You say you want to tie into some late season largemouth bass before cold weather slows down the bite? Fishing a Ned rig will help make it happen — here’s the drill:
- Choose a relatively light spinning or casting set-up to fish with, because fishing a Ned requires a decent level of finesse. Eight-pound gear is considered on the heavy side, by some.
- Tie a light (eighth of an ounce or so) mushroom-style jig head with a long shank/wide gap hook onto the end of your line. Then choose your offering, a plastic worm in the three- to five-inch range in the color of your choice. Most anglers fishing a Ned opt for worms designed specifically for the tactic, which are slightly buoyant, so the plastic tail rises off the bottom when the leadhead touches down.
- Choose rocky areas where fish are likely to be hunting, like points, drop-offs, and shelves.
- Cast out, and let the lure hit bottom. Then use lifts and drops of the rod tip to slowly hop the Ned rig along the bottom. This is where the finesse comes in; since you’re using a light jighead and a buoyant bait, it can be very tough to maintain tension on the fall and feel the touch-down.
- The moment you feel a strike set the hook, but don’t go overboard. Remember that most Ned rig jigheads have relatively small, thin hooks that can inadvertently be overpowered.