Weedless Ned Rig 2024

Weedless reply :

I saw some Ned rig jig head hooks with a weed guard on but there is nothing better then putting the hook inside the plastic. I found these, but I am concerned with the hook set and if a bass could shake it a little easier....anyone have any experience with these? Is there any other alternatives?

Nedrigweedless.jpg.b3a4e97c0f96d83bbfc8b1b6947373e0.jpg

https://www.ebay.com/i/232586002629?chn=ps

Munkin reply :

Looks like a lot of lost fish to me.

Allen

Turtle135 reply :

One option is the Owner Ultrahead Finesse Ball Head (1/16oz Hook Size 1). It is a ball head but a TRD will stand up on end (once you stretch it and get the salt out of the elaztech).

fishwizzard reply :

I have almost bought those jigs a dozen times, but I feel like that hook is gonna bend/break pretty easily.

In my quest for a weedless

Ned I have setted on the Owner Ultra Head and the Decoy Nail Bomb jigheads as the best options. They each have their pros/cons and both give a worse hookup ratio then an open hook, but for river fishing I still use them.

Darren. reply :

The way the hook bends upward gives me pause.

I like the idea, though.

For me, I just tie my own weedguards on Zman

Ned rig jigheads, or I buy their version with the

wire guard.

Weedless reply :

I was looking into something like this. The one on the left will stand at a 45 degree, and the right will stand at a 60 degree...I know the original ned stands straight up which kinda looks like a feeding bait fish, but wouldnt a feeding baitfish be at a slight angle?? By no means am I trying to reinvent the proven ned and I know this would catch fish too, but what are your thoughts?

Im likeing the 60 degree one on the right but it doesnt have the EWG.....

https://dirtyjigstackle.com/products.php?cat=94

Turtle135 reply :

On 2/1/2018 at 10:42 PM, Weedless said:

I was looking into something like this. The one on the left will stand at a 45 degree, and the right will stand at a 60 degree...I know the original ned stands straight up which kinda looks like a feeding bait fish, but wouldnt a feeding baitfish be at a slight angle?? By no means am I trying to reinvent the proven ned and I know this would catch fish too, but what are your thoughts?

I think the hooks on those might be too big.

fishwizzard reply :

If you are looking to stand a lure off the bottom, I don't feel like the Ned is the best way to go. I would go for a longer plastic and a heavier head to keep in on the bottom.

Choporoz reply :

Funny....I haven't had a strong urge to use weedless ned heads. I fish some extraordinarily woody water....and I hang a lot of lures (don't even ask about blade baits) but I don't hang neds as much as I worried I would. Now, I don't throw them into thick cover far from the boat.....but it seems that the 'gentle', mostly up and down presentation keeps the points from getting buried in wood a lot better than I expected.

Team9nine reply :

If I ever have to use more than the single strand guards some customs are being built with, then I figure I need to use something other than "Ned" as the appropriate bait. To date, I've never even used the single strand guard heads and not really planning to, but carry some just in case. That's just me, though.

Scott F reply :

I’ve found the Z-Man weedless jig heads are very effective. My hooking percentage is very good, and they come through branches without hanging up. I use straight braid and the line does get wrapped around the twisted wire strands of the weed guard. Those jig heads in the original post would get tossed by smallie on the first head shake.

Those stand up jig heads pictured above are much heavier than I like to use.

cgolf reply :

While they have a 3/0 hook so I am no longer fishing a ned rig, I have had great success pairing a TRD or 1/2 Zinkerz with a slider spider head. Has worked really well especially fishing docks for me.

Weedless reply :

On 2/2/2018 at 12:35 AM, cgolf said:

While they have a 3/0 hook so I am no longer fishing a ned rig, I have had great success pairing a TRD or 1/2 Zinkerz with a slider spider head. Has worked really well especially fishing docks for me.

Sorry, not sure what you mean. You hate 3/0 size hooks??

1201vilbig reply :

I really like the ones Seibert does with the Owner hooks. If I need weedless, I take a piece of 50# mono & super glue one end behind the jig head & curve it over the hook & stick it in the bait behind the hook. Then I pull it out, add a drop of glue & stick it back. It will last as long as the bait does.

Turtle135 reply :

On 2/2/2018 at 12:44 AM, 1201vilbig said:

I really like the ones Seibert does with the Owner hooks. If I need weedless, I take a piece of 50# mono & super glue one end behind the jig head & curve it over the hook & stick it in the bait behind the hook. Then I pull it out, add a drop of glue & stick it back. It will last as long as the bait does.

