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SEVEN CASTS
Coastal Companionby Seven Casts · Coastal Virginia
Sheet 18 of 28

intermediate rig

Lure presentation

Ned rig

A finesse, slow-fishing technique: cast out, let it sink fully to bottom, then drag or hop it very slowly

Water
lakeriver
Ned rig schematicTop to bottom: main line, hook, bait.

Schematic, not to scale. Hover, tap, or tab through the parts; the drawing isolates each one.

Terms usedMain lineHook sizes

Components

As listed in the rig record, top to bottom.

  1. A small mushroom-style jig head
  2. A short, buoyant soft-plastic stick bait threaded on straight

Setup

Hook
The jig head's built-in light-wire hook — sized small (1/16–1/6 oz head is typical) relative to most other jig presentations in this guide.
Weight
Deliberately light — the whole technique depends on a subtle, slow fall and a bait that stands up slightly off bottom on its own buoyancy once it lands.

How to fish it

A finesse, slow-fishing technique: cast out, let it sink fully to bottom, then drag or hop it very slowly — long pauses are normal and often when bites happen.

When to use it

  • Cold water and post-front days when bass will not chase
  • Clean bottom — gravel, sand, hard mud — where the bait can stand up
  • Slow, patient fishing from the bank or a kayak

Common mistakes

  • Fishing it too fast — the Ned rig's whole appeal is a subtle, mostly-still presentation, not an active retrieve

Variations

Freshwater finesse rigs: the same idea, adjusted

Rigs drawn from the same schematic family — heavier, lighter, or with one part changed for a different fish or water.

All lure rigs

Where to use it

Water this rig is documented for

Spots marked “species match” document a fish this rig is for and the way it is fished — a place to try it, not a report that it has been fished there.

All fishing spots