Toss a light Ned rig toward the fracas and let it fall to the clean-up crew.
April 24, 2021
By David A. Brown
The Ned rig delivers big results in a compact package. The system has Midwestern roots (Ned would be Ned Kehde; search him at www.in-fisherman.com ) but Florida anglers will recognize some local applications. Rigging a stumpy worm like the Z-Man Finesse TRD , a 3-inch Yamamoto Senko or a Big Bite Baits Limit Maker on a mushroom-style jig head does a fine job of mimicking a bream, crawfish or shad, depending on where you fish it and your choice of bait color.
Variations on a theme, from left: Big Bite Baits Limit Maker 3.75-inch worm on mushroom-style jig head; weedless variation of same; Texas-rigged; drop-shot (sinker rigged below bait); Carolina rig. In its standard form, the Ned rig is a good choice when cold fronts or heavy fishing pressure turn the bite tough; but it can also be a great clean-up bait when your primary flipping/pitching deal wanes. In its standard open-hook form, the Ned rig performs well for skipping under docks , pestering bed fish, or bumping around natural or manmade rock.
When bass target bream beds shortly after their own spawn, the Ned rig gives them a different look from the topwaters , jerkbaits and other lures they're used to seeing during this period. Likewise, the fall feeding frenzy will find bass ravaging bait schools in nearly round-the-clock feeding. Such assaults leave wounded baitfish fluttering to the bottom where bigger, savvy bass often wait for the easy bites. Toss a light Ned rig (1/16-ounce) toward the fracas and let it fall to the clean-up crew.
How about some other applications for Ned Rigs: Shaky Head Worm Rig
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The easiest option, a mushroom-style jig head on bottom, although rigged weedless on top is a better choice in heavy cover. Fishing the standard Ned rig around snaggy docks, riprap, reeds, and timber poses a challenge. Rig up weedless on a screw-in shaky head to present a similar look without the liability.
Weedless Worm Rig
Weedless is the way to go to stay stress-free. While the open-hook Ned Rig can certainly work for bedding bass , a weedless arrangement offers a more efficient choice when bass tuck deep into the cover or under a laydown tree. The Ned style worms boast sufficient body for a 2/0 hook and fitting the rig with the appropriate size weight allows you to probe any depth. Try different weights to determine the fall rate that's triggering the fish.
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Nope, not Ned. Michael Neal, a Tennessean, scores a catch on a weedless derivative of the Ned (Kehde) Rig. The main benefit of this compact flipping/pitching rig is the proximity of hook to bass mouth. Often, bedding fish care far less about feeding than they do about running off all the riffraff. That results in a lot of noncommittal bites in which the fish simply grabs enough of the intruder to drag it out of the nest. With standard Texas rigs , the fish may never even have the hook in its mouth, but sling a properly-equipped Ned worm into the danger zone and a bass has no choice but to grab the entire deal.
Dropshot Worm Rig
Drop without getting caught in the weeds. Nothing fancy here, but we can't exclude a dropshot, as this vertical presentation offers the tantalizing image of an intruding bream for protective spawners . Other uses include dropping to brush piles or submerged stumps, targeting sluggish post-front fish and “video gaming” — dropping to offshore fish following summer bait schools in deeper water.
It's a Drag
Not your typical Carolina rig bait , but give the Ned worms a chance to complement those lizards and big ribbontails. Bridge pilings, flood control canals, storm drains; anywhere you find displaced or disoriented baitfish, dragging a Ned worm on a 2- to 2 1/2-foot leader puts on a convincing show.
You might also keep this rig handy during spring shad spawns . While most of the activity occurs at daybreak near the surface and you're catching them spinnerbaits, bladed jigs and swimbaits; the action diminishes with sun ascension. But the bass don't simply disappear; in fact, they're usually suckers for mid-depth to bottom presentations right below the area where the shad spawn recently raged. Drag a shad-colored Ned worm through such areas and you may score a couple of bonus fish. FS
Florida Sportsman Magazine March 2019