Is that the "Morel"? I just got 40 of those in from Siebert. Have not had a chance to use them yet.

cgolf reply :

On 2/2/2018 at 12:38 AM, Weedless said:

Sorry, not sure what you mean. You hate 3/0 size hooks??

No I like the 3/0 hooks, but a Ned rig purist will say that the hook is to large to meet the definition of a Ned rig. I am very careful now When I discuss this rigging to not call it a Ned rig, or someone else will for me;)

fishwizzard reply :

The Moral hooks are a good quality example of the new-ish MWF mold, but I still mantain that the hooks are too big and heavy (in weight) to be "ideal".

I thought I had one around for reference, but I guess I have used up the ones that I bought to try. In anycase, below are some examples of assorted Ned heads;

From top to bottom they are;

1. Zman Head, 1/15oz, the new style. IIRC it is a #1 hook. It weighs in at .091oz

2. Zman Head, 1/15oz, the old style. IIRC it is a #1 hook. It weighs in at .072oz

3. Zman Head, 1/20oz, the old style. IIRC it is a #1 hook. It weighs in at .059oz

4. Gopher Head, 1/16oz, #2 hook. It weighs in at .053oz.

5. eBay Head, 1/16oz, from the MWF Mold, #4 hook. It weighs in at .064oz.

If we are to take the old Gopher heads as the "gold standard", then the old style Zman in 1/20 is the closest in size and weight. I wish I had a Morel Head (amazing name btw) to weigh, but my memory is that they are almost 1/8oz, so around .09-.125oz. I strongly feel that if you are fishing the Ned with the standard retrieves you are best served with as light a head with as small a hook as you can get away with. I use the "crank crank glide" retrieve maybe 90% of the time and the heavier heads will stop and fall instead of keeping forward momentum and gliding to the bottom like they will with the lighter heads.

At the end of the day it might be angels dancing on the head of a pin, but I like to get a little fussy about things.

fishwizzard reply :

Here are some weedless heads. I use these almost exclusively when fishing in current, so my observations are all based on that.

1. Owner Ultra Head, 1/16oz, #1 hook. It weighs in at .078oz

2. Decoy Nailbomb Head, 1/16, #1 hook. It weighs in at .059oz

3. Slider Pro Head, 1/16, 3/0 hook. It weighs in at .059oz.

Firstly, it is surprising how little the Slider hook weighs compared to the other too, but steel is so much lighter than lead, and the Owner head has a larger ball on it then the others. I bounce back between the Owner and the Decoy, depending on the current and wind. The Owner seems to get slightly better hookups and casts better, but the Decoy holds the plastic better and seems to snag a lot less, I assume because the hook is closer into the lure and gets hit less often in current.

@cgolf, if you like the TRD on the Slider head, give the Hula Stick a try on there. The extra inch gives it a little more wiggle on the fall and seems to slow it down as well. The tentacles don't really have much movement, but if you slit the plastic maybe 1/2" back it will quiver nicely.

cgolf reply :

On 2/2/2018 at 2:28 AM, fishwizzard said:

Here are some weedless heads. I use these almost exclusively when fishing in current, so my observations are all based on that.

1. Owner Ultra Head, 1/16oz, #1 hook. It weighs in at .078oz

2. Decoy Nailbomb Head, 1/16, #1 hook. It weighs in at .059oz

3. Slider Pro Head, 1/16, 3/0 hook. It weighs in at .059oz.

Firstly, it is surprising how little the Slider hook weighs compared to the other too, but steel is so much lighter than lead, and the Owner head has a larger ball on it then the others. I bounce back between the Owner and the Decoy, depending on the current and wind. The Owner seems to get slightly better hookups and casts better, but the Decoy holds the plastic better and seems to snag a lot less, I assume because the hook is closer into the lure and gets hit less often in current.

@cgolf, if you like the TRD on the Slider head, give the Hula Stick a try on there. The extra inch gives it a little more wiggle on the fall and seems to slow it down as well. The tentacles don't really have much movement, but if you slit the plastic maybe 1/2" back it will quiver nicely.

Where do you find that slider heads are not lead? Looking at the unpainted versions, it definitely looks like lead? It would be great if they weren't, but I was under the impression that they are lead.

