Smokinal

Use any braid you are confident in. As long as you can detect the bites, which can be subtle at times, than any will work. It's the no-stretch part of braid that matters. And, like mentioned above, I would always use a fluoro leader so that hi-vis for you doesn't become hi-vis to the fish. Keep us posted please!

Good point Indiana. I use 10 lb braid (Sufix Nanobraid) with a 10 lb fluoro leader. I would highly recommend braid for the no-stretch. That helps with that short, quick hookset I mentioned. I would not go all mono or all fluoro as they both feel like rubber bands to me.

Not to cause a stir but I have to disagree with the "just reel into them" thing. I've fished the Ned a lot and can count the number of fish I've lost on just my hands. Now, I don't reel down and cross their eyes like I would with a jig or big soft plastic worm but I do give a short, quick hookset. When I detect a bite, whether it's my line jumping or just by feel, I reel up a small amount of slack (if I have any) and then give a quick, short, sharp set. Again, nothing hard but more of a half-hearted set. If the reel into them thing works for ya, great. But try this other method too WildMan. Keep us posted.

^^^It's definitely not the "end all". There certainly are times where a different bait may get bit better but more than not, the Ned will get bit when others won't.

^^Good luck bud. I'd love to hear some details on it!

Skeet Reese S Glass crankbait rod BPS ProQualifier 20 lb braid with 15 lb fluoro leader

I've usd a bunch of different brands and still go back to the good `ol original Bill Lewis trap. In fact, just this last fall I was out and putting a good hurtin on em with a red craw trap (imagine that...) till I broke it off. After all the tears and screaming, I composed myself, and tied on the only other red trap I had which was a RES. The bite almost shut off for me with that bait. My buddy even said he could hear a difference in sound when I would rip the RES in comparison to the Bill Lewis trap. Needless to say I ordered 6 more that night.

Interesting that he doesn't even mention the possibility of soft plastic in fish. I believe this is more the case than anything else and a bigger concern than most think. jmo

This is what I was thinking. I'm using 10 lb Sufix Nanobraid and the stuff really floats off the spool as it is. Maybe I'll stick with the President.

I'm looking to upgrade 2 of my reels. One I use for jerkbaits and I wouldn't mind a little more casting distance with that one. Other I use for the Ned rig and that one is fine. The general concensus is to go with the Pflueger President, which I like the looks/sounds of. But I was also looking at the Pflueger Arbor because of the larger spool. Has anyone used this style spool/reel before. Is there a big enough difference in distance to use this style? I see the gear ratios are lower on the Arbor but line retrieval rate is the same, if not a little more. Any drawbacks to the larger spool? I use braid/leader fwiw. Thanks Oh, and I'm currently using older Shimano Sedona 2000FA reels so either will be a good upgrade. Probably go with a 25 or 30 in whichever one I choose.

Glad to hear it! Thx for sharing the news.

When that bite is on it can be absolutely stupid! My buddy and I had 2 weekends in a row where we caught 168 one day and 189 the following weekend. All on a TRD fished Ned style. Congrats on a good day!

Man you guys are killin me! Some really great reports recently. Wish I had some soft water.

Very helpful thread. I've been wanting to update 2 of my spinning reels and was wondering the same as op. Anyone have any experience with this reel? http://www.cabelas.com/product/fishing/fishing-reels/spinning-reels|/pc/104793480/c/104760180/sc/104837580/lew-s-reg-mach-i-speed-spinning-reel/2418578.uts?Ntk=AllProducts%2B&searchPath=%2Fcatalog%2Fbrowse%2Fspinning-reels%2Flews%2F_%2FN-1102842%2B1000005836%2FNe-1000005836%2FNs-CATEGORY_SEQ_104837580%3FNtk%3DAllProducts%2B%26WTz_st%3DGuidedNav%26WTz_stype%3DGNU I'm not against the Pflueger President, just never held one; and I know I love my Lews baitcasters and I tried this reel in the store=smooth as buttah. Any feedback? For $45 seems solid.

The lake survey maps provided by the state are ok if that's all you can find. No hazards are shown and the readings are taken very far apart so you don't get a lot of detail and a lot of things are missed. I've purchased quite a few maps from http://www.fishinghotspots.com/catalog/2015_Retail_Catalog.pdf and they are pretty good. main page http://www.fishinghotspots.com/Printed/index.html And, of course, I always love the simple Google maps overview to zoom in and see shoreline contour, sand bars etc...

Good for you Hoosier! I can't wait for my first bass of `17

Nice smallie! Man I'd love some 48 degree water right now. Mine is thick enough to drive an 18 wheeler across it...

Like some above, I used to pay attention to them but agree that weather outweighs moon scale in every instance. WDP said it very well in that, if everything lines up right, it can be the best day of the month for sure.

Good for you PolkFolk! It's a great feeling when you finally put things together to get some bites. And yes, Glenn and all the members here, have made this place a very welcoming, knowledgeable place. I've learned so much here myself.

Oh it's all good. I'm having fun with it. I was buzzed on when I posted that and can see how it may have come across as a little cocky. It takes a lot more than a comment from some random on a forum to rustle my jimmies. And you're right; I probably would like a light, sensitive rod if I ever tried one. Carry on bros; all good.

I guess we can't give opinions on forums anymore; my bad

Hope you are well Raider. Watch out for the ladle.

I didn't read all the responses but I catch as many fish, if not more, on my $40 rods as my buddy does on $300 rods. No way I'm spending more than $70-$80 on a rod; ever.

I keep 12 rods on my boat and all but one have a braid/leader setup on them. The one that doesn't is a frog setup for frogs in grass. All others are braid/leader setups. Reason=abrasion resistance. There is no argument here; just personal preference and needs. I'm in Maine and if any if any of you fished here with braid, you would have a leader. If not, you wouldn't land a fish. (slight exaggeration) All of our lakes are full of rock and braid has no abrasion resistance on rock. It all comes down to confidence in your setup and needs to your environment.

I'm a huge fan of the Ned rig with a TRD. I have had great success with the ZMan Hula Stickz as well; fished on the same tackle, same way. just fyi