This spring I went for about two months without one bite, so I bought a pack of z-man ned rigs and in two hours of fishing I've hooked numerous bluegill, two 5+ pound bass, (one of which I landed) and several smaller bass. It's unbelievable. JUST BUY THEM. ????
I wonder why nobody has ever thought to use them before.
What's a Ned Rig?
On 6/2/2019 at 5:37 AM, Bluebasser86 said:What's a Ned Rig?
You know, that thing that only catches small fish.... ????
Bam!
On 6/2/2019 at 5:47 AM, Heartland said:You know, that thing that only catches small fish.... ????
Only partially true. I've caught 9 over 5 lbs since I've started using it more.
On 6/2/2019 at 9:01 AM, 1201vilbig said:Only partially true. I've caught 9 over 5 lbs since I've started using it more.
Hard to read in a short post, but I took a hefty amount of sarcasm in the post about only catching small fish.
It catches fish of all sizes and while I have other lures that give me better average sizes, the Ned rig is the bait that my PB Largie and Smallie were caught on.
On 6/2/2019 at 9:01 AM, 1201vilbig said:Only partially true. I've caught 9 over 5 lbs since I've started using it more.
It catches everything. I've seen smallmouth and green sunfish that couldn't even get the hook in their mouths, just go the tail of the bait stuck and their rough teeth dug into the bait, and then didn't have enough weight to fall off when lifted out of the water. I've also seen nearly 5lb smallmouth, largemouth over 6, channel cats and drum over 10, and flatheads over 20 pounds eat it.
It catches WAY more quality fish, when fished properly, than I think a lot of folks realize though.
Never fished it. And have no desire to do so.
On 6/2/2019 at 9:25 PM, clh121787 said:Never fished it. And have no desire to do so.
No problem, it doesn't work in Texas anyhow. Something about it being a Midwest Finesse bait and Texas being too far south.
On 6/2/2019 at 9:25 PM, clh121787 said:Never fished it. And have no desire to do so.
On 6/3/2019 at 2:45 AM, OCdockskipper said:No problem, it doesn't work in Texas anyhow. Something about it being a Midwest Finesse bait and Texas being too far south.
It only catches the tiny ones. Do not use the Green Pumpkin and Orange TRDs. They are terrible and won't catch anything.
I've only tried the weedless ned rig heads. Haven't caught anything yet. I try slowly dragging it along the bottom with a periodic 'pop' to get it to rise. The water around here looks like chocolate milk, so maybe I need to switch up the worm colors...
Ned Rig gets a few for me now & then . . . .
A-Jay
On 6/2/2019 at 9:25 PM, clh121787 said:Never fished it. And have no desire to do so.
Do you not like catching fish?
I have found it to be effective but in my experience it does generally target smaller sized fish. It will catch larger fish sometimes too, however. Small fish are better than catching no fish, I can’t argue against that.
I tried it for the first time today and caught some decent bass and also a few catfish
On 6/3/2019 at 2:45 AM, OCdockskipper said:doesn't work in Texas anyhow. Something about it being a Midwest Finesse bait and Texas being too far south.
That's funny, doesn't work here in Canada either
Seriously though it is an amazing presentation. Caught sunfish, bluegill, rock bass, smallmouth, largemouth, and catfish fo far on it. Just used it the other day to catch rock bass, no one else was catching anything, my son and I caught about 10 in an hour from the bank.
What I love about it is the simplicity, effectiveness, and versatility of the system. I use a 1/16oz roundball jig head with a #4 hook, a 1/16oz mushroom head jig with a #1 hook, or a 1/16oz bullet weight with a #2 EWG. TRD's, TRD Tubez, and TRD crawz by zman are fantastic soft plastics.
On 6/3/2019 at 7:21 AM, LCG said:That's funny, doesn't work here in Canada either
Seriously though it is an amazing presentation. Caught sunfish, bluegill, rock bass, smallmouth, largemouth, and catfish fo far on it. Just used it the other day to catch rock bass, no one else was catching anything, my son and I caught about 10 in an hour from the bank.
