ChrisD46

*If you are casting / pitching a Neko Rig around boat docks , boats (especially pontoon boats) - you will do better to burry that nose weight in the head of the worm . Why ? Because an exposed nose weight on a Neko rig clanging off boats and other structure (docks , metal , etc.) will scare away bass . No one can cast accurately 100% of the time , so if you are trying to cast in tight places with a Neko rig - then burry that nose weight into the worm for a quieter presentation . If you are not fishing around boat docks , boats , metal structures - then go ahead and used an exposed nose weight on your Neko rigs .

My current Power Pro #10 lb. ~#15 lb. is their basic 4 carrier braid which has served me well . However , with advances in line technology a multi-carrier braid may be better with the popular finesse soft plastic techniques I would use on a spinning set up for bass.

Site sponsor Siebert Outdoors has the Lifted Jig type EWG jig head in the Ned / Finesse section … Great quality and color selection .

Thanks for the replies - I must say the YGK sinking braid is interesting as most of my finesse spinning applications are below surface down to the bottom (Ned , drop shot , shaky head , Neko , etc.)

What is your current favorite finesse braid line from say #8lb. to #15lb. in Hi-Viz Yellow , Nein Green , etc. Due to local availability I’ve used Power Pro 10lb. in Hi-Viz Yellow - but there may be newer , better offerings to consider with a similar braid line diameter ? What are you currently using as a favorite finesse braid line for Ned Rig , Finesse Swim Baits , Moping Finnese Straight Tail Minnows , Shaky Head Drop Shot , etc. ?

Dito except I'll usually use 1/8th oz. and 3/16th oz. swim bait jig heads with 3.25" ` 3.75" swim baits with around a 2/0 hook size.

Sometimes I will take craft clear adhesive spray and lightly spray the back of a spinnerbait blade then lightly sprinkle fine gold color glitter from about 8" high jut enough to lightly coat the back of the spinner blade - lastly I'll give the back of the spinner bait another light coat of craft adhesive spray to keep the gold color glitter in place . I use : "Plaid Patricia Nimock's Clear Matte Acrylic Spray Sealer" with Hobby Lobby gold Glitter (fine) . *By only lightly coating the back of the spinnerbait blade gold and leaving the reverse side chrome gives a bit of an alternating chrome / gold flash that can work well in both sunny and overcast conditions . In cloudy overcast conditions you could just opt for all factory gold plated blades .

Great Choices !

To be fair , I'm willing to give GSM a chance and see what they do with Dobyns rods and hopefully they will buck the norm and keep Dobyns rod quality production / line up intact (unlike what happened to All Star rods when they were bought out) .

Uhhh , my first thought is what happens to the quality and consistency of the Dobyns rods once sold ? … Look what happened to All Star rods once sold - they are the same in name only today .

Zoom Trick Worms with salt (which are mostly what is sold) lie or fall over on the bottom like they are paralyzed (great for dead sticking though) . If you do not impart action then a Zoom Trick Worm is not doing much . A half a tooth pick in the tail helps though to float the tail a little .

Good point to be aware of - the more salt that leaches out of Elaztec worms , the more weight potentially needed to get the bait down to the bottom to achieve the same fall weight .

Makes sense - the water takes on a green tint and Plum / Red Bug colors will stand out more .

As the title states , what is your favorite Neko Rig (or even senko style stick worm) to use for the Neko Rig ? I believe good action and a floating or worse case - a neutral tail is key for the Neko Rig to have good action while dragged / hopped across the bottom . Most of my current worms will get a "retrofit" half a toothpick in the tail to aid in floating that tail up to at least be neutrally buoyant (works with shaky head as well) instead of lying on the bottom lifeless while no action is imparted by the angler . My future worms will be Z-Man worms , Xzone Deception worms , Black Label Cliff Pace Hollow Point worms , Biz Baits Dizzy Diamond worm , GrandeBass Air Tail Wiggler or other 5" to 7" straight tail worms with a tail that floats . Your thoughts ?

My worm application would be in clear , northern waters for LM Bass and SM Bass - what is your opinion of when / why you would choose a Plum color worm vs. the Red Bug color worm ? ... Perhaps there is a historical reason why these two colors were developed for bass fishing ?

As winter gives way to spring - what is the warming water temperature when you will begin throwing top water lures for bass ? ... I say somewhere between 65degrees F. and 70 degrees F. - what water temp do you see when bass begin actively paying attention to top water lures ?

I like this suggested set up ... Most people would think about fishing a Bubba Shot with a Bait Caster set up , however a 7'2" or so MH - F spinning rod . 4000 size reel with #20 lb. braid and #12 lb. ~ #15 lb. FC leader could give you the proper strength category spinning outfit the Bubba Shot needs .

Old School ! Good color and action if you can make it tick off of the bottom .

That is wild looking braid !! ... I can see how great this would be in a variety of water clarity conditions and possibly even having to eliminate choosing between a Hi-Viz braid and a solid green color braid ... Your thoughts on this new camo color braid ?

Harbor Freight is good as are the big box stores for buying packs of screws which can work in a pinch as a Neko Rig weight ... Still , the density of lead and tungsten in a Neko Rig weight is harder to duplicate and still have it fit in the nose of a soft plastic worm . I also like to know the weight of the Neko weight and choose 1/16th oz. and sometimes 3/32nd oz. for majority of Neko Rigging . As far as hook placement on a Neko Rigged soft plastic : I used to insert the o-ring with hook right about the middle of the egg sack - but after watching pros on YouTube rig the Neko , I now move that o-ring and hook a little further away from the nose of the Neko Rig just north of the egg sack now more towards the tail . About a 40 (towards tail) - 60 ratio (towards nose) placement of the o-ring and hook gives better action on the fall as well as on the retrieve.

I see on TV (Bass Elite - St. Johns River) a lot of pros pitching to bedding fish in Central Florida .

Big Bite Bites Tour Swim Worm and the Zoom Ultravibe Speed Worm are my favorites ...

I have evolved with the Neko rig to use this mushroom shaped head versus the nail weight ... I believe you pick up a few more bites with the exposed mushroom head clacking off of rocks and gravel whereas the nail weight embedded in the soft plastic runs silently along the bottom .

X Zone has some nice , non-shad colors in the Swammer line up !

I always learn something new from these pro technique videos. It's amazing even with a simple technique like the wacky worm rig how much new tips you can pick up - thanks Glenn !