Rank the following smallmouth techniques based on effectiveness, confidence, and reliability..  feel free to add anything if you feel it’s justified.. 

 

Ned Rig

Drop Shot

Wacky Rig

 

 

I fish smallies several times a week and rarely, almost never,  use any of the 3. But I do have lots of friends….

 

many of my friends throw nothing but a ned rig and they catch ‘em so I would rank it as very effective 

wacky rig is not effective at all for me, might as well just buy a pack of worms and hooks and toss them into the garbage

 

drop shot is good stuff, I just don’t rig them up often cuz I fish evenings after work and don’t really wanna fiddle with tying them 

Ned

Dropshot

Wacky

 

i almost never fish wacky rigs for smallmouth, unless we count flickshake rigs

Of the three, I would rank them:

 

1) Dropshot

2) Wacky (or Neko)

3) Ned Rig

 

For whatever reason, all I’ve ever caught with a Ned rig is brush and rocks - I’d save a lot of time by throwing the heads/baits in the lake and never bothering to tie them on.

 

I’ve always got a dropshot (or 2) on the deck, and usually have a wacky Senko at the ready. I’ve been tinkering with Neko rigging a floating worm and getting some good results.

I fish a "smaller" river and rarely go deeper than 7' and it's very rocky, lots of boulders.

I can't fish a ned or dropshot and in current a WW is no more effective than a Texas worm.

 

For me its

1. Split shot worm

2. Tube

3. Jig w/ trailer

11 minutes ago, PaulVE64 said:

I fish a "smaller" river and rarely go deeper than 7' and it's very rocky, lots of boulders.

I can't fish a ned or dropshot and in current a WW is no more effective than a Texas worm.

 

For me its

1. Split shot worm

2. Tube

3. Jig w/ trailer

I used to fish similar environments. If we’re going outside of the lures originally specified, my ranking is as follows:

 

1. Tube (tournament style tube, ideally)

2. Ned rig

3. Walking bait

 

Towards the end of the summer, I started playing with lipless cranks and did quite well. Still, I didn’t use them quite enough to regard them as a staple.

 

I’m surprised you haven’t been successful with Ned rigs. Even in areas with large rocks, I do well with them. I hang up a few, but I still consider them effective (at least for my rivers and fishing style)

Well, drop shot is out for me, since it's illegal in rivers here due to regulations against snagging salmon and trout....and almost all my smallmouth fishing is done in rivers.

 

And then there's the problem of downed wood everywhere -- I'm going to lose anything with an open hook other than topwater in about 5 casts, unless i'm throwing it where there aren't any fish.

 

So:

1. weightless texas-rigged stick worm (rather than wacky)

2. slider head + worm, or other small plastic (rather than an open hook ned)

3. stupid-rigged tube

Drop Shot

Tube

Ned

Hula Grub

Grub

Wacky

Free Rig

 

Circumstances can alter this order however.

12 hours ago, TnRiver46 said:

many of my friends throw nothing but a ned rig and they catch ‘em so I would rank it as very effective 

 

I should fish the ned more

38 minutes ago, galyonj said:

 

Hahaha I’ve seen you throw every lure they make, some are ned or die 

…sometimes I throw everything in the bag in the space of a half hour, just trying to find my groove for the day.

 

But that little piece of plastic is always sitting, waiting for me to feel a skunk winding around my ankles at the back of the boat.

 

The ned rig knows that all it has to do is be patient. It's not a question of if I'll tie one on, it's when.

 

Drop shots are too fiddly for me, though. I ain't smart enough to keep from trussing myself up trying to cast it.

Ned rig

Wacky

 

Drop shot doesn't even make the list anymore because I don't fish it.  If I had to drop shot to catch fish, I'd quit and go another day lol

Wacky worm is #1

I guess ned is #2 but I dont use a ned worm, i go with a small paddletail or curly tail. Realistically though its the same presentation on the same weight heads. 
drop shot is a distant 3. Not because it doesnt work, but because I just pass it up for other techniques. If i do its just because i want to wacky worm but I feel like i’d be better off deeper, being able to dance it in a spot.

My second to the wackyworm is a hair jig with some sort of trailer or live bait. Crawlers are deadly but can be fustrating when they bait rob. Also very popular with the sheapshead.

 

Oh and sleeper trick. I like to add a homemade safetypin (beetlespin) spinner to my “ned” rig. Its such an underutilized accesory for catching fish in off colored water slow rolled along the bottom. A #4 white indiana paired with a b-fishn 3” pulse-R in green fire core was my best bait all season. Its finesse to me because im using it as a downsized version of a spinnerbait and slow rolling it.

20 hours ago, RHuff said:

Rank the following smallmouth techniques based on effectiveness, confidence, and reliability..  feel free to add anything if you feel it’s justified.. 

 

Ned Rig

Drop Shot

Wacky Rig

 

 

Tell ya how I feel if and when I have to fish them.

Sad.

Sader

Sadest.

🙁

A-Jay

I occasionally find myself wondering how the way I know to fish in these filthy little rivers would play on a body of water such as @A-Jay's legendary Lake Menderchuck.

I must admit that I do better in clear water on my river.

54 minutes ago, galyonj said:

I occasionally find myself wondering how the way I know to fish in these filthy little rivers would play on a body of water such as @A-Jay's legendary Lake Menderchuck.

I think the line would snap and my Salvation Army spinning reels would fall apart 

If they can survive their annual drag through an Alabama swamp, they'll do fine pert'near anywhere.

1) Wacky

2) Ned

3) Drop Shot (rarely to never) not as effective as the above in current IMO. 

 

Still, by far the most dominating lure for me for smallmouth - is a 5 inch Caffeine Shad on specifically a 4/0 Owner Twistlock LIGHT hook. 

#1. Ned rig. I’ve done very well with it in lakes and rivers.

Senko style worms have  been a favorite of mine for decades, but I never fish them wacky rigged. As fragile as Senkos are, I like having them T rigged. Hooked in 2 places to keep from losing them as quickly and I like the jerk bait action.

I almost never use drop shots. I just don’t have the patience to fish them.

2 hours ago, galyonj said:

I occasionally find myself wondering how the way I know to fish in these filthy little rivers would play on a body of water such as @A-Jay's legendary Lake Menderchuck.

 

1 hour ago, TnRiver46 said:

I think the line would snap and my Salvation Army spinning reels would fall apart 

Naaaah ~

You guy's would be fine . . .

A-Jay

Ned

drop shot 

tubes

 

that’s my general way to fish 

D/S or 2.8 boottail on a 1/8 oz head.