Ned Rig finesses bass bites with simplicity

In his late-70s, and with dozens of good fishing lakes within an hour of his Lawrence, Kan., home, Ned Kehde doesn’t travel far these days.

But a simple fishing lure he helped pioneer, nicknamed “The Ned Rig” by others, has made inroads in the bass-fishing world. Sold online, and hanging from display hooks in stores, it’s been touted by major angling retailers, and some of America’s top professional bass anglers, as the most productive finesse-fishing bass lure of our time.

The Ned Rig really started to take off in 2015, said Daniel Nussbaum, general manager of Z Man Fishing Products, a company that now packages product labeled specifically for Ned Rigs.

Joey Nania, a Liberty Lake, Washington, fishing prodigy who’s moved to the southeast to run a guiding buisiness and co-host a fishing show, touted the Ned Rig in a Sweetwater Fishing blog. “With the Ned Rig, there is no tail movement as it falls. No quivering as you shake it. That being said, the reason fish will absolutely inhale this bait, after passing on other appetizing offerings, comes down to its subtle gliding and darting action on the fall, and its unusually diminutive size that appeals to bass even after eating their fill.”

“They’ve worked every place we’ve fished them, from Florida to Canada,” Nussbaum said. “Pretty much, if you throw it out there you’re going to catch something.”

Ned said similar lures have been in tackle boxes for decades.

“Years ago it didn’t have a plastic body, it was a hair jig or a marabou jig,” he said. “It’s just kind of like an old-fashioned beetle, a jig head with a piece of soft plastic. I ask the bass every so often why this seems to work even better and they refuse to answer.”

But both the jig head, and bodies, are different from the marabou jigs and bass beetles of decades ago. Kehde thinks both may contribute to the rig’s success. He usually fishes a relatively light head of around 1/16 ounce. No matter the size, he wants it to be a mushroom-styled head.

“Those heads are totally flat, so I think that lets the jig sit 90 degrees on the bottom,” he said.

The soft texture, scent and subtle action of modern lure plastics adds a lot to the presentation, too.

Some anglers who make their money bass fishing have become fans of the Ned Rig.

On a YouTube video, Bass Anglers Sportsman Society Hall of Fame angler Stacey King said he changed from a skeptic to a fan of the Ned Rigs after he tried them the first time. King said he has used the rigs to fill a limit during a tournament, before concentrating on bigger fish with other lures.

Brent Chapman of Kansas, 2012 BASS Angler of the Year and a 13-time Bassmaster Classic qualifier, said he’s used the general rig, and technique, since he fished with Kehde several years ago.

Chapman said there are times when the lure’s smaller size, and a slow movement, may be especially appealing to bass.

“I use the analogy that we, as humans, like a big steak dinner but that’s an entire production to achieve,” he said. “But for us to just reach into a bowl and grab a chip is a lot easier.”

“I’m all about getting bites,” Kehde said. “A six-inch bass is the same as a 6-pounder. I want action. I don’t want to sit out there all day, hoping for five bites. That would bore me to death.”

There’s another important element about the rigs that really appeals to Kehde - the cost. Even if buying the specially-packaged jigs and bodies, each Ned Rig costs about a buck or much less.

He also likes the durability.

“I’ve caught up to 185 largemouth bass on the same bait, before it was destroyed,” he said. “That saves me quite a bit of money. I’m retired, so I really like that.”

Outdoors editor Rich Landers contributed to this story.