There's a little lure that's getting big results at Beaver Lake -- the Ned rig.
It isn't much to look at, with its disc-shaped jig head and small hook that's threaded with the stub of soft plastic the size of your little finger. A Ned rig looks like Wally in the Dilbert comic strip, kind of nerdy. Anglers have the last laugh when they work Uncle Ned along the lake bottom.
Ned rigs gained favor in the bass fishing world about two years ago. Ned Kehde, a Kansas fisherman, came up with the little lure to catch largemouth bass. Beaver Lake anglers are finding the Ned rig is one heck of a walleye lure.
I read about the Ned rig in a fishing magazine a couple of springs ago and noticed the local fishing store started selling Ned rig stuff. Would it work at Beaver? The first casts made a believer out of me.
Largemouth, smallmouth and spotted bass gobbled up Ned rigs all last spring and into summer. This spring, I've caught as many walleye as bass with Uncle Ned.
It's easy to fish, just like working a plastic worm. Let a Ned rig sink, then hop it along the bottom. Sometimes you'll feel a bite, or it may just feel like there's extra weight on your line. When in doubt, set the hook.
If it's walleye you're after, use a one-sixth-ounce jig head to sink the lure quickly down to 20 feet, the depth where walleye like to hang out.
Nick Frakes of Gravette and Keith Brashers of Rogers are two of the top tournament bass anglers at Beaver Lake. Each has put a Ned rig to the test. Both agree the Ned rig isn't a big-fish bait. For catching a large number of bass, it's super.
"It'll catch lots of small bass," Frakes said. "I think every time I've used one I've caught fish on almost every cast. If I was going to take some kids fishing, I'd have them use Ned rigs."
Frakes and his buddy, Andy Benson, won the Northwest Arkansas Team Trail championship tournament held June 9-10 at Beaver Lake. They used deep-diving crank baits to win, said Frakes, who's sponsored by Nichols Marine of Tulsa.
Brashers and his teammate, Nicky Parson, were hot on their tails in the championship. They led the tournament after Day 1 and also used crank baits down deep. But Ned rigs are great for certain situations, Brashers said. Like if you just want to catch fish, not necessarily big ones. That's not to say the occasional lunker won't bite one, he added.
"Ned rigs are a great way to catch fish and have fun," Brashers said.
The Z-Man lure company makes the "official" Ned rig soft plastic lure that is threaded on the jig head. It's highly elastic and durable. Kehde, the inventor, claims to have caught 200 bass on one Ned rig. Brashers said there are all brands of similar looking lures that can be threaded on a Ned rig jig head.
Another plus is the rig's small hook. It's easy to remove from a fish's mouth, Brashers said.
When conditions are really tough, like during winter in cold and muddy water, Brashers said a Ned rig can save a fishing trip.
Fish a Ned rig shallow and bass will likely come knocking. Go deep to catch walleye. That's advice from James Whittle who runs the Beaver Lake Elite Series bass tournaments at Beaver.
"If you're using a Ned rig 20 feet deep and get a bite, chances are good it's a walleye," he said.
Not a bad deal, catching two kinds of fish with one lure.
Sports on 06/19/2018