With more women, kids and individuals getting into fishing, the latest push is to try to keep and retain them in the sport. I think the best way to do that is to make sure they have fun and learn how to get better at it. I enjoy taking inexperienced people fishing and helping them catch fish. To me, even though the sport is much more than catching fish, I also completely understand that people want and need to catch fish to be entertained! It can be a long day just fishing and not catching.

For anyone not familiar with fishing, one of the hardest things to acquire is the feel of a bite. A bite can feel like anything, from your lure coming in contact with the bottom of the lake, to a tug on the line, to getting caught on a weed.

In my opinion, one of the best ways to learn how to fish and detect what a bite is, is through finesse Ned rigging. Slip floats or bobbers work well as a visual indicator to a bite, but the direct feel of a bite on the line, and learning what to do with it, is far superior and a lot more fun.

The setup

Ned rigging is a type of finesse presentation. There are reaction strikes like cast-and-retrieve presentations, and then there are finesse bites through fishing Ned Rigs, Drop-Shots, Wacky Worms, pitching baits, etc. These slower, finesse presentations cover less water, but when fish are present, using a finesse approach will keep your bait in the strike zone longer. It can be a lot of fun, while at the same time, provide a terrific way to learn.

I like to fish a Ned rig on a 6’ 9” to 7’ 2”, medium-light graphite rod. A good-quality graphite rod will help people learn what a bite feels like, and can also help them quickly learn what type of bottom or structure they are fishing, rocks, be it weeds, hard and soft bottoms, etc. Using a no-stretch line, like Berkley Fireline, Yo-Zuri or Seaguar also allows you to discern a bite from various structure and cover.

I like using 8- to 10-pound-test and will tie a 2- to 3-foot fluorocarbon leader to the end of the superline, making the jig appear more natural. This superline/graphite rod presentation telegraphs everything starting from the bait, up through the line, to the rod and then to your hands. This allows me to create a picture in my mind, feeling and learning what the bait is actually doing in the water column. The superline/graphite rod combination also helps detect bites much better.

When finesse fishing, a better rod usually makes a huge difference. There are a lot of good quality rods out there for around $100; one is the Abu Garcia Veritas series. Fenwick also has the HMG rods in the $100 to $150 category that work really well and provide terrific feel. Recently, Fenwick completely redesigned their entire lineup, offering a “family flex” concept that offers the same fishability and actions between the four different rod series from lower-end models to their high-end series. They offer higher-grade components and materials in the more expensive rods, which allows beginners to start inexpensively and then progress to better equipment as they get more into the sport, all the while creating the same fishability and flex between the series.

The Ned rig

The working part of the presentation is the Ned rig itself. A Ned rig is a special flat-headed jig that stands up on the bottom of the lake. A trailer not only gives the bait its buoyancy, but also provides action to the bait. Although the Ned rig started with the Z-Man Company, many companies now make Ned jigs and trailers. What started with a 3-inch plastic worm-like trailer now includes many different Ned trailers, with everything from creature baits, worms, minnow style plastics and more. A few companies like Z-Man and Strike King lures have created smaller-sized Ned trailers for panfish and crappie.

The presentation

Ned rigging is very easy to teach. Cast the jig as far as possible (the light rod helps), keeping the bail open and letting the bait fall to the bottom. If you close your bail on the cast, you won’t get as much distance on your cast because the bait will fall like it’s on a pendulum, back towards the boat.

Once the jig reaches the bottom, point your rod tip to the jig and reel up the slack. Then slowly raise the rod from the 9 o’clock position to the 12 o’clock position, dragging and moving your bait across the structure. This allows the jig to hop across the bottom of the lake, mimicking a minnow or prey feeding along the bottom. Once to the 12 o’clock position, if no bite is detected, simply reel down to the 9 o’clock position again, pulling up the slack line and start over again until you reach 12. Keep doing this until you finish the retrieve.

A huge advantage to Ned rigging is that fish tend to hang on longer to the bait and allow a fisherman/woman to get used to feeling what a bite feels like. It also allows someone time to set the hook since a fish won’t spit out the bait as quickly as with other presentations or heavier baits.

The hookset

Once a bite is detected, you don’t need a huge hookset. One small, quick jerk is all that is needed to land a fish. Those who have not fished much tend to keep jerking the rod back and forth. As a result, they allow the line to go slack, thus giving the fish the chance to spit the hook and get off the line. Explaining that one quick jerk of the rod and just keeping tension on the line is the important part of catching and landing more fish.

Ned rigging can be simple but also very effective, not only at catching fish, but teaching how to discern bites and keeping fish on your line. The next time you are fishing with someone who has never tried Ned rigging, tie one on and let them feel, learn and practice the art of fishing. They’ll probably be “hooked for life.”

Looking for some new fishing techniques to try this season? You’ll find plenty of suggestions in every issue of MidWest Outdoors. Subscribe on our website.