Ned Rig is nothing more than a light jig used with a soft plastic lure

[SPOONMINNOW]

The original lure used by Ned Kehde who created the rig, was a short, plump plastic worm with blunted ends. The action of the lure is a wobble and not much more jigged on bottom. Light jigging for all species has been around for decades ever since Mr Twister grubs and worms were introduced to catch everything attached to light jigs. Body and tail design combinations are way too many to count, most of which will catch fish on any single outing.

The action of the Ned Rig 3-4" worm, rigged on a semi-round lead jig is nothing more than a dead-stick wobble and little else. It doesn't resemble any prey species that ever lived (most lures don't), but does get the attention of bass once it's jigged on bottom. But about a month ago I came up with a similar design using the top part of a plastic worm (4.5" Softy Finesse Worm) and a light ballhead jig that I call the Waddle Tail grub design:


Soon, I added the blunt lure segment to smaller soft plastics for a slightly different wobble. They caught fish of all species!:


Why stop with a blunt tail design? So I came up with a tapered-tail shape with a slightly different action - a tail quiver that happens during the slowest retrieve:


Then it occurred to me to to make a blunt body and various tail shapes like this tad pole-looking shape with thin tail:


I gotta admit, it does have the shape and action of a tadpole: https://i.imgur.com/653KwKy.mp4

The action is different for each of the above even when using the same retrieve. No more basic, stiff, Ned Worm-wobble on bottom. Rather, a mid-depth presentation that shows off what the different shapes do to agitate fish to strike - few superior to the others in action. Mid-depth retrieves using a combination of pauses with rod tip twiches or the more rapid lure twitches for a darting wobble, are far better than the steady retrieve used for other lure types.
Minnow actions speaks loudest!:



Jig heads are basic: round unpainted with hook sizes matched to the lure body. I've gone as light as 1/32 oz to 3/22 oz jigs and hook sizes from #6 - 2/0.
I only use braid line in 8 lb test for longer distance hook sets and a light tip/medium action 6' rod.

Just catching fish one or a few ways was fine 30 years ago, but my obsession finding different lure shapes that catch fish is permanent such as my new chubby body or tail designs:
The Light Bulb grub:


... and these other enhanced plump shapes - all of which have caught many species and sizes of fish:

[DaveBrabec]

For me a Ned rig has to have a floating plastic on it.Get way more bites when its sitiing still tail up.

[basscat tyler]

For me a Ned rig has to have a floating plastic on it.Get way more bites when its sitiing still tail up.

I know many fish it this way. I typically fish it with a lift and drift retrieve with a 1/16-3/32 jighead. Rarely do I fish the ned on the bottom. And I fish the TRD 90% of the time

[willwork4fish]

It's just been improved since Ned Kehde started using it. It's like saying the spinnerbait is nothing more than a wire form with a lead head/hook on one end and some blades on the other. Almost no one uses anything that looks like the original Hildebrandt anymore.

I deadstick mine a lot of the time...cast out and if I don't get hit on the fall deadstick it for 15 seconds, reel it back in and cast out somewhere else. It works for me like that, just like the lift and drift works for tyler. I prefer baits that float too like zman and some of the Molix ones but lots of guys still catch them on a chunk of senko.

I fish a grub completely differently than how I fish a TRD, doesn't mean it wouldn't work that way just works better for me the way I do it and I've got a spinning rod in my hand a lot.

Very cool plastics by the way, looks like they are fish catchers!

[SPOONMINNOW]

Thanks.
I've gotten lazy and take along small soft plastics and light jigs cast with light action rods just for the challenge of catching big fish. Swear that the rod is going to break in half fighting fish over 1.5 lbs. Good thing for braid.