What I love about it is the simplicity, effectiveness, and versatility of the system. I use a 1/16oz roundball jig head with a #4 hook, a 1/16oz mushroom head jig with a #1 hook, or a 1/16oz bullet weight with a #2 EWG. TRD's, TRD Tubez, and TRD crawz by zman are fantastic soft plastics.
Do the TRD crawz work as well as standard TRDs? I want to try them now.
On 6/3/2019 at 8:33 AM, EGbassing said:Do the TRD crawz work as well as standard TRDs? I want to try them now.
The elaztech material is buoyant, so the super realistic craw floats up in a defensive posture as a real craw would do. Doesn't get much better.
I like variety, so a standard TRD, a TRD tube, and a TRD craw offer same small package but different profiles.
I am trying the shad z this summer as well, looks good. Sometimes I have to lube the tail ends of the tubez or they stick together, but not a huge deal.
On 6/3/2019 at 9:37 AM, LCG said:The elaztech material is buoyant, so the super realistic craw floats up in a defensive posture as a real craw would do. Doesn't get much better.
I like variety, so a standard TRD, a TRD tube, and a TRD craw offer same small package but different profiles.
I am trying the shad z this summer as well, looks good. Sometimes I have to lube the tail ends of the tubez or they stick together, but not a huge deal.
Alright, nice. I'm going to pick up some crawz soon because there are a lot of crawfish where I fish and they seem to love eating them, so..
On 6/2/2019 at 9:25 PM, clh121787 said:Never fished it. And have no desire to do so.
There is the Ned Rig - then if you are in Texas , we have the "Big Ned " for Lake Fork & Toledo Bend (i.e. Big TRD) ... For Falcon & Amistad - we got the Big Ned's larger cousin : "Big Jethro Ned Bodine" (i.e. Strike King Zero , Zman ZinkerZ 5" stick baits) . *You are missing out if you are not trying the elaztech stick baits from TRD up to the 5" type on a open jig head (1/16th oz. down to 1/10th oz. )
Helped my boater put a 10.02 pound n the boat during our federation tourney. Prespawn post cold front. Tough bite and hep added another for a total of 12 lbs in the tourney. So little and big I believe the hype. I just haven’t been able to make em work for me yet.
I bought a couple Ned Rigs since so many members spoke highly of this lure and those members where correct. It is now in my top 10 lures to use when I am fishing for smallmouth bass in rivers and creeks.
What are y’all talking about? Those things don’t catch squat and are just a fad. I promise there isn’t a pack of pre cut green pumpkin zinkerz and some 1/16 oz heads in my bag most every time I hit the water...
On 6/4/2019 at 7:01 AM, evilcatfish said:What are y’all talking about? Those things don’t catch squat and are just a fad. I promise there isn’t a pack of pre cut green pumpkin zinkerz and some 1/16 oz heads in my bag most every time I hit the water...
Do half zinkerz have any advantage over standard T.R.Ds?
On 6/4/2019 at 7:53 AM, EGbassing said:Do half zinkerz have any advantage over standard T.R.Ds?
they are cheaper.
they are also softer. I like them in cold water. When dead sticking or retrieving extremely slow they have more action than the TRD.
One drawback of the 1/2 Zinkerz is they wrap around the hook point occasionally.
On 6/4/2019 at 7:53 AM, EGbassing said:Do half zinkerz have any advantage over standard T.R.Ds?
Not performance wise, but price per bait is less. After cutting, you'll get 12 zinkers for the price of 8 trds
I tried it for the first time this weekend. I caught a few on it but I could see where this bait would be a dink magnet.
I do like it though. With the right gear (ML Spinning rod 7"+ in length, 6lb test line, 2500 size reel, and patience), it will catch fish.
On 6/4/2019 at 9:58 AM, FishTank said:I tried it for the first time this weekend. I caught a few on it but I could see where this bait would be a dink magnet.
I do like it though. With the right gear (ML Spinning rod 7"+ in length, 6lb test line, 2500 size reel, and patience), it will catch fish.
You don't need a 7' rod. Think Ned himself uses a 6' rod, perhaps 6'6", but definitely not 7'. You also don't need a size 2500 reel. I read an article from Z-Man I believe where they said panfish sized reels would be even better for the Ned Rig.