I do actually like the small size of the standard ned rig bait, but have played around a bit with the big trds. I always find that I come back to the smaller version.

fishwizzard reply :

On 2/2/2018 at 2:37 AM, cgolf said:

Where do you find that slider heads are not lead? Looking at the unpainted versions, it definitely looks like lead? It would be great if they weren't, but I was under the impression that they are lead.

Oh no, I meant that the Slider heads have a large steel hook with relatively little lead on it while the Owners have a smaller hook with relatively more lead on them, thus the greater total weight even though by looking at them, one would assume the Slider weighs more.

Now, if you want a lead-free Ned head, I have found some on eBay poured from a tin/bismuth metal. They use the 3/16oz cavity on the MWF mold but weigh in at .081oz. I am not a huge fan of the hooks they come with, but I bought some for use in a lead-ban lake that I fish. The lake is closed for the winter, so I have not tried them yet.

Paul Roberts reply :

I fish "Ned's" as nearly an UL finesse presentation. Rarely over 1/16oz. So they don't tend to hang in vegetation much. Wood is another story. Lotsa good ideas here. I esp like the recessed line tie on the Ultrahead. I've not used them but don't think the low line tie angle would cause retrieve issues as grubs are terribly unstable. Plus they're fished pretty slowly.

Despite the fact that the ElaZtech can stand up, I catch plenty up in the water column. I could be mistaken but I think Kehde fishes them mostly that way too. Hey, they just work -"Senko" like.

As to the OP's jig heads in question: It's tough to tell by the photo angle. What counts most is the angle of pull off the line tie. If it is close to in line with the point -and it does look that way- then it should be fine. Give em a shot and find out.

1201vilbig reply :

On 2/2/2018 at 1:19 AM, Turtle135 said:

Is that the "Morel"? I just got 40 of those in from Siebert. Have not had a chance to use them yet.

That's them. Great for the "rig".

IndianaFinesse reply :

First off, looks like you should maybe get into slider fishing, cause that's kind of what that's leaning towards. It's effective and has a good weedless option. Second, how much space does that big, heavy hook leave for the plastic to have that subtle shimmy? Not much. IMO, most of the time using a smaller hook and a lighter weight will solve most snagging problems, and if you need more than that, choose a different presentation.

cgolf reply :

On 2/2/2018 at 7:31 AM, IndianaFinesse said:

First off, looks like you should maybe get into slider fishing, cause that's kind of what that's leaning towards. It's effective and has a good weedless option. Second, how much space does that big, heavy hook leave for the plastic to have that subtle shimmy? Not much. IMO, most of the time using a smaller hook and a lighter weight will solve most snagging problems, and if you need more than that, choose a different presentation.

I have agreed with you a decent amount on the Midwest finesse Ned rig thing, but in this case I disagree. I jokingly call the slider spider head and 1/2 Zinkerz a sled rig combining the two since the retrieves share some similarities. While it is true there isn't as much bait behind the hook as when I use my gopher heads, this rig really works well. Sometimes bass are looking for a smaller bait, especially fishing high pressured weedy waters where the fish have probably seen most larger plastics pitched at them already.

Munkin reply :

I can say that Owner heads have a lot of tin or bizmith in them which is why they stay shiny.

Allen

fishwizzard reply :

On 2/2/2018 at 11:32 AM, cgolf said:

I have agreed with you a decent amount on the Midwest finesse Ned rig thing, but in this case I disagree. I jokingly call the slider spider head and 1/2 Zinkerz a sled rig combining the two since the retrieves share some similarities.

You have got me interested. You said you fish them around/under docks, are you skipping them under and then letting them glide down? I really like the Ned as a skipping lure. It does really put the hurt on the jig->plastic connection on a normal head though, I bet the long shank of the Slider holds them pretty well.

A lot of the rivers by me are in not great shape with long silty flats with little cover or structure, other then the odd rock/boulder. When wading, they are a fish-scarce pain to wade through, but I have found that by skipping a Ned along the surface upstream and alongside one of the isolated rocks is a great way to summon up either a smallie or a fierce red breast. I feel like the skipping and then the dead drift back down stream is irresistible.

WRB reply :

On 2/1/2018 at 9:43 PM, Weedless said:

I saw some Ned rig jig head hooks with a weed guard on but there is nothing better then putting the hook inside the plastic. I found these, but I am concerned with the hook set and if a bass could shake it a little easier....anyone have any experience with these? Is there any other alternatives?

https://www.ebay.com/i/232586002629?chn=ps

Home bent hooks! Those are some of the worst hooks I have seen, avoid those!

