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5 Favourite Ned Rig Plastics - Saltwater

By Justin Willmer & Adam Barnes

The Ned Rig System has been catching for a while now in Australia and quickly became a permanent inclusion in my kit. All you need is a handful of packets of soft plastics and jigheads, it's fun to fish and most importantly, it's effective. Not only is it effective, I believe it actually excels when the bite is tough, so it's a go-to for me on the neap tides when there's little run, following a large night high and full moon, along with post-rain when the bite is slow. The technique allows you to slow things down, thoroughly fish the areas that should be holding fish and if the fish are there, they can rarely resist these bite size snacks.

In this article I wanted to outline my 5 favourite Ned Rig plastics for fishing the salt, along with how I rig and fish these for a variety of target species.

1. ZMan 2.75" TRD BugZ

This little creature bait is my favourite Ned Rig plastic and I believe it is so effective due to its realistic bite size ribbed body and the movement of its appendages, that come in the form of two larger 'claws' and two offset smaller 'legs'. I'm not exactly sure what the fish see and maybe that's what makes it so effective in so many environments. It could be a crab, yabby, prawn, baitfish, baby squid or many other creatures. The important thing is that it has the profile that mimics many of the strike triggers that would be associated with this mixed bag of creatures. In reality... it just looks like food in the water.

I generally fish this plastic light, on a 1/15oz or 1/10oz TT Lures NedlockZ jighead as it doesn't have a lot of built-in action, so it sinks well into the strike zone. I also predominantly fish it in shallower water, from half a metre down to about two metres. It is a killer around mangrove edges, weed beds, drains and for those fishing higher in the water column around pontoons and other structure, where it would also fish well on a TT lures HWS (Hidden Weight System) jighead, resembling a crab that has lost its grip on the structure and become an easy meal. If you get in amongst the heavy weed, this little guy also rigs well weedless on a TT Lures NedlockZ EWG jighead.

In terms of retrieve technique, I will generally fish the TRD BugZ on a shaking retrieve, winding slowly as I shake the rod tip and then pausing the retrieve before repeating the shake and pause retrieve. The plastic can be fished like this slowly along or near the bottom for bream, flathead, grunter and a stack of other species, or quicker mid-water to attract bream, trevally and more. The shaking makes all of the appendages dance, while creating the impression of a fleeing creature, while the pause could represent a defensive pose or freezing to avoid detection. My favourite colours include Hot Snakes and The Deal, however there are a stack of great colours, including Motor Oil. I always scent my plastics with Pro-Cure and Saltwater Yabby / Nipper is a favourite on this little guy.

2. ZMan 2.5" TRD CrawZ

This was my original favourite before it was overtaken by the addition of the TRD BugZ, which is a little more subtle and finesse in its movements. In saying that this cray, craw, crab, yabby presentation gets eaten by a stack of different species and is super effective if you want to attract a bit more attention. With the additional bulk and buoyancy of the claws I generally rig the TRD CrawZ on a 1/10oz TT Lures NedlockZ for fishing the shallows, stepping up to the 1/6oz and 1/5oz for fishing edges and down to around four metres of water. If you are fishing the fresh or saltwater areas without flow, then you could fish this lighter and deeper without issue. In fact, I know some anglers who rig this little plastic on heavier standard jigheads as a downsize snack for snapper and other species in deeper water.

I generally fish this plastic with a more aggressive retrieve than the TRD BugZ, utilising either a more aggressive shaking retrieve or a standard hopping retrieve, bringing the bulbous claws to life and attracting the attention of actively feeding predatory species. I have watched bream fight over this plastic on the flats, before one inhales it, and it also whacks the flathead. Standout sessions for me have included teaming up the Orange NedlockZ jighead with the Greasy Prawn colour to fish the saltwater yabby beds or the Orange again, this time with the Drew's Craw colour, for fishing mangrove lined creeks loaded with fiddler crabs. This is a great profile for deeper creek and channel edges, especially when the water is dirtier, and you want more presence than the TRD BugZ.

Go-to colours for me include Greasy Prawn, Drew's Craw and The Deal... and yes, it is available in Motor Oil. Again, make sure you scent it up with Pro-Cure Super Gel scent. Any flavour will do the job, with Saltwater Yabby / Nipper again a favourite, based on the theory of matching the hatch.

3. ZMan 3" TRD HogZ

This guy probably doesn't get the same amount of love as his two mates mentioned already however he has a place in everyone's Ned Rig kit. This is a finesse special, with it's two large antennae, tiny side legs and ribbed body with a solid core. The solid core makes cutting down the profile easy and out of the packet I generally trim it down behind the first set of legs, to better fit the small NedlockZ hooks.

I almost exclusively fish this plastic on a 1/10oz NedlockZ in Black or Green Pumpkin colour and fish it when my gut says there are fish there but they're not eating anything else. Shallow flats, drains, weed beds and mangrove edges are where this creature excels and when you've tried everything, cast this plastic in and shake it, hop it, flick it like a prawn and be ready for a bite. I have landed some decent bream, flathead and a mixed bag of other species on this profile. Favourite colours for me include Drew's Craw, The Deal and Motor Oil, again scented with Pro-Cure in your favourite flavour.