I know @Darren. only uses size 1000 reels and short rods for everything and I myself rarely go above 6'6" for anything. Absolutely zero issues.
On 6/4/2019 at 10:18 AM, Glaucus said:You don't need a 7' rod. Think Ned himself uses a 6' rod, perhaps 6'6", but definitely not 7'.
Every time I see him, he's got a pile of rods that appear to be in 6-6.5' range laying in his boat, all rigged with a different Ned rig bait.
I personally use a 6' 10" rod and like it to make a little longer cast, but it isn't a requirement.
On 6/4/2019 at 8:44 AM, evilcatfish said:Not performance wise, but price per bait is less. After cutting, you'll get 12 zinkers for the price of 8 trds
There's also colors available in the ZinkerZ that they don't make in the TRD. Purple Haze is one of my favorites but they don't make it in the TRD, just the ZinkerZ. Dirt is another good one not made in the TRD but available in the ZinkerZ.
On 6/4/2019 at 12:04 PM, Bluebasser86 said:Every time I see him, he's got a pile of rods that appear to be in 6-6.5' range laying in his boat, all rigged with a different Ned rig bait.
I personally use a 6' 10" rod and like it to make a little longer cast, but it isn't a requirement.
There's also colors available in the ZinkerZ that they don't make in the TRD. Purple Haze is one of my favorites but they don't make it in the TRD, just the ZinkerZ. Dirt is another good one not made in the TRD but available in the ZinkerZ.
Is a cut in half Zinker the same size of a normal TRD?
On 6/4/2019 at 12:07 PM, Glaucus said:Is a cut in half Zinker the same size of a normal TRD?
They're 5", a TRD is 2.75". A Zinker also has a bigger (thicker), and smaller (tapered) end. Before the introduction of the TRD (and the myriad of other Zman Ned baits), the 1/2 Zinker was the gold standard Ned rig bait.
I haven't caught the first panfish while ned rigging. Caught largemouth, spots, drum, stocked rainbows, and a few dink channel cats. I've had plenty of bluegills and greenies attack them but can never seem to actually lip one, they just like to nip at the tails.
On 6/4/2019 at 10:18 AM, Glaucus said:I know @Darren. only uses size 1000 reels and short rods for everything and I myself rarely go above 6'6" for anything. Absolutely zero issues.
True dat!
On 6/4/2019 at 12:04 PM, Bluebasser86 said:There's also colors available in the ZinkerZ that they don't make in the TRD. Purple Haze is one of my favorites but they don't make it in the TRD, just the ZinkerZ. Dirt is another good one not made in the TRD but available in the ZinkerZ.
Do they make a black and blue in that?
On 6/4/2019 at 10:18 PM, EGbassing said:Do they make a black and blue in that?
They make a black and blue laminate in the Zinkerz
Awesome rig to have in your arsenal on tough days. It’s definitely skunk repellent!
Here's a list of 10 things I would rather do than throw a Ned rig.
1. Eat my toenails.
2. Listen to "Old Town Road."
3. Roll the kayak in February.
4. Be the guy that follows the parade horses.
5. Eat Taco Bell more than an hour away from home.
6. Get my chest waxed.
7. Wax your chest.
8. Give Texas Rig advice to @RagingOwl
9. Drag a ball and chain.
10. Not throw the Ned rig.
I tried it for the first time on Eufaula in February in really stained water and did better than I expected for the conditions. It didn’t perform quite as well when I went back in May.
I don’t really enjoy using spinning gear so I tend to try other lures I can cast with a baitcaster first.
Zman also makes a skirted Ned jig. Put the trd craw on that and the thing just looks and fishes awesome as well.
On 6/3/2019 at 8:33 AM, EGbassing said:Do the TRD crawz work as well as standard TRDs? I want to try them now.
TRD craws work as advertised. I also Ned with the Biwaa Armored Craw 4” (Floats up in defensive position as well). Best to use the Biwaa when I want to skip a Ned a looong loooong ways...
There one lake around me that guarantees fish when using a Ned Rig and I always tie one on when nothing else works.