All you need to do with exposed jig hook is use a dental rubber band under the jig hook eye and stretched under the hook barb.

Tom

Bluebasser86 reply :

Not a chance I'd try those things. In a normal fishing situation, if a hook gets bent that badly, I'm throwing it out because it's now much weaker than it was originally. When the hook was a light wire hook to start with and then severely weakened, not a good combination.

cgolf reply :

On 2/2/2018 at 1:46 PM, fishwizzard said:

You have got me interested. You said you fish them around/under docks, are you skipping them under and then letting them glide down? I really like the Ned as a skipping lure. It does really put the hurt on the jig->plastic connection on a normal head though, I bet the long shank of the Slider holds them pretty well.

A lot of the rivers by me are in not great shape with long silty flats with little cover or structure, other then the odd rock/boulder. When wading, they are a fish-scarce pain to wade through, but I have found that by skipping a Ned along the surface upstream and alongside one of the isolated rocks is a great way to summon up either a smallie or a fierce red breast. I feel like the skipping and then the dead drift back down stream is irresistible.

I generally let them glide down, as the front of my boat doesn't really allow me to do a low skip cast. I generally pick at the edges and just a bit under the edges on the docks. If you can skip them under there it would work great. I just started doing it because I like to throw a style of lures in places others don't, thinking it will get me more bites.

I have also fished them around other vertical cover like reeds by casting them, letting them sink, generally to the bottom, and then starting my retrieve. Here I use the gopher head, but may have to use a heavier head if the wind kicks up to keep the bait on target and not getting blown off the cover. I do start with a lighter head when I can.

I love the traditional Ned rig on the river, it really shines there, I just never let it be on slack line after deep hooking a fish once fishing that way.

Oregon Native reply :

My buddy and I make these for the TRD's and other small baits. Not a fan of the #2 hooks and such so pour these on 1/0 black nickle mustads. 32760 I believe. Have worked really well...Only use a couple...four on bigger heads of fiber jig weedguards.

Tight Lines

Arlo Smithereen reply :

On 2/2/2018 at 2:17 AM, cgolf said:

No I like the 3/0 hooks, but a Ned rig purist will say that the hook is to large to meet the definition of a Ned rig. I am very careful now When I discuss this rigging to not call it a Ned rig, or someone else will for me;)

A Ned rig purist.....now that's some funny stuff right there.

Weedless reply :

On 2/2/2018 at 2:17 PM, WRB said:

All you need to do with exposed jig hook is use a dental rubber band under the jig hook eye and stretched under the hook barb.

My good ol Banjo Minnow (VHS era) introduced me to the rubber band trick! The gum band worked ok, but they dry rotted quickly.

p.s. The ol Banjo was a pond killer! "SPASTIC-ACTION!!!"

Iluvsmallies reply :

What do you guys think about this?

fishwizzard reply :

How did you get the coil keeper into the trd? Heat?

Bass_Fishing_Socal reply :

On 2/6/2018 at 10:05 AM, Iluvsmallies said:

What do you guys think about this?

Look good but if you change the weight to foot ball swinging jig, you might get more action when drag.

Weedless reply :

Will that stand up? I feel like since it is swinging, the bullet weight will lay on its side and the TRD will follow....also, I think another effective characteristic of the NED is the flat jig head will tend to slide on its own with the current, not sure if that bullet weight will do that. However, that rig might work even better!! Let us know.

Iluvsmallies reply :

I was thinking about pegging it down the line a little bit... I will just have to test it

On 2/6/2018 at 10:57 AM, fishwizzard said:

How did you get the coil keeper into the trd? Heat?

I heated it just a little

d-camarena reply :

Have you guys tried the owner ultrahead finesse ball head hooks? Thats mostly what i use now. I really recommend them and ther come in a size 1 that is perfect for the trd or 3 inch senkos.

Bass_Fishing_Socal reply :

I just ordered this one to try out. I plan to switch the hook to #1 Roboworm rebarb hook to make it weedless.

http://www.tacklewarehouse.com/Freedom_Tackle_Zodiac_Ultra_Light_Hybrid_Jig_2pk/descpage-FREEZUL.html

tander reply :

I used these for the past 2 years, although not completely weedless, they work pretty well.

contium reply :

On 2/2/2018 at 2:18 AM, fishwizzard said:

The Moral hooks are a good quality example of the new-ish MWF mold, but I still mantain that the hooks are too big and heavy (in weight) to be "ideal".

