One of the most popular bass lures being used today is what’s known as a ned rig. A traditional ned rig uses an open hook jig head and then is typically paired with a Z-Man TRD. This lure does work and can catch a lot of fish, however I fish around grass a lot and if the body of water you are on has a lot of grass on it or grass on the bottom of it then the open hook will get caught up with almost every cast which ruins the presentation and means you end up spending a significant amount of time removing the grass that got caught on the lure. As a result if I don’t really throw a traditional ned rig, and you won’t even find one in the lure finder.
Having said that it’s still a very effective presentation, and as a result I ended up looking into different alternatives until I landed on one that I personally really like and have been using for a while. Ladies and gentlement, I present to you my take on a weedless ned rig:
And in case you are wondering, yes that’s basically just a shakey head but with a Z-Man Hula StickZ on it. I like this lure because I typically use this lure in larger bodies of water since I still don’t like using it on a grassy bottom and the only water around me that doesn’t have a grassy bottom is very large. As a result I wanted to go with something with a slightly bigger profile but that also still looks a lot like a ned rig. I also like the tail on this lure as it’s just a bit different than a straight tail worm like a TRD (which is what most people are using these days) but it’s still made with Z-Man’s elaztech material so it stands straight up more consistently than other soft plastic worms that are made with traditional material.
One downside to using elaztech is it can be harder to get the lure on the rig, but in this case I’ve found that you can just poke a hole in the head of the worm with the hook, and then stick the centering pin that’s on the Owner Shakey Ultrahead into that hole and doing that makes it significantly easier to get the lure onto the rig. The other nice thing about this setup is that once the lure is on the rig it’s not going anywhere and that and the fact that the elaztech material is extremely durable means that once you’ve finished setting it up, these last a very long time and I usually only end up using one or two of them on any given day. I also haven’t noticed much of a difference in terms of the hook up ratio, however I have found that this does a lot better when you are around any sort of cover and as a result this ended up being my go-to when I want to throw a ned rig. If you also like using a ned rig I’d strongly suggest this setup especially if you are around any sort of cover where a traditional ned rig might get hung up.
Lure Summary – ‘Ned Rig’
Suggested Rod Length: 6’10” – 7’3″
Suggested Rod Power: Medium or Medium Heavy
Suggested Rod Action: Fast or Moderate Fast
Suggested Reel Type: Spinning Reel
Suggested Reel Size: 3000
Lure Weight (est.): .37oz
Tackle Required
- 3/16oz Owner Shakey Ultrahead
- 20lb Sufix 832 Braided Line
- 12lb Sunline FC Fluorocarbon Leader
Suggested Soft Plastic Baits
- Z-Man Hula StickZ
