More Midwest Finesse

[RSBreth]

Those do work. Have a great 3/32oz head and Mitch's 1/8oz heads work great. Have not found a lighter head with a good weed guard.

That's funny - I think I finally hammered out the design of a 1/16 double wire weedguard swimming jighead I've been wanting for swimming grubs last weekend. Just like a really good 1/8 ounce finesse jig with a perfect hook and skirt - hard enough to find that I just finally had to make my own. My 1/16 isn't a mushroom head though - I don't care for them.

Anyone can fish however they like - as long as it's legal I don't give a rip - and Table Rock can be a real tough lake if you don't fish it enough to know it's moods so I get the finesse angle there - enough so I always have my tiny finesse jig tied on and shaky heads and a 4" worm 1/16-ounce mini-Texas rig or dropshot or whatever. But when I'm fishing for Smallmouths I'd rather fish bigger and faster - I'd just rather catch 12 bigger fish in an afternoon than 50 little ones.

I know, I know, you'll catch bigger ones on the little baits, too. Just not as consistantly, and everytime I read of people obsessively counting every fish and how many fish per hour or whatever I'm reminded of a passage in one of John Gierachs essays about how everyone thought catch and release regulations would bring out most people's better angels, but for a lot of fishermen it just allows a higher "'body count" like the old bait store photos with two hundred fish strung up on the meat pole while still retaining the illusion of standing on some moral high ground. Or something like that. But again - you fish how you want, I don't care, I'll read about it and skim anything off I think is useful for my own style.

On a lighter note, I do find it ironic that on several of the bigger Bass forums they have long comparisons of which shaky head jig will stand up on the bottom, which worm will float when whatever head is one the bottom, some even used the term "Ned Rig" and even linked to the story about Shin Fukae winnin on the FLW Tour on Beaver Lake with a jigworm: http://archives.in-fisherman.com/content/meet-shinichi-fukae-wizard-finesse-0

but evidently none of them never really read anything because you don't let the bloody lure touch the bottom. There's even a diagram of the swim retrieve of page three of that article.

Sorry - I just find that funny and thought I'd share.

[dtrs5kprs]

Ned has been doing it for a minute or two as well. Still uses the old Mitchell egg beater reels without the bail that he used way back when he started. He may very well not have came up with the idea, but he certainly has polished it and publicized it so others can enjoy it's effectiveness. I don't believe he named it after himself either, he just loves teaching others how to use it and it got named after him by others.

Bluebaser has it right. Ned gives credit to a group of anglers from the KC area and the LOZ area going back to the 1960's and has written extensively on the history and development of the technique. What Ned has done is use the platforms available through InFisherman and other magazines to spread its use. He and a few others also did a lot to dial the system in around the elaztech baits. If memory serves he gives credit to KVD for that, after KVD gave him some of the Strike King baits after his big shakey head win back in about 2005.

Guys...if you don't like it, don't do it. Someone will be happy to catch those fish.

[dtrs5kprs]

Those do work. Have a great 3/32oz head and Mitch's 1/8oz heads work great. Have not found a lighter head with a good weed guard.

You have to make them. Take a dremel to a mold and presto.

[Ham]

. I can see the possibility for 200 fish days in May June & July.

The Ned rig has revolutionized my approach to river smallies.

Careful now, people are start asking for proof. Lol.

[Old plug]

RSBRETH You got a. good point there. There used to be a guy down at clearwater fished the Black River and used the Old Flip tail worms in the 9 1/2 in size. He did very well for himself.

GAVIN if you want very light weight and weedless just buy some of those eagle claw weedless hooks and put it in whatever you want and fish it with no other weight. Another thing you can do is carry a assortment of split shot and put them on the line right next to the hook. I like the kind that allow you bend them back to remove them so that I can adjust the sink rate

[Guest]

Careful now, people are start asking for proof. Lol.

I might have to break out the clicker! LOL

[dtrs5kprs]

I might have to break out the clicker! LOL

Don't think I keep accurate enough count for Ned's preference. I usually only note the number of keepers, and keepers of the three different species (or 4 really), tallying shorts gets old.

For whatever reasons, on Table Rock dragging the little rig on the bottom is usually better than the various swimming retrieves Ned describes. Was interesting to see that show up in the article on Doc Seger also. I do swim it at times, especially if a fish breaks on the other side of the boat, around docks, and will go to the 1/32oz heads and swim those if they are visibly making a move to the beds. Ned had a big day swimming it for suspended fish at Table Rock, think it was with Edwin Evers.

Around Kansas City, swimming works better, but a lot of the smaller lakes have grass to one degree or another. You about have to swim it then.

[Guest]

My wife usually fishes with me. She's an accountant that can keep track of her fish and mine! Lol

I count everything that's unhooked.

8" bass, goggle eye, everything.

2/3 if the bass aren't keepers but it's still fun.

[fishingaddiction]

Enjoyed the links to the articles, thanks for posting them. The article about Shin Fukae on Beaver was very interesting in how he approaches finesse fishing. Agree with the dragging retrieve on the little rig, other than when the moss was bad last spring. At that time I had good success with popping the rig up and letting it fall on semi slack line not letting it hit bottom and getting in the moss. Strikes would occur on the fall.

[Guest]

It's one if the versatile rigs you can fish.

Money in the bank