On 6/5/2019 at 3:58 AM, FryDog62 said:TRD craws work as advertised. I also Ned with the Biwaa Armored Craw 4” (Floats up in defensive position as well). Best to use the Biwaa when I want to skip a Ned a looong loooong ways...
I bought two packs of the new TRD craws and have yet to catch anything
on them. But boy do they sure look great when hovering in the water
column. Those claws are so enticing. I'm sure they'll start working for
me...
Also, I've been using TRDs for drop shot and man have they been
*killing* it! Becoming my fav drop shot baits.
On 6/5/2019 at 5:14 AM, Darren. said:I bought two packs of the new TRD craws and have yet to catch anything
on them. But boy do they sure look great when hovering in the water
column. Those claws are so enticing. I'm sure they'll start working for
me...
Also, I've been using TRDs for drop shot and man have they been
*killing* it! Becoming my fav drop shot baits.
I want to try this! Nose-hook em?
Anyone have success using the big TRDs?
On 6/5/2019 at 7:02 AM, Dorado said:I want to try this! Nose-hook em?
Yes.
On 6/3/2019 at 5:42 AM, EGbassing said:Do you not like catching fish?
Nope Not at all, especially all them double digits that slime up the deck of that ol skeeter.. Hated every minute of it ????
A buddy of mine started throwing the Ned rig and after I watched him catch a boat full while I hauled a lot of water I decided to give them a try. I am now hooked on the Ned. I like the Zman Crawz a lot too. I have only used them when floating the river but boy do the smallies hammer them. The Bullettz Hooks are odd though. I seem to lose as many as I catch with them but this may be due to operator error. I have a hard time not laying the lumber when I set the hook.
The ned rig has saved me from getting skunked on several occasions. I've also caught a few rainbow trout on one.
I keep looking at them hanging on the peg board but I’m still a hold out. I lose jig heads all the time in rocks so I can’t justify buying indestructible worms. I use hand poured baits that float get the bait to stand up on a jig head. It may not work as well as the ned but it seems to work ok. I just know I would break off well before I caught 100 bass on the same worm.
Try jig heads with less than 1/16th oz. weight and hooks smaller than #1 size as it can reduce hang ups a lot more than you think !
On 6/11/2019 at 2:42 AM, Hillbilly Bennett said:A buddy of mine started throwing the Ned rig and after I watched him catch a boat full while I hauled a lot of water I decided to give them a try. I am now hooked on the Ned. I like the Zman Crawz a lot too. I have only used them when floating the river but boy do the smallies hammer them. The Bullettz Hooks are odd though. I seem to lose as many as I catch with them but this may be due to operator error. I have a hard time not laying the lumber when I set the hook.
Ok, yesterday I got out and waded the same river I mentioned floating in my last post. I hammered them on the Crawz with the Bulletz heads. My hook up and landing ratio was nearly perfect on the Bulletz. I just had to slow down with my hookset and sweep it instead of my normal “lay the lumber to it” set. The river smallies around here absolutely LOVE the crawz.
On 6/2/2019 at 9:25 PM, clh121787 said:Never fished it. And have no desire to do so.
On 6/4/2019 at 11:49 PM, Hook2Jaw said:Here's a list of 10 things I would rather do than throw a Ned rig.
1. Eat my toenails.
2. Listen to "Old Town Road."
3. Roll the kayak in February.
4. Be the guy that follows the parade horses.
5. Eat Taco Bell more than an hour away from home.
6. Get my chest waxed.
7. Wax your chest.
8. Give Texas Rig advice to @RagingOwl
9. Drag a ball and chain.
10. Not throw the Ned rig.
On 6/10/2019 at 5:49 PM, clh121787 said:Nope Not at all, especially all them double digits that slime up the deck of that ol skeeter.. Hated every minute of it ????
I don't understand why some guys sip the haterade.
If you are slaying fish and have no need for the ned rig then you might be a bit more grateful about that fact. Some of us go out for hours on end and don't get a bite. The ned rig has saved the day for many of us many times.
Working all week, looking forward to a few hours on the water, dreaming about slaying em, then when the time comes you grind away for 8 hours without a bite starts to wear on a person.
I'd throw a wacky rigged rubik's cube if I thought it would get me bit. Be grateful you have a fishery where you don't have to feel like that.
