudMinnow as I am a sucker for glitter. I have a small pile of other colors and plastic styles to work through, but moving forward I am going to try and stick with the combos above unless my catch rate starts going down.

Thanks for your input and good luck.

Thanks every one for your input and I will have to get those colors and good luck and tight lines. And as always ripen lips and tight lines.

9699

Favorite Zman Trd Colors ? 2025

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