The Ned rig originated in the midwestern United States for bass fishing. It only is it great for bass fishing it’s also great for targeting redfish.
The Ned rig in its simplest form is a smaller bait and lure size. There are several variations for jighead types but our favorite is the football jighead and the ZMan Shroomz Jig Head ⅕ - ¼ oz weight. Using these micro-sized jighead s with a simple tube bait is extremely effective for finicky redfish. Some of our favorite soft baits to use are the ZMan yoga pants, pb&j, green pumpkin, & coppertruse.
What makes this bait so effective is how slowly it drops to the bottom and the size of the bait. The advantage of this setup is that it takes minimal effort for the redfish to eat.
We pair this up with a 7’ - 8’ light/ medium action rod with a 3000 to 4000 size reel. 10 Lb -15 Lb braid with 15 - 20Lb fluorocarbon.
This is always our go-to rig in the colder weather months.
The key to why the Ned Rig slays redfish in the winter months is all about your presentation.
- Pitch your Ned Rig to where you see or feel the redfish
- Make sure there’s slack in the line as the rig drops to the bottom
- The key is to work it slowly in colder water
- I usually just slowly pull the rod to me and reel up the slack
- You don’t need to do a whole lot of action with this.
- The colder the water, the smaller the profile
- I’ve even cut down some of the Z-Man baits to half their size or about 2”
We hope this helps keep you busy during those colder months. It also works when the bite has just turned off. Present the redfish with an easy snack and boom you’re in the action.