On 6/11/2019 at 2:42 AM, Hillbilly Bennett said:A buddy of mine started throwing the Ned rig and after I watched him catch a boat full while I hauled a lot of water I decided to give them a try. I am now hooked on the Ned. I like the Zman Crawz a lot too. I have only used them when floating the river but boy do the smallies hammer them. The Bullettz Hooks are odd though. I seem to lose as many as I catch with them but this may be due to operator error. I have a hard time not laying the lumber when I set the hook.
I also had trouble hooking fish on the Bulletz hook/ CrawZ until I swapped to a medium rod. I just tighten up the line a wrist snap the hookset. Since figuring that out I've had several 40 fish days.
I always have one tied on ????
I have a dedicated Ned rod with me at all times, and I pour my own bismuth jig heads. Lead is illegal in my state, and I find the bismuth jigs fall slower than lead anyway, which is how I catch a lot of my fish on Neds.
On 7/8/2019 at 1:07 AM, TheRodFather said:
I don't understand why some guys sip the haterade.
If you are slaying fish and have no need for the ned rig then you might be a bit more grateful about that fact. Some of us go out for hours on end and don't get a bite. The ned rig has saved the day for many of us many times.
Working all week, looking forward to a few hours on the water, dreaming about slaying em, then when the time comes you grind away for 8 hours without a bite starts to wear on a person.
I'd throw a wacky rigged rubik's cube if I thought it would get me bit. Be grateful you have a fishery where you don't have to feel like that.
I'll let you in on a secret!
I do throw the Ned, but don't enjoy it very much. I was just joking for the people who dislike it as much as I.
On 6/11/2019 at 10:01 PM, TnRiver46 said:I keep looking at them hanging on the peg board but I’m still a hold out. I lose jig heads all the time in rocks so I can’t justify buying indestructible worms. I use hand poured baits that float get the bait to stand up on a jig head. It may not work as well as the ned but it seems to work ok. I just know I would break off well before I caught 100 bass on the same worm.
100 bass? I am happy most of the time if I get 2 fish out of a worm...
On 7/8/2019 at 1:07 AM, TheRodFather said:
I don't understand why some guys sip the haterade.
If you are slaying fish and have no need for the ned rig then you might be a bit more grateful about that fact. Some of us go out for hours on end and don't get a bite. The ned rig has saved the day for many of us many times.
Working all week, looking forward to a few hours on the water, dreaming about slaying em, then when the time comes you grind away for 8 hours without a bite starts to wear on a person.
I'd throw a wacky rigged rubik's cube if I thought it would get me bit. Be grateful you have a fishery where you don't have to feel like that.
that got emotional! i appreciate your passion for the mighty ned rig! No hate here, its all in fun. i vow if ever I buy a spinning set up the first lure to throw will be the day saving, game changer, ned rig. in your honor! and probably dig past all my shakey head stuff to rig it up
On 7/8/2019 at 11:30 PM, PourMyOwn said:I have a dedicated Ned rod with me at all times, and I pour my own bismuth jig heads. Lead is illegal in my state, and I find the bismuth jigs fall slower than lead anyway, which is how I catch a lot of my fish on Neds.
That's actually pretty interesting. Are bismuth jig heads even marketed anywhere? People use tungsten as an alternative to lead, parly for a faster fall-rate. But for stuff like Ned Rigs and even ball & grub, you'd really want a slower rate.
To my knowledge they aren't on the market. I have seen some tin jigs for sale, but nothing I would throw. Mine are the bismuth/tin mix that rotometals sells.
On 6/11/2019 at 10:01 PM, TnRiver46 said:I keep looking at them hanging on the peg board but I’m still a hold out. I lose jig heads all the time in rocks so I can’t justify buying indestructible worms. I use hand poured baits that float get the bait to stand up on a jig head. It may not work as well as the ned but it seems to work ok. I just know I would break off well before I caught 100 bass on the same worm.
I'm on the same bag of PB&J Zinkers I bought a year and a half ago. I've caught well over 100 fish on the same head and worm by supergluing it to the head. That Elaztec just keeps on catching them.
