Help me understand how to best utilize a Neko rig. I know the setup and how it’s fished, but I don’t fully understand where it shines. For example, when would it be a better choice than a drop shot?

44 minutes ago, GoneFishingLTN said:

For example, when would it be a better choice than a drop shot?

Skipping docks and other shallow cover. 

I've been fishing it a bunch this year and I've caught fish every time I've fished one.  It has been my numbers of fish lure and my save a skunk lure.  Almost all of it has been with a trick worm with minor work done with a janitor and a finesse worm.  I'll echo shallow cover, anything down to 15' really with different weights.  I've been treating it like I did a ned the past couple years- rigged weedless and throw it into the grass or brush.  If I'm fishing it that way, I'm throwing 10# fluoro and I haven't lost a fish to the cover yet.  The VMC weedless hooks don't hang up hardly at all.  I get more grass that wraps around the worm at the crossover ring that I get on the hook itself.  I've not been snagged on a lily pad yet.  Brush is tougher but it still comes through better than you'd expect.

 

My mentality on it is if I think the fish are around the bottom, not chasing, and aren't eating a texas rig, then they are probably on a finesse bite and the neko is now my first choice.  cast it out near/into the cover, let it fall to the bottom, give it a jiggle, reel in and repeat.  Occasionally if there is a spread of cover I'll work it all the way back.

The main time I throw a Neko is as a cleanup bait on open flats when the crankbait bite dies off. 

I throw them in weeds, weed edges, cover...and in the open. It's been pretty much everywhere this year.

 

From 1 foot to 30 feet.

I think of it as a wacky rig for deeper water. I throw a weightless maxscent general wacky style up around the bank and near cover but if I'm fishing parallel to the bank say in the 8-10 ft zone or deeper I'll fish it neko style. Sometimes I still use the general sometimes I'll use another worm it just depends. The roboworm fat has been good as has the BBB Nekorama.  I like a 1/16 tungsten nail weight with the geecrack neko hack and a vmc size 1 wacky hook. Same hook makes it easy to switch in an out based on which one I wanna throw. 

 

It's deadly on livescope when you see fish holding or roaming the bottom throw it and let it fall down right in front of them. Drew Gill is probably the best in the world at this. He says he throws it at suspended fish too he lets them follow it to the bottom and deadsticks it until they bite it. I can get the followers but I can't seem to get them to eat it yet. That is a prime example as to why I am not a pro. 

Since I’m not permitted to quote anymore, I agree with @RHuff first sentence above. It’s just a heavier version of a wacky.

 

I fished it from mid June through July when largemouth were set up on the deep edge of the weed line and did some serious damage. The weighted neko allows it to sink faster into the strike zone. Quite often my strikes come on the initial fall.

 

Anything deeper than about 5 feet gets the neko, less than that a standard wacky has a fast enough fall rate for me.

Caught this one in 32 feet of water

My absolute favorite place to throw em is around cypress. Especially if they're in 2+ feet of water. With my scope in perspective mode, a lot of times you can seem them moving between trees. The trees make for easy reference on where to cast.

 

I also throw it at deep fish on scope. I haven't had much luck with fish following it down and eating it or eating it when shaken over their heads, but quite a few have eaten it on the fall.