®
Summer 2025
page
8
tube to lay on the bottom or get it to stand up by putting a small piece of Styrofoam inside the tube (many anglers are using a small piece of a safety ear plug).
Another attraction I can add to this mix is to put a couple of drops of bait scent into the mix by adding a few drops to the foam you stuck inside the tube or craw. This has been a go-to when the bite gets extra tough. This trick has many times turned a slow bite day into a day that was a success, use this tweak to your benefit.
RODS, REELS, AND LINE CHOICES
I fish a few different Denali rods when it comes to my rod choices. I will fish a Denali Lithium Pro 7’ medium-action spinning rod (LP702DS) or a Denali Attax Pro (APS704XF) 7’ medium-action spinning setup.
I will team these with a Denali 200 Fission Pro Spinning reel spooled with a 10- to 12-pound Sunline Asegai braid and a 10-pound Sunline FC leader. This is a standard setup that I will start my day with.
If faced with tough bite conditions and the bass are dropping my bait before I get a chance to set the hook, the first adjustment I will make is to switch to a mono leader instead of FC. Mono floats instead of sinks like FC; this will slow the fall of my bait down, and mono has more stretch than FC does, so this will build a little buffer into my line, not allowing the bass to feel me as well. If I still struggle after the mono leader change, I have been known to switch to a spinning reel spooled with straight 10lb Sunline Assassin FC. This move has saved my day on a few occasions. Do not think that you do not have other options to try if the bite is tough and you are struggling to get bass over the side of the boat.
RETRIEVE SPEED & ACTION
When fishing a Ned, give the bass different retrieves and looks when you start your day. I will always start with the basics, make my cast, and let the bait settle to the bottom on a slack line. When I engage my reel, I will give my reel handle a turn or two to take up the slack; I will one feel to see if I have a bite.
If not, I will slowly lift my rod tip to move my bait forward a little, drop my rod tip, reel in the slack, and start over. This retrieve will keep my bait on the bottom but move it forward slightly each time. I will add a tip shake now and then,
I may also add a quick rod tip snap
to get my bait to jump off the bottom
and settle back to the bottom. I will let it sit on the bottom for a few seconds before I restart my drag retrieve.
Another retrieve I throw into the mix is to drag my bait along the bottom with a side pull of my rod, then pause and reel up the slack and repeat the process back to the boat.
At times I will make a cast, let the bait settle on the bottom, and start a slow reel, allowing the bait to swim and bounce off the bottom on its way back to the boat, just like a baitfish would.
The more retrieve options and different looks you can give the bass, the more chances you have of triggering bites. Remember what you were doing when you get a strike or two so you can build off that retrieve.
I hope this will expand how you have been fishing a ned rig in the past. We all know the ned rig can catch bass; now all you have to do is push that envelope even more this year, and this will take push the ned envelop to the next level. •