Technique Breakdown: The Ned Rig

October 4, 2022

By Bryan Kidd

Edited by Graham Purcell

The Ned rig. Love it or hate it, it’s not going away. I have personally been throwing it for years now and have caught tons of fish on it. The presentation is fantastic especially when the bite gets tough. I want to take this opportunity to explore a little more in depth the how’s and why’s of what I do with the rig to maximize its efficiency.

The Presentation

When I say a Ned rig, I mean the traditional rig with smaller weights (1/10 – 1/8 oz.) I run baits in the 2.5-3” range. This is not to say that the larger baits and weights don’t catch, they most definitely do. I generally find that the larger offerings are more in line with shaky head fishing than they are with a “True” Ned presentation.

 If you want to get a small history lesson on the origins of this goofy little rig, check out this clip from Andrew Hayes interview with Ned Kehde on Tackle Talk Bass Fishing Podcast.

Presenting the bait really depends on the season. You can play around and put together a real productive pattern throughout the year with this technique, but this is what has worked best for me.

• Spring: Pre-spawn I will stay offshore and target staging areas. As bass are moving up, I will follow them and try to identify what stops they’re making. As they move up, they’ll generally pit stop on spots as they move shallower to begin spawning. This can vary by water and year.I will follow them from their deep haunts to the first ledge (if available) then from there to any hard targets between the deep and their typical spawning grounds. Rock or wood are great targets as they warm up a bit faster in the spring and can act as staging areas for the bass. 
  • Targeting these areas with the Ned rig, I will normally use a somewhat more aggressive approach than you’d expect. If you’re familiar with the “tube cracking” technique, I will do the same thing with the Ned. If that is not working, I will go to a lift and fall pattern
  • As bass move onto beds the Ned can be employed again as a bed bait. This is hit or miss as some people are against bed fishing in general.
  • Post spawn is back to the relatable cover around the spawning areas.
• Summer: Summertime Ned fishing can be read productive and it’s this time of year that you can really save a day with the bait. I will work shoreline cover and anywhere I have identified bait fish with the Ned. It is particularly good around grass lines and brush piles where other anglers may not be comfortable putting the bait most times. Docks are a great place for Neds in the summer. I will typically target the pilings on the outside edges with it or target the tie off or marker pilings typically found around the docks. 
• Fall: During the fall I will look for schools of bass. The Ned can be skipped around schooling fish and give the appearance of a fleeing bait fish. Likewise, the bait can be dropped on the outside edges of the schools to appear as an injured baitfish for the often-larger bass that are more opportunistically waiting on easy prey to come down to them. When not targeting schools, I will look for isolated cover on flats adjacent to deeper water and work them with the same cracking technique I used in the springtime. Check out my write up on the four techniques I focus on this time of year here.
• Winter: Time for dead sticking. You can put together a productive pattern in the winter but as with a lot of other techniques, it will be slow. I will target slightly off-color water that may have a little more warmth to it or I will follow the deeper structure and dead stick it around any fish I have identified on my electronics. This is a time of year where the electronics really pay off.

The Gear

• Rod: I’ve been through a lot of rods and reels with this technique and have found that the length of the rod, to me, is less important than the action. I typically use rods in the 6’6″-7’1″ range. My current favorite is the NRX+ 821 NRR (A similar taper is also made in the IMX-Pro series). The rod needs to have a lively tip that allows you to load and cast the bait effectively. It also needs to be fast enough that you can snap the bait and shake it without losing power or sensitivity. The NRX+ has the perfect blend of tip action that shuts off into the backbone to effectively cast and work the bait. 
  • Other fantastic rod options from my experience:
    • 802S JWR G. Loomis GCX, IMX-Pro, GLX, or NRX+
      • This is a great taper for neds and you will get what you expect as you move up through the different series that G. Loomis offers.
    • 702SF Dobyns Fury, Sierra, Champion XP, or Champion Extreme HP
      • My personal favorite Dobyns rods for this technique over the past few years may surprise you, but the Fury or Sierra have offered amazing performance at an entry level price.
    • The 6’10” or 7’2″ ML Shimano Expride B 
      • It is no secret that the Shimano Expride punches up at higher end price points across all of its models and these two are no exception. Grab one of these if you’re wanting to experience a crisp premium feel at a mid-range price.
• Reel: I exclusively use a 2500 size Shimano Stradic Ci4+ (The most comparable current production reel is the Vanford 2500, but the new Miravel 2500 will be an almost carbon copy of the Stradic Ci4+ at a fraction of the price point). I am eager to get the Miravel out on the water when it comes out, as I feel it will be an excellent option.
  • My unpopular opinion for whatever reel you choose, is to pick one that has a reliable felt drag. The predicable slip that it has lets you comfortably set the hook thorough the drag and reel into these fish. I have found that felt drag reels start into the drag smoother and more predictably for light lines and finesse techniques. Carbon drag is excellent for techniques that I want to actually hookset with like jigs and Texas rigs, but this is all a talk for another day.
• Line: I primarily use 12 lb. Sunline SX1 braid in Dark Green to a 6-7 lb. Sunline Sniper Fluorocarbon leader, but I have been playing around with Seaguar’s Smackdown Braid and can say that it is a legit silky smooth contender.
  • I won’t even mention the connection knot that I prefer to use here because it deserves so much attention, but I will say that you need to be practicing these knots and find the one that best suits you. Every knot requires a different level of dexterity that can absolutely be gained through developing muscle memory, so pick one that casts well for you, practice, practice, and keep practicing until you’ve gained confidence in it.
• Baits
  • Z-man Finesse TRD – The tried-and-true option. Pick your poison on color. All are excellent. This is the most durable option
  • Roboworm NED Worm – Another great option. Hand poured by robot. Great color options. Not as durable but proven fish catchers.
  • Yamamoto Ned Senko – New contender on the scene. Stands on bottom like a Z-man recognizable name synonymous with catching fish. Not as durable as the Z-man obviously but catches at rates enough to forget about it.
  • Don’t be afraid to experiment with other options. One of my favorites is a cut 4” Senko. It’s the worst for durability but it absolutely catches numbers. Another good idea is to save busted Senkos from Texas and/or wacky rigs and recycle them to Neds.

We hope this guide gives you some ideas and we’d love to hear your thoughts on the technique. What is your confidence color? What time of year do you find the ned rig in your hand most often? What is something that you do differently with this rig? This is a great way to get people interested in bass fishing since you’re pretty much guaranteed to get bites and, more over, it can be an extremely effective technique to fill out even the most seasoned angler’s limit.