Digital Editor Dave Mull is a self-described light tackle “finesse fanatic” for bass and other species, and it’s not just because of the added challenge of catching fish on lighter tackle.

“I used to throw a 2-inch, flat-tail plastic worms and have graduated to the Ned Rig, and usually get a lot more bites on these smaller presentations than my fishing buddies do with heavier, bigger, more standard gear for bass,” Mull says. “Since the Ned Rig gets a lot of bites, it’s a great one for kids to use, too. No telling what will bite the little bait, either. Since I started throwing it last year it has caught everything from bluegills, to brown trout, to northern pike and big channel catfish. While it isn’t the best choice when searching for a lunker bass, I prefer getting the string stretched and catching lots of smaller fish with some big ones mixed in than just fishing for a few big bites. I think that’s what most kids prefer, too—a lot of action.”

The basic Ned Rig is named after retired Kansas biologist Ned Kehde who, through his articles in different publications such as “In-Fisherman Magazine” and current online logs, popularized downsized plastics on jigheads ranging from tiny 1/32-ounce models to 1/8-ounce heads. Original combos featured plastic worms cut down to 2 1/2 to 3-inch pieces. The current rage is 2 3/4-inch “T.R.D.” plastic worms from Zman or half of that company’s 5-inch ZinkerZ. These plastics work on a wide range of small jigheads, with Kehde a fan of Gopher Mushroom Heads. Zman offers its own ShroomZ heads, too.

Finesse anglers like these these soft plastics, which are made of incredibly durable and long-lasting Elaztech plastic. Reports of more than 50 fish on the same jig and T.R.D. abound—Mull logged 51 bass and three walleyes this April on the very same Ned Rig before he accidentally broke it off on his back-cast.

Mull feels that a lot of small nuances in rigging and retrieving Ned Rigs can help get more bites and land more fish. In this 5-minute video, he shows how to rig a T.R.D. on a ShroomZ jighead.