Today we are going to take a quick look at our NED Rigs the Double Trouble and Ball Point Neds. We also have other lures that be used as NEDs also. Our 2″ and 3″ Grub and Jester, but lets first look at what NED Rig fishing is.

The Ned rig is a finesse fishing technique that involves using small plastic worms, craws, or creatures paired with a light mushroom style head so it can easily float off the bottom. This rig was originally created by outdoor writer Ned Kehde and popularized in the Midwest – so the name Ned rig stuck because of him!

Your NED rig setup can be as simple or as complicated as you would like to make it. You can simply cut your favorite stick bait in half and thread it on a jig head and call it done, or you can choose from the literally hundreds of small finesse options out there calling themselves NED rig baits. From mini stick baits to mini craws and mini baitfish, there are an unlimited number of soft plastics to choose from and almost as many jig heads to put them on. 

But for our purposes we’ll give the basic guidelines on what to look for. You want the whole package to be streamlined, easy to fish on lighter tackle and very natural to a bass. 

I generally recommend a 1/16 to a 1/4-ounce jighead with a hook that matches the line you are fishing. By that I mean if you are fishing light line, you want a light wire in your jighead for better penetration. But if you are using heavier line you want a stronger hook so the hook doesn’t bend out on the increased pressure you can put on it with heavier line.

I tend to start with the lightest I can, and only go heavier if need be. 

Then choose a 2-4 inch plastic you like or that matches the forage or colors in your waters you fish. Then thread it onto your jighead and make sure the keeper has a good hold on the plastic. Tie the rig to your leader or to your line. 

I generally fish with 10-pound braid and a 6-pound leader. Although at times I have seen where straight fluorocarbon line is preferred. 

I recommend a spinning rod, maybe medium or medium-light power with an extra fast action and a spinning reel that can hold the light braid and leader. That’s an efficient ned rig setup for most applications.

Fishing a ned rig is fairly straightforward although you can do a lot more with it than you think. It skips awesome. It’s dynamite for fish you can see in clear water. It works drug, hopped, swam, crawled, snapped, pitched and more. 

Most folks will simply cast it out and fish it back like a regular worm. Because it is so light, it will lift and drop a lot more than a normal worm. So often it’s better to pull it to the side or just steady slow wind with your reel to creep it along near the bottom. 

A lot of folks like a slow and small lift and drop. And adding some shaking while it sits on the bottom is often deadly. 

Below is a few pictures of NED Rig baits. On the left you will see the Ball point (Top), Double Trouble (Middle) and Jester (Bottom). On the right you will see our 2″ and 3″ grubs.

Also, our NEDs can be used at trailers on small chatter baits (1/4oz) and Jigs (1/4oz).

I hope this Blog post has been insightful and will give you the ability to become a better fisherman.