Team9nine

Never been a big fan of XL or XT. Used BG for nearly 20 yrs before making the switch to fluoro. Still what I throw on my 1 or 2 mono reels. Been using Stren for leaders now (w/braid) going on 3 years with no issues at all. Still have some old BPS Excel that was a great line at one time, but the newer stuff isn’t the same, so when the old spools are gone, I’m done.

This came across my feed today, and I remembered this thread. Maybe not a perfect match, but getting darn close (that is, I’m guessing a related type shiner).

FFS units are a big help with this aspect, if you have one. Another option: mark something static on your GPS like the end of a dock, a nav or hazard buoy, or even your own dropped marker buoy, then back off using your casting rings at set distance like a marked fishing spot. Practice casting to that spot to develop muscle memory and repetitiveness. Distance on water is very deceiving vs distance on land.

When you pull into the parking lot in the morning to meet and pick up your co-angler for the day…?

It was 94 degrees and sunny today when I hit the bank of a local pond for a quick afternoon trip. Managed 8 bass on jigs; 2 swimming over shallow weed flats and 6 off the deep edge of the drop off (4'-7') about 15-20 ft. out from the bank. I like the high sun and heat because it positions fish well.

Pretty much this IMO, especially in regard to sensitivity. To that point, a good mono/copolymer might do just as well. Since this is a leader to braid setup, you will naturally lose a good bit of sensitivity vs. a straight run of either parent material due to the connecting of two totally different materials (with differing material properties). Some papers have referred to this as “impedance discontinuity.” These days, I’m 90% braid to mono when I have to go that route for a variety of reasons.

Exactly ^^

It is what it is, but I still don’t agree with it “We must be sure, also, that the words or terms used in talking about the different subjects are fully understood. For only in this way can the basic information be expanded…Study these terms so that we can be on common ground and speak the same language.” Buck Perry, 1972

Fun experiment - keep everything the same, except skin hook in/near the head of worm like more traditional TR. See if either you hook up less, or decrease gut hooking. It will give you the answer one way or the other.

Hook (jighead) directly through bait (Zman) - about 25 bass per bait average that way. Nothing as simple or as efficient IMO.

from the bank…and base it on where you are going (water/cover) or what you want to throw (fave/season).

Looking forward to trying them. The original retrieve system set up by Ned has changed slightly over the years, but there has always been 5-6 different “retrieves” or presentations to cover the activity spectrum. Much of it does revolve around keeping the bait up off the bottom for various lengths of time, so the ability of a bait to float or glide, in combination with lighter/smaller heads in what Ned refers to as a “no feel” retrieve, is arguably at the heart of the original system. Good point on the various jig head attachment options. It could definitely play a role in how well the head of the bait stays up and intact. Those differences probably play much less of a role though in the tearing I was seeing at the hook bend where it leaves the bait. Once that section gets ripped open, the bait falls apart rapidly, and often fails to work properly. Rerigging helps here, but it also then affects the durability of that head/shank attachment, so it’s kind of a game with every bait to keep both sections in good working order.