I thought I had one around for reference, but I guess I have used up the ones that I bought to try. In anycase, below are some examples of assorted Ned heads;

From top to bottom they are;

1. Zman Head, 1/15oz, the new style. IIRC it is a #1 hook. It weighs in at .091oz

2. Zman Head, 1/15oz, the old style. IIRC it is a #1 hook. It weighs in at .072oz

3. Zman Head, 1/20oz, the old style. IIRC it is a #1 hook. It weighs in at .059oz

4. Gopher Head, 1/16oz, #2 hook. It weighs in at .053oz.

5. eBay Head, 1/16oz, from the MWF Mold, #4 hook. It weighs in at .064oz.

If we are to take the old Gopher heads as the "gold standard", then the old style Zman in 1/20 is the closest in size and weight. I wish I had a Morel Head (amazing name btw) to weigh, but my memory is that they are almost 1/8oz, so around .09-.125oz. I strongly feel that if you are fishing the Ned with the standard retrieves you are best served with as light a head with as small a hook as you can get away with. I use the "crank crank glide" retrieve maybe 90% of the time and the heavier heads will stop and fall instead of keeping forward momentum and gliding to the bottom like they will with the lighter heads.

At the end of the day it might be angels dancing on the head of a pin, but I like to get a little fussy about things.

What color is the top bait?

mattkenzer reply :

On 2/2/2018 at 2:17 PM, WRB said:

Home bent hooks! Those are some of the worst hooks I have seen, avoid those!

All you need to do with exposed jig hook is use a dental rubber band under the jig hook eye and stretched under the hook barb.

Tom

Ok Tom ..... Rubber Band? This i have never seen or tried .... you know us Canadians are many years behind.

Google search it is.

WRB reply :

On 2/8/2018 at 4:05 AM, mattkenzer said:

Ok Tom ..... Rubber Band? This i have never seen or tried .... you know us Canadians are many years behind.

Google search it is.

This dates back into the 70's using ball and dart head jigs with exposed hooks.

The rubber bands are denture bands that come a verity of colotr and sizes.

Tom

Team9nine reply :

Not the greatest video, but just one example, as there are a couple ways to hook the band up:

https://youtube.com/watch?v=yp-s_TLDkDw

fishwizzard reply :

On 2/8/2018 at 3:16 AM, contium said:

What color is the top bait?

It's a newer one called "Drew's Craw".

I have not even fished it yet, but it is going to replace The Deal/Mudminnow as my "Natural" color. I cannot resist chartreuse/copper flake.

Z-Man and Roboworm are neck and neck with colors that make me buy them.

mattkenzer reply :

Thank you for the explanation Tom.

Thank you for the video Team9nine.

I have a couple techniques that may just get this modification.

moguy1973 reply :

Personally I've tried to Texas rig a Ned to keep it more snagless but it seems that burying the hook into the plastic really kills its action in the water. It loses it's wiggle that it has when rigged on a smaller lightweight hook. So i go back to rigging the standard way. I don't really lose many Ned rigs to snags, and if I do get snagged on a log or tree the hooks bend out pretty easily and I can usually get it back.

RyanS69 reply :

I am looking for just the hook here. I'd like to make my own but am having a hell if a time finding them anywhere. Anyone able to guide me in the right direction?

Darren. reply :

On 11/7/2019 at 8:53 AM, RyanS69 said:

I am looking for just the hook here. I'd like to make my own but am having a hell if a time finding them anywhere. Anyone able to guide me in the right direction?

Welcome aboard!

Which hook do you mean, considering there are several pictured

above?

CrankFate reply :

I fish it weedless. Sometimes there’s no choice. Or I’ll T-Rig a weedless Ned style worm on a smaller worm hook. I switched to weedless ned a lot because my hooks can get destroyed in the rocks sometimes.

Bass_Fishing_Socal reply :

I just tried out new Ned hook from eagle craw.

It can be weedless or regular exposed hook. Just like Morel jig head, the hook start to come loose from lead after awhile. It is no big deal, if you don’t use super glue. Also the hook is not as brittle as Zman, pretty soft and bend easily.