On 7/11/2019 at 11:53 PM, moguy1973 said:I'm on the same bag of PB&J Zinkers I bought a year and a half ago. I've caught well over 100 fish on the same head and worm by supergluing it to the head. That Elaztec just keeps on catching them.
I just don't have any water in my area where you can catch a dozen fish on the same hook if you're fishing the bottom , much less 100
I liked the Ned rig but I recently got on the Neko Rig train and it has since replaced my Ned rigs. More versatile in my opinion and you can use bigger plastics and more variety of plastics as well.
But no question Ned rigs catch fish.
On 7/12/2019 at 4:38 AM, drscholl14 said:I liked the Ned rig but I recently got on the Neko Rig train and it has since replaced my Ned rigs. More versatile in my opinion and you can use bigger plastics and more variety of plastics as well.
But no question Ned rigs catch fish.
The entire premise of the Ned Rig revolves around swimming that specific small bait.
It's not supposed to be versatile, nor does it need to be.
Neko Rig is more of a vertical presentation.
Both get bit - but not the same.
A-Jay
On 7/12/2019 at 6:38 AM, A-Jay said:The entire premise of the Neg Rig revolves around swimming that specific small bait.
It's not supposed to be versatile, nor does it need to be.
Neko Rig is more of a vertical presentation.
Both get bit - but not the same.
A-Jay
Really.....I've always used it casting it out, shallow or deep, letting it fall, shaking or hopping it just like a wacky rig and letting it fall again. Get's hit on the fall 90% of the time. That's what read and watched. Fill me in on swimming a neko. I'd like to see what that generates.
On 7/12/2019 at 6:45 AM, drscholl14 said:Really.....I've always used it casting it out, shallow or deep, letting it fall, shaking or hopping it just like a wacky rig and letting it fall again. Get's hit on the fall 90% of the time. That's what read and watched. Fill me in on swimming a neko. I'd like to see what that generates.
Read my post again.
A-Jay
On 7/12/2019 at 6:48 AM, A-Jay said:Read my post again.
A-Jay
ugh.....My fault....there's my loss of the day.....
On 7/12/2019 at 6:52 AM, drscholl14 said:ugh.....My fault....there's my loss of the day.....
No one ever loses on BR ~
When we share - we all win !
A-Jay
When the Ned rig was first introduced as the Midwest finesse rig named named after Ned I thought it would fade quickly. I was wrong. The reason I thought it would fade wasn't what you may think it was because to fish the Ned rig effectively you needed specific finnese spinning tackle typically associated with western finesse presentations.
My first impression was the Ned rig is very similar to a dart head jig finesse curl tail worm that you need light line and spinning tackle to present the lure with and the Ned rig worm doesn't have any action of it's own.
When Roboworm came out with a Ned worm I had to try it out and to my surprise it worked very well catching more 2 lb to 3 lb bass then my dart jigs did that averaged 1 3/4 to 2 lbs.
Ned rig is easy for western bass angler to adopt because we already have the tackle but nearly everywhere else anglers had to go out and buy tackle and they did!
What the Ned rig has done was introduce more bass anglers to light tackle bass fishing and that is a good thing.
The Neko rig on the other hand isn't any different then a nail weight rig worm that has been renamed.
Tom
On 7/12/2019 at 7:11 AM, WRB said:...When Roboworm came out with a Ned worm I had to try it out and to my surprise it worked very well catching more 2 lb to 3 lb bass then my dart jigs did that averaged 1 3/4 to 2 lbs...
...What the Ned rig has done was introduce more bass anglers to light tackle bass fishing and that is a good thing...
That first part is great to hear, I figured if you of all people gave the Ned rig a fair shot, you would see the results. Your experience with both jig fishing and West Coast finesse tactics made me think the Ned rig would fit right in your wheel house.
If you haven't tried any of the ZMan products, especially the TRD, give that a try as well. Roboworm has some unique colors that I like, however using elasticel baits often enhances Ned rig results compared to normal plastics.
I agree with your take on introducing more anglers to lighter tackle. It makes catching 2-3 lb fish more enjoyable if the conditions (amount of cover) allow it. No horsing the fish, we get to see how well a solid keeper fights given a fair chance.