Pulled the Roboworm Ned Worms out last night to take on a test run today as promised. Here's what I found: A little cooler today after storms rolled just south of us this morning. By early afternoon, we had completely clear skies with sunshine, temps around 87 degrees, and a NW wind at 13 gusting to 20 mph. As for the bait, I did a couple quick measurements against some TRDs. Robo Ned came in just under 3.25" vs. just under 2.75" for TRD. Robo Ned weighed about 5 g. vs 4 g for TRD, so about 25% heavier. It is also a much thicker/robust profile, so it would probably work a little better if you prefer somewhat larger hooks than traditional Midwest Finesse. I saw they also make a 4.5" version of Robo Ned online, and TRD also comes in larger 4" and 6" versions. Price wise, Robo Ned is $4.49 for 8 baits vs. $3.99 for 8 TRDs where I looked. Only pkg of Robo Neds I have is in MM III color. I fished the bait on a 1/16 oz mushroom head jig with braid to 8# leader on a ML rod. I was able to hit one clearer pond (>2 ft vis) and one murky pond (<= 12" vis). I caught 7 bass from each. First Robo Ned bait tore after the 3rd fish at the hook bend exit, the same thing I have experienced with their regular finesse worms, and had to be pinched back a 1/4" and rerigged. It landed 4 more bass before being trashed (7 total). It probably could have been cut back again to a smaller nub, but I usually only do that in winter, as I prefer to have as much of the bait behind the hook bend as possible most days. The 2nd Robo Ned Worm tore on the 2nd bass, and had to be cut back 1/4," after which it caught 4 more bass before being trashed (6 total). I then rigged up a 3rd Robo Ned and caught 1 more bass before calling it. Other thoughts: Durability wise, Robo Ned looks like a 6-7 bass per bait average, which is in line with what I've seen with their worms. Obviously, some days you'll get a few more or a few less. Either way, much less than a typical TRD, which could easily go 25-50 bass per bait or more. Part of that is the Elaztech material, but part is also the design. TRDs are blunt on both ends, so it doesn't matter which end you rig, and if one end gets too messed up, you can simply reverse the bait and keep going strong. Robo Ned appears to me to be more like half a ZinkerZ, with a more defined head end and a pointed tail section that isn't necessarily designed to be fished from both ends, though it could probably be done in a pinch. Robo Ned also appears to at least partially stand up at rest on bottom with a mushroom head jig (45'ish deg. angle), and doesn't just fall flat on its side. Speaking of, it also has a flat side or "bottom" to it, which gives the bait a good gliding action, similar to TRD or other Elaztech-type floating bait. It fished lighter than it appeared, if that makes sense. The extra weight of the bait makes it cast well, especially given the breeze I was dealing with today. Robo Ned, I would say, has more "shimmy" to it than a TRD, but not as much as 1/2 a ZinkerZ, so in-between in that regard. If you're into the pretty colors of custom pours, Robo Ned definitely has the advantage there. Some great looking color patterns online that are available, which might either help in certain water clarities, or with the mental confidence in a bait for some people. I keep a good stash of a favorite colored finesse Roboworm on hand myself just for those reasons. That said, day in and day out, I'd put a standard Zman junebug bait up against about anything on my waters as that color simply gets bit everywhere for me, and often. I didn't notice any real difference in action, texture or softness of the bait after fishing it a while. It's possible the bait only lasting 6-7 bass might not be enough time for any type salt mixture to dissolve and change the action like you get with a lot of Zman plastics, though TRDs don't change that much IMO. I'll try and get my hands on a pkg of Yammi Neds to do a similar run through. Not sure when they'll be available in my area, but I'll keep my eyes open. Oh yeah, one last thing...this 7 pounder as best fish of the day It came from the clear water pond, and was a sight to see when it first came toward the surface after being hooked. Everything else was 2 lbs and under today, more typical post front Ned size. I ain't complaining though

It goes against my anti-Yammi inclinations, but I'll try and get my hands on a pack. I did just receive a pack of Roboworm Ned Worms I need to try out. Adding the Yammi to the mix would be a good test

Suffering in this heat and humidity like a lot of the country. Kept it short from the bank yesterday afternoon. Caught one on my first cast; caught one on my last cast; and caught another half dozen in between those two. Midwest Finesse scores again!

5” ZinkerZ, 6 baits for $4, each cut in half for 12 pieces = $0.33 each…the original Midwest Finesse “Ned” bait ?

They also did colored plastic lips on those old vintage WWII Jitterbugs

No problems here - you need a different net - true knotless rubber mesh nets like the Cabela’s Conservation Series I’ve used for over 20 years. Proven safer for fish and pose no issues with any type of hook.

SaltStrong is one of the few that has tested this FG wrap-strength relationship, and based on their test data, 20 wraps seems to be the best baseline starting point whether using 4-strand or 8-strand braid. Only doing 14 wraps produced consistently weaker knots, and doing 30 wraps was a mixed bag of some slight gains, but some slight losses also. I personally shoot for 20-26 depending on line combo.

Yes, usually the center of balance, which might not be dead center. It varies depending on what brand worm you use (they all work).

Yes - Zman Finesse WormZ in the smaller 4” size paired with a 1/16-oz Jackall weedless wacky jighead, but I’ll often just use normal Ned rig mushroom head jigs rigged the same way.

Walked off without my polarized glasses today, but it didn't hurt me too much despite the sunny skies and calm weather. Managed a dozen bass in one pass around a pond, calling it after landing this 4+ fish. Everything came on 'flick shake' (jighead wacky) using a Zman finessee WormZ.

7.1:1 was offered by Daiwa in their Procaster line-up around 2000 timeframe: PT33SH/PM33SH. I believe they were one of the earliest really high speed reels. Previous to that, around 6.3:1 was considered fast.

Since I’d likely never throw a spinnerbait on braid, “no leader” is the default answer for me…but if I did do it, I wouldn't use one either ?

The best $0.99 you’ll ever spend. This and a pic of a relative weight table on your phone, and you’ll always be golden. Guessing weight from pictures is an effort in futility. Looks like a nice fish though.