4. ZMan 3" Baby GOAT

I'm sure that this unique profile is going to become a favourite of mine and gain a cult following among switched on anglers. I've already had great success fishing it weedless on a #1 TT Lures SnakelockZ Finesse jighead, rigged sideways like a fish on a standard jighead. I have also seen it slaying the bass, jacks and other surface feeders buzzed topwater on a TT Lures ChinlockZ. In terms of rigging it, using the Ned Rig System, it has a larger profile and so is better suited to the 1/10oz, 1/6oz and 1/5oz with the larger #1 hook. I have landed a few flathead on it so far, however I really need more time on the water to work out exactly where it will excel before giving too much advice. I have no doubt that it will be a saltwater Ned Rig favourite though from early experiences fishing it.

Tackle Tactics Pro Angler Adam Barnes has been nailing some beast flathead on the Baby GOAT rigged on TT Lures NedlockZ, while fishing the Gold Coast, so I thought we should touch base with him for a few tips on this deadly Ned Rig combo. He came back to us with this great info for those wanting to Ned Rig a ZMan 3" Baby GOAT.

"As I mainly fish flats, gutters and drains, no deeper than 2.5m, the NedlockZ weight range is perfect for this style of fishing and these lures alone have nailed 187 flatties in five sessions, including an 86cm Croczilla. Over the moon would be an understatement and why I use them is a simple case of their ability to mimic a number of edible creatures that flatty love. You've got a worm like creature body, perfectly designed to wriggle, with the twin paddle tails imitating a bait fish tail when slow rolled over the shallows and a feeding baitfish on the bottom at rest.

Slow your retrieve and include long pauses. Now you've got a creature bait that's irresistible to the flatfish and quite a few other species. I'm finding depths from one metre and shallower have produced the best success with a 1/10oz #1 NedlockZ jighead. The 1/6oz #1 is ideal for deeper drop offs and ledges, or higher currents (in these situations a faster retrieve is required to keep in touch with the lure). As always add Pro-Cure in your favourite flavour. Time and tides don't seem to be making much of difference, although they will have quiet times throughout the tidal flows. My retrieve is never the same two, until I've worked out their pattern of feeding (actively coming off the bottom and hitting on the move or responding more on the pause). Once you figure that out, it can be a fish a cast type of fishing.

Colour choice for the TT Lures NedlockZ jighead largely depends on the lure colour that I want to use. Orange works great on the reds and darker profiles, while Chartreuse matches perfectly with greens, whites and yellows. Green Pumpkin goes with any, so I'll always have one of each colour matched up ready to go. Good luck to all who can get out for a fish, Adz."

5. ZMan 2.5" Slim SwimZ / ZMan 2.5" GrubZ

Yep, a couple of ZMan favourites and I've put them both here so that there's one for the paddle tail lovers and one for the curl tail lovers. These little plastics are deadly on virtually any jighead that you fish them on, so it makes sense that they are effective when fished with the Ned Rig system. The built-in action makes these two plastics perfect for covering ground and fishing faster than with the other Ned Rig plastics. I call them my swimming Ned Rig presentation as I utilise them for swimming over the weed flats, while having the ability to pause and drop them to the bottom in sandy patches, making the most of the rapid stand up of the Ned Rig system. I can drag, shake or hop them slowly through the sandy patches and the rapid stand up on the pause mimics a feeding or defensive pose, attracting predators throughout the retrieve.

This presentation is especially effective when fishing super shallow, weedy areas for flathead, where you want to cover ground, while still having a subtle presentation that you can fish slowly through the patches of sand and rubble. Over the weed I fish a slow roll (slow wind) with the rod tip up, occasionally shaking the rod tip for added action. When the presentation reaches the edge of a pocket, simply pause the retrieve and drop the rod tip, allowing the plastic to fall right against the edge of the weed, without fouling. You can then thoroughly work the sand and rubble patches. I am generally fishing around 50-80cm of water in this situation, so stick with a 1/10oz NedlockZ jighead, increasing the weight when fishing these plastics on the edges or deeper flats. A highlight for me was switching to a Slim SwimZ on the NedlockZ 1/10oz, anchoring the kayak on the edge of a sandy patch in windy conditions and picking the patch apart until it produced an 80cm flathead, that was quickly released to put a smile on someone else's face.

Ned Rig Wrap

If you love your saltwater river and estuary fishing, and especially the shallow water side of things, then the Ned Rig System is a valuable addition to your kit. It has produced some quality fish and good numbers for me, excelling when the bite is tough, including after rain, low tidal flow, when bait is scarce and when focussing on a smaller section of water or specific piece of structure. I hope that this article gives you a starting point for fishing this system and you find yourself with a bent rod and a big smile. Fish on!

See you on the water...
Justin

Gearing Up:

TT Rods Black Mamba Spin Rods - BMS701 7' 1-3kg
Okuma Epixor XT Spin Reels - EPXT-20
Platypus Pulse X8 Braid - 6-10lb
Platypus Stealth FC Fluorocarbon Leader - 6-10lb

ZMan 2.75" TRD BugZ
ZMan 2.5" TRD CrawZ
ZMan 3" TRD HogZ
ZMan 3" Baby GOAT
ZMan 2.5" GrubZ
ZMan 2.5" Slim SwimZ
TT Lures NedlockZ Jigheads
TT Lures NedlockZ EWG Jigheads
Pro-Cure Super Gel Scent