Varmint / Ned Rig Rods, Line, Reels

[dtrs5kprs]

I frequently look but rarely post but I will throw in my .02(not sure if its even worth that ) on rods for the Ned rig.

I settled on throwing my rigs on 2 different rods:

St Croix Premier 6' ML

and

BPS Carbonlite 6' 9" ML

both are adequate for my needs although I tend to throw the heavier rigs on the 6 footer.

I will say it took me a few trips to realize that my Medium spinning rods were just not as effective for the rigs. I finally tried the 6' ML I had originally bought years ago for small river smallmouth fishing and found I was more successful with it.

You have a gem in that Carbonlite, if it is the old black one. About as right as you can get. Did not include it, because the new one is quite a bit different.

[Ham]

I think I should change my moniker to "Nanofil Ham". I am an absolute believer that the advantages of Nanofil vastly outweigh the disadvantages. It isn't a perfect line, but it's pretty darn close. I throw the Ned on 6 lb or 8 lb Nanofil with a 6 lb or 8 lb leader. Everyone says fluro, but no one says why they use fluro as a leader, they just do. Sometimes I use fluro and sometimes I use P Line CX Premium.

I think a good starting point for some folks wiould be a drop shot rod. I have a GYCB 6'8" Dropshot Rod that was my go to grub rod back before Ned Rigs ruined my grub fishing. Soft tip that loads and throws well as well as a little load on the bite. Plenty of backbone later.

If not a drop shot rod, then use your grub rod. The 1/16 oz head with the extra weight of the Zinker chunk throws like a "c" cell battery so don't worry about having a rod rated for 1/16 oz..

I've used the Ned successfully on a wide variety of rods. I have a few others that I will be trying out, but so far the GYCB seems to do the best for me.

[dtrs5kprs]

I think I should change my moniker to "Nanofil Ham". I am an absolute believer that the advantages of Nanofil vastly outweigh the disadvantages. It isn't a perfect line, but it's pretty darn close. I throw the Ned on 6 lb or 8 lb Nanofil with a 6 lb or 8 lb leader. Everyone says fluro, but no one says why they use fluro as a leader, they just do. Sometimes I use fluro and sometimes I use P Line CX Premium.

I think a good starting point for some folks wiould be a drop shot rod. I have a GYCB 6'8" Dropshot Rod that was my go to grub rod back before Ned Rigs ruined my grub fishing. Soft tip that loads and throws well as well as a little load on the bite. Plenty of backbone later.

If not a drop shot rod, then use your grub rod. The 1/16 oz head with the extra weight of the Zinker chunk throws like a "c" cell battery so don't worry about having a rod rated for 1/16 oz..

I've used the Ned successfully on a wide variety of rods. I have a few others that I will be trying out, but so far the GYCB seems to do the best for me.

And have you thrown a lot of C cell batteries? And if so, why? Jet skiers?

[mohogtrapper]

Dave, can you explain the difference in reels a bit more? What is the major difference between the 2000/2500 spools and the 3000 spools?

[abkeenan]

Dave, can you explain the difference in reels a bit more? What is the major difference between the 2000/2500 spools and the 3000 spools?

Difference is in physical size of reel, weight of reel, line capacity and rate of line recovery per turn of the handle.

[dtrs5kprs]

Dave, can you explain the difference in reels a bit more? What is the major difference between the 2000/2500 spools and the 3000 spools?

The numbers vary from brand to brand, but basically the 2000-2500 (using the Daiwa's and Shimano numbers) are the reels typically sold as "med lite or med" freshwater reels. These are the reels most anglers think of as bass or walleye reels.

The 3000 is a pretty substantial jump up in spool size and reel weight. More of a "med hvy" freshwater if you want to think of it that way. The bigger spools simply handle light line better, with less twist.

To try and frame the comparison, the Daiwa Lexa 2500 lists a line capacity for 8lb line at 170 yds. The same reel in the 3000 size has an 8lb capacity of 240 yds. In the Daiwa reels the increase in capacity comes with a wider spool, not just a deeper one. This is not consistent between brands. Some just get deeper, and some get longer, neither of which help as much with line control as a wider spool.

In action, it makes a noticeable difference in twist. My kids are still using some 2500's because they fit better, but they end up with more twist. I went to bigger spooled reels after getting sick of my 2000 size Shimanos back in about 2006.

One of the nicest in terms of line management was the Ray Scott reel. Rest of the reel was a flaming disaster, but there was no twist with mono or fluoro. That drove the point home. The BPS reels have a similar profile, almost like a pony spool of line instead of a traditional sized spool.

Specifically, I have been using some very well worn Daiwa's Excelers in the 3000 size. The new Excelers look a bit different, and list different capacities, at least on TW. I also had a Team Daiwa in the 3500 that was just too big to be comfortable. Handled line incredibly well though. Sold it to a saltwater guy.

[Ham]

I have actually thrown a fair amount of "C" cell batteries and a more than few "D" cell batteries. They go a LONG ways and have a good payload at impact. I will hold off on saying much more even though I'm pretty sure the statuet of limitations must have expired by now.

Compact, heavy for its size, and minimal wind resistence. I've never thrown one on a rod and reel, but bass casting sinkers would be close.

[Terrierman]

I'm with you on the rods but not so much on the reels. Not really troubled all that much with line twist and much prefer the comfort and handling of 2000 and 2500 sized reels. I wish I had a religion there. Used to be a Shimano guy but had the binding trouble that so many others complain about so I abandoned them. I've got a couple of Lew's Speed Spins that I like (2000 size), a 2500 Daiwa Exceller that I also like. Recently bought a 2500 size Okuma but haven't fished it yet and also just bought one of the closeout Daiwa Ballistics in 2000 size and haven't had a chance to use it yet. I'm thinking about giving a Pflueger Patriarch a try. Probably also in 2500 size. I understand the Patriarch's are very very light and a quality reel, Brett really likes his Pfluegers and that's a pretty good recommendation in my book.

[Alex Heitman]

If you are looking for a good affordable spinning reel the. I prefer the pfluger presidents. Great price and they work good. Just get the bigger spook like Dave said. If you want a great deal that will last a long time then the stradic is the way to go. Top of the line drag system and smooth as butter.

[Champ188]

Here's a deal that Mark Davis showed me many years ago --- back when he was still guiding on Lake Ouachita and maybe before he even fished his first professional derby.

When line twist starts giving you problems on a spinning reel, cut off your lure and troll your empty line behind the boat. Open the bail and spool off nearly all of it --- or down close to your knot if you use backing. Be sure and have a good grip on your rod when you first close the bail. It's surprising how much drag/pull that empty line has.

Pull it for about 5 minutes, then stop and reel it in. Tie your lure back on and you're ready to go fishing. Your line should perform like you just spooled it on.