NED RIG STRUGGLES w landing big small-mouth

[roadwarrior]

Modern drags are much quicker and more responsive than anyone can be with

manual backreeling.

[TnRiver46]

1 minute ago, roadwarrior said:

Modern drags are much quicker and more responsive than anyone can be with

manual backreeling.

Nah 

 

that’s your tale I’m sitting on mine 

[cyclops2]

All using the handle in reverse got me was wacked fingers on hard high speed hits going away.

You still are using the drag some times. Trolling with 2 rods & no drag ?  I use the drag at max setting for what ever I am after. It reduces excessive Playing Out of a fish.

[roadwarrior]

16 minutes ago, cyclops2 said:

All using the handle in reverse got me was wacked fingers on hard high speed hits going away.

You still are using the drag some times. Trolling with 2 rods & no drag ?  I use the drag at max setting for what ever I am after. It reduces excessive Playing Out of a fish.

 

Well, I target smallmouth when I can and get FAR more bites on light line. Landing a 5+

smalljaw with the drag locked down is not going to happen.

[TnRiver46]

53 minutes ago, cyclops2 said:

All using the handle in reverse got me was wacked fingers on hard high speed hits going away.

You still are using the drag some times. Trolling with 2 rods & no drag ?  I use the drag at max setting for what ever I am after. It reduces excessive Playing Out of a fish.

Hahaha . Rule number one don’t let go. Rule number to if you do let go, use pinky on rod hand to stop the rotor. 
 

I do indeed have my drag set even while using backreel, I like it to slip a tad on the hook set. But once I know it’s a big one I click to backreel and play him out like that, usually don’t hear any drag if I do it right. It’s only that last run when they see impending doom that I worry about 

[padon]

On 3/21/2022 at 7:26 AM, NHBull said:

If you are loosing larger fish on lighter weight rigs at the boat I believe it is because they still have to much fight in them.    Most of my larger fish have come in light gear and I am so afraid to loose them that I slow way down and play him before getting close to the boat where my rod, reel and line work best.

When it got close you loose the benifits of proper gear.

 

 

this is what i was thinking. i catch a ton of smallmouth every year on neds. now some do get off its just part of the game. i dont catch many or any 5 pounds or more but im fishing a large river that can have heavy current so your still putting alot of pressure on a 3.5 pound fish plus the current. with bigger smallmouth i like to leave them out there a little bit to fight. you know when they get near the boat they are gonna go nuts so i wanna have them a little tired before i get them that close. id rather have the inherent give and stretch of the system with some distance while the fish is hot.

[TOXIC]

Change heads.  I can’t recommend any because I have a friend who pours his own and I get mine from him.  Not a problem with them coming unbuttoned.  Without seeing how you play the fish, it’s hard to tell if it’s technique or equipment. 

[Dingaling man]

23 hours ago, TOXIC said:

Change heads.  I can’t recommend any because I have a friend who pours his own and I get mine from him.  Not a problem with them coming unbuttoned.  Without seeing how you play the fish, it’s hard to tell if it’s technique or equipment. 

What a tank, nice one! I'm going to try some different heads out. I have no problems with the drop shot or swimbaits. Hopefully figure this ned catching game out. 

[roadwarrior]

Can't catch smallmouth on braid...

 

[TnRiver46]

25 minutes ago, roadwarrior said:

Can't catch smallmouth on braid...

 

I’ve never heard that one, I like catching them on a frog with 65 braid haha

[Sphynx]

I almost always use braid to mono for smallmouth...gotta go with fake news on not being able to catch them on braid...only two techniques I use that aren't some combination of braid to mono are jerkbaits and a cranking setup that are FC

[Bluebasser86]

5 hours ago, TnRiver46 said:

I’ve never heard that one, I like catching them on a frog with 65 braid haha

There is seriously not a much angrier strike than a smallmouth on a frog. Not sure what it is, but they just try to destroy them when they hit. 

[TOXIC]

On 3/25/2022 at 10:35 AM, Dingaling man said:

What a tank, nice one! I'm going to try some different heads out. I have no problems with the drop shot or swimbaits. Hopefully figure this ned catching game out. 

Just a side note.  My Ned setup is spinning gear, 6lb mono and a 7ft medium Smoke rod.  Always rigged hook exposed with a Yamamoto 3 or 4 inch Senko or a CaliRoll.  Occasionally a 5 inch Yamamoto kut tail or baby Ika.  The Ika is the toughest to get a hookset because it is thicker.  

[Dingaling man]

On 3/25/2022 at 10:58 AM, A-Jay said:

Here's a couple of cast to catch Ned rig brown bass - 

I'm throwing the Outkast Tackle Perfect Ned head here - 1/8 oz.

These are  not giants but still decent either way.

Don't make this harder than it needs to be. 

A-Jay

Very nice healthy fish, which lake are you on here? Looks beautiful 

[A-Jay]

8 hours ago, Dingaling man said:

Very nice healthy fish, which lake are you on here? Looks beautiful 

Thanks ~

That's Lake Menderchuck West.

It can be a little tricky to find though.

A-Jay

 

[ajschn06]

Everyone here seems to be using REALLY long rods for the ned rig.... Ned himself uses 6 footers!

[LCG]

On 4/1/2022 at 10:07 AM, ajschn06 said:

Everyone here seems to be using REALLY long rods for the ned rig.... Ned himself uses 6 footers!

It's funny to me how we, as obsessive anglers, manage to over complicate the simplest, easiest, and cheapest techniques such as Ned rigging. The whole idea was cheap tackle, cheap jig heads, and a simple sub 3" piece of plastic. Saw an interview with Ned explaining the technique and tackle. I believe he was using an old modified spinning reel and a $20 rod with 10lb line (forget what type). I am just as guilty of overcomplicating it too. But at the end of the day it is a simple way of fishing and it works amazing well.

[TnRiver46]

3 hours ago, LCG said:

It's funny to me how we, as obsessive anglers, mange to over complicate the simplest, easiest, and cheapest techniques such as Ned rigging. The whole idea was cheap tackle, cheap jig heads, and a simple sub 3" piece of plastic. Saw an interview with Ned explaining the technique and tackle. I believe he was using an old modified spinning reel and a $20 rod with 10lb line (forget what type). I am just as quilty of overcomplicating it too. But at the end of the day it is a simple way of fishing and it works amazing well.

That happens because the profit margins on the modified spinning reel and $20 rod aren’t big enough to satisfy the companies 

 

I don’t even use TRD because I refuse to pay more for half a worm 

[Tim Kelly]

Mr Kehde is fishing for numbers of fish, mainly largemouth and mainly smaller. I expect if he's lived in smallmouth country and been fishing for 5 plussers he might have had to pay more attention to his gear. ?

[Junk Fisherman]

We also need to remember that it's HARD to get big fish in the boat on a Ned rig.  We're using light line and light rods and have to play the fish correctly.  Your knots have to hold and you run the risk of the fish running around the boat and getting in your prop or trolling motor or Livescope downrod (happened to me this week).  I spent this past week fishing and caught multiple 4+ lb bass on a Ned rig and those fish were running all over the place.  I'm running around the boat, giving the fish line, reeling up slack, getting my net, plunging my rod in the water when it runs, trying to get it not to jump- it's a lot of activity.  I feel great when I get them in the boat.  Conversely, you catch a 4 lber on a jig with 15 lb line and a 7' MH rod and you can control that fish much easier.  I'm flipping 3 lbers in the boat on baitcasting gear yet it takes me a minute to work that 18" fish on a Ned rig.   I love it though.  All of it.