Summer 2022
A
nglers on the hunt for smallies will need a
casting technique to cover water and a spinning
rod to pick them off when they are reticent to bite or hold fast to cover to ambush prey.
Bassmaster Elite Champion Jeff “Gussy” Gustafson has
not only embraced the Ned rig but mastered it for situations
such as these.
Gustafson pointed out that while the Neko rig is all
the rage for spotted bass in deep water, he prefers it
because the hook-up and landing percentage is better and
more efficient. He can spend more time fishing instead of
inserting nail weights.
FINDING STRUCTURE
Gustafson meticulously sets up his Humminbird Helix 12 G4 units to paint the exact picture of the structure that surrounds his boat.
It’s game over when he sees boulders, logs, docks, and fish on his electronics. Gussy pitches his bait to fish so that he can see his electronics or a piece of cover potentially holding fish and if a bass swims over to it, it’s game over.
RIGGING
Gustafson utilizes a 1/6- to 1/4-ounce head poured on a heavier gauge Gamakatsu 604 hook for his setup. Though the hook is only size #1, he can muscle big fish to the boat more quickly. He’s excited to fish the head built on the same hook being made by Northland Tackle, due to be released in 2022.
Equally effective is utilizing a jig head with a weed guard to target spotted bass hiding in and around sunken
brush piles and largemouth in standing timber.
“I can drop it right down beside or over the
brush pile and pull it off the pile to get the bite,”
he said. “The best part is that you can set the
hook once.”
Gussy likes a heavier weight to fish
more efficiently.
“They love when the bait
flies past them and you
can watch them follow
it to the bottom,” he
said.
By getting his
bait to the bottom
more quickly, he
can let it sit for
a moment before
either setting the
hook or reeling in his
Ned and trying to hit the
sweet spot.
“I want a heavier jig head to keep contact
with the bottom,” said Gustafson. “A friend
of mine, Bassmaster Open’s angler Jamie
Bruce, made me some nice
small, 3/8-ounce
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