ChrisD46

I prefer the BOSS rubber skirt collars because they are the right size for most all finesse worms while with shrink tubing , silicon tubing , etc. you run into issues trying to find the right size. With the BOSS rubber skirt collars 50 pack , all I need is a pair of needle nose plyers and I’m done.

Double Uni is not the slimmest knot - but it holds well and is FAST and EASY to tie ! Using #10 lb. braid to #8 lb. FC leader - the knot is slim enough for me with a finesse spinning set up .

Here’s a tip I learned that will make wacky rigging finesse worms more efficient and cost effective : For Zoom Trick Worms or similar 5.5” to 7” finesse worm (best size / action for wacky rigging ) buy a package of : “Boss Rubber Skirt Collars” (used for making spinnerbaits / jigs to secure skirts) … The Boss skirt collars are the perfect size o-ring to use for wacky rigging finesse worms ! I finish the setup with a VMC Neko Rig hook in #2 size rigged parallel to the worm through the boss jig skirt o-ring catching a little bit of the worm when you rig the hook under the o-ring . *Hook up ratio is great and you will save on finesse worms ! Some don’t like a parallel rigged wacky rig with stick worms - but that is not an issue with finesse worms due to their smaller diameter . Get yourself some Boss Jig / Spinnerbait Skirt o- rings and give the above wacky rig method a try with finesse worms !

Buy a spray can of clear acrylic craft sealant and use fine glitter from Hobby Lobby . Lightly spray the blade with the clear sealant , lightly sprinkle the fine size glitter of your choice (which will stick) holding about 12” to 14” above the blade - then finish with another light coat of clear acrylic craft sealant . Works great for me - lots of color glitter variety with glitters from Hobby Lobby and many more glitter options that a spray with glitter mixed in .!

Berkley Big Game and Sufix Elite / Siege would be my choices as far as being good mono lines which are easy to find locally .

One of my favorite set ups : Yum Dinger (5”) , VMC Drop Dead EWG Hook (4/0) in 3/32nd oz. hook weight . * Great for bigginners - just cast out and let it sway and spiral to the bottom . Let it sit for 20 to 40 seconds then reel in and repeat .

There are newer expansions / offshoots in soft plastics for the Ned Ned Rig from top manufactured … Experiment with different new Ned Rig soft plastics . Next , there are six different retrieves for the Ned Rig , so learn and rotate through the various retrieves to mix up what the bass are seeing .

Another great video Glenn with very helpful cold water advice for bass !

Unless the soft plastic girth requires an EWG hook or dragging a C-Rig , I too believe a round bend offset or offset O’Shaughnessy hooks (the late A - Mart’s fav) are best for cast and retrieve T-Rig soft plastics . If you are flipping / pitching to a target - then a straight shank hook for soft plastics is more appropriate . *When I moved away from EWG hooks for T-Rigs I experimented with inexpensive BPS hooks in the styles I shared above in sizes from 2/0 up to 5/0 . When I better dialed in the sizes I used most then I expanded to using better Owner hooks in the sizes / styles I used most . Hope this helps !

So , no real availability to be had for Mini-Max sizes blades from Lurenet , ebay , etc. ?

Does anyone have a good source for smaller size (i.e. Chatter Bait Mini Max size) blades ? All I ever see are full size chatterbait blades but nothing smaller .

I believe YGK braids are sinking built for bottom presentations ? Not sure it makes much difference in #10 Ib. - #15 lb. braid size but a finesse sinking braid could be a good thing for Neg rigs .

What new (to you) lines do you want to try this coming year ? For me , while happy with Power Pro #10 lb. mainline for Ned and other finesse tactics on spinning set ups - I want to try Nano Braid for same finesse applications for quieter operation , long casts and good quality strength .

^^This^^ … Power Pro #30 to #40 lb. Braid , 2 ft. Section of Big Game #12 - #15 lb. Mono leader . Poppers = 6:3:1 gear ratio and walking baits = 7:2:1 gear ratio .

VMC Cross Over Rings for typical 5” Stick Worm #6 size (slightly snug fit) and # 1 size Decoy or Owner Mosquito Lite hook may help reduce hang ups (although VMC Neko #2 is an excellent choice ).

Many good replies - but need to know where the bass are staging ? Usually a good tactic is to slowly swim a small paddle tail along the bottom .

OP here : I saw Jimmy Houston and Jim Samsons videos where both using the Blue Sky Angler 360 and both were impressed . While not exactly a kayak , the Angler 360 occupies a fishing space that seems to check a lot of boxes for bass fishing .

Regular fishing Kayaks sit too low and too hard to get up and down in for me (arthritis issues) . I like that the Angler 360 as it sits up higher and is stable with duel pontoon set up . Not too concerned about portability and will bite the bullet for a trailer and a electric trolling motor (Angler 360 probably too big to use foot peddle option) . Any Angler 360 owners ? Could be a great set up for an older fisherman with mobility issues on a budget .

I’m a braid mainline + FC leader on spinning set ups but a bait cast set up for jigs will always be straight FC .

Football jigs get #12 lb. to #15 lb. get straight FC . I want that constant feedback of what the jig is doing on the bottom that straight FC lines used with jigs provided . With Braid + leader set up you will lose some sensitivity versus using straight FC line.

Good selection ! …I would only add a weightless T-Rigged Senko dead sticked on the bottom .

The Bait Monkey recently came and got me while sleeping at 3:00AM … As he lead me to my PC and the TW web site where my wish list is stored - he stated : “No distractions at this hour , take your time and order away “ … I probably ordered 35% - 40% more than I set out to do - once more the Bait Monkey does his job !

A couple thoughts on Ned Rig snag reduction : 1) Use as light a jig head as you can get away with (1/16th oz , 1/32nd oz) , 2) Use EWG style Ned Jig Head with hook buried in the TRD (more weedless , snagless ) . Siebert Outdoors (sponser) has a nice EWG Ned Rig Jig Head .

It would appear to me that fishing a Ned Rig in the winter for bass would be a good match . Using a TRD on a 1/16th oz. or 1/8th oz. mushroom jig heads crawled or hoped slowly along the bottom would not give off any unnatural ques causing a bass to become alarmed . Lastly , the do nothing look and lack of action of the TRD could really come into play and be better in the cooler water months ? Anyone primarily use a Ned Rig in cooler water months for bass ?

AbrazX only as a leader on a spinning reel (with #10 lb. - #15 lb. braid main line ) . Any FC line greater than #6 lb. usually will have handling issues on a spinning reel .