Ned vs Neko?
A day with Ned Kehde, the Godfather of the "Ned Rig"
A few months ago, the directors of the Kansas Kayak Anglers asked me to join up with them and Ned Kehde, the “Godfather” of the Ned rig and finesse fishing in general. It would be a friendly competition between the Ned and Neko rigs. I obliged and thought it would not only be an honor but lots of fun as well!
Plans were made for a morning of fishing with Kehde, on his fishing boat, using our specialty baits and see how they would perform side by side at Lone Star lake near Lawrence, Kansas. We would follow up with lunch and then a couple of seminars at a local Lawrence fly and tackle shop, the Blue Heron Outdoors.
Many years ago I was introduced to the Ned Rig by a friend on Lake Wanahoo. I was struggling to to catch fish and he was on them. He offered me one of his lures, a half of a stick worm threaded on to a jig head. He called it the, “Ned Rig.” I tried it and started catching fish right away! I was hooked on this unique looking bait that was a plain as it gets. After looking into it further I started using this style of presentation and caught a lot of fish, especially bass. There were some mushroom style lead jigs available with smaller hooks and I used the ZMan Finesse TRD with them. The only issue I had was losing bigger fish with the smaller hooks. Eventually, there would be bigger versions available and I found them to be very good with keeping the bigger fish on until I landed them. I didn’t even know how this presentation got it’s name but would eventually find out through articles from the In-Fisherman magazine which I subscribed to for many years and still continue to receive today.
A few years later, I was browsing the aisles at our local Bass Pro Shops in Council Bluffs, Iowa and Jim Flowers who worked there approached me about a new tactic he was using to catch a lot of bass, He wanted to share it with me. Again, a very unique looking lure that intrigued my curiosity. I purchased a couple packages of the ZMan Big TRD’s, some hooks, and nail weights to put to the test. It wasn’t long before I found out that this finesse presentation would be the ticket to a journey of catching an incredible number of bass! Big, little, it didn’t matter! The bass went nuts over this bait! I would go on to win several tournaments and finish very high in others using this presentation. I didn’t really tell anyone about it at first. Through the years I’ve perfected it to suit my style of fishing and eventually passed on my passion for this bait to hundreds of others. When guiding from the kayak our clients found it to be easy to use and most experienced more tugs than every before!
And here we are, on a small lake in Kansas with the “Godfather” of the Ned Rig and Kayakjak, a now claimed “Neko Specialist” by the Kansas Kayak Anglers and among so many others across the country. I left Auburn at around 4:30 a.m. so that we could meet Ned, Austin Applegate, and Tony Boyden at the ramp by 7. Arriving a little before 7 with the lake showing a glass surface and cloudy conditions. A perfect morning to fish! Thinking that I was the only one there but after hearing voices found that there were several long distance swimmers enjoying a workout from one of the lake to the other. After a bit, Austin, Tony, and Ned arrived and we discussed our strategy for the day as a light rain began to fall. We loaded our equipment and launched at 8:10 a.m. with a continued light drizzle. Kehde checked the water clarity with his long PVC pole and Austin would follow along in his Old Town kayak with Tony aboard filming our morning adventure.
It didn’t take long and I hooked up on a ditch pickle bass. Ned and I were casting to a rocky shoreline with some patches of vegetation along the edge. Ned was, of course throwing the Ned rig on a Drews Ultimate Ned Rig Rod, a 5’4” light rod with a Daiwa reel and very light line. I was throwing a Green Pumpkin Zman Green Pumpkin big TRD with a dragon fly colored (light blue) button head weight and a Trokar TK 150 drop shot hook reinforced to the bait with a “Snyder Sleeve.”
At 8:15 a.m. I hooked into something big! It took some drag out and we would soon find out that I had a nice bass on. We landed it and it measured 21 inches! What a great way to start the day! Then Kehde would land one at around 8:24 a.m. as we cruised slowly along the shoreline in one of the creek arms. The water clarity wasn’t bad but would get more dirty as we progressed to the back of the creek arm.
We went back to the ramp to grab a couple more things that Tony and I forgot and went back to work throwing our finesse baits. I switched to a molton craw color and still caught a few more bass. Kehde was throwing a ZMan FinesseZ worm with a red ZMan ShroomZ jig head. Boyden joined in using one of his small jigs at the back of the boat. Applegate was fishing from his kayak as he trailed the boat. We would all continue to hook up with a lot of smaller bass throughout the morning. It seemed that by casting and “dead sticking” our baits that we would get more bites. Ned’s bait would attract a few catfish as well and a few smaller sunfish.
As we fished I was amazed at the efficiency of Ned Kehde’s casts and how well his lure was placed in strategic spots as we moved along the shoreline. At one point I cast my Neko rig a bit far and it was stuck on a dock railing. Kehde didn’t hesitate to park the boat alongside the dock, grabbed the railing by both hands and slid under like a young kid playing on monkey bars! He got back in the boat after dipping under the railing with the flexibility of a ninja! I mean the guy is 85 years old and you wouldn’t know it fishing with him! He has incredible energy and a passion for fishing like no other! He keeps things simple throwing the Ned rig on his light setups with all of his baits extremely well organized in bait bags stored in the boat compartments.
We enjoyed plenty of conversation learning from each other as we fished with a light breeze coming up out of the north. The air temperature was in the 70’s but would increase to near 80 by midday. The water temperature was in the high 70’s. We fished the dam area and caught around eight bass there and then moved to another arm on the west side of the lake.
We caught a few more there with Tony changing with Austin in the kayak. Tony would hook into a fairly large bass that came unpinned at the boat. I would also hook into a giant fish but it was a carp! A huge one! The biggest I’ver ever hooked! It would tear line off the reel on several runs and eventually free itself before we could land it.
We fished a few more minutes and then headed for the ramp. In all, we caught 52 bass among four anglers in the four hours we fished. About 10 or so an hour. Kehde usually sets a lofty goal of 25 per hour when he fishes.
This is one of Kehde’s Z-Man's green-pumpkin Finesse WormZ rigs. The hook's barb has been removed; it is a way to prevent seriously injuring the fish he catches.
Kayakjak mainly used a Zman Big TRD in green pumking with a “Dragonfly” KJ’s Neko Button Head Weight in 1/16 oz size. A “Snyder Sleeve” was used to keep the Trokar TK 150 drop shot hook in place.
After stopping by Kehde’s home in Lawrence we headed for lunch at Wheatfields. This place is known to have the best bread in the country! And it didn’t disappoint! And the cookies! You will have to see and taste for yourself! I’m definitely headed back there when I fish that area again in the near future!
Once we finished lunch and visited about our day we headed to the Blue Heron Outdoors tackle and fly shop which was only about a block away to the north. We met the store attendees and they were very friendly. They were all college students and seemed to enjoy their jobs there serving coffee and other beverages while helping customers pick out various fishing items. The shop itself is very interesting and holds lots of fishing treasures for the fly fishing enthusiast! We would prepare for the two seminars that would start at 5:00 p.m. with lots of customers coming through the doors before the KU football game against Frezno State just a few short blocks away in David Booth stadium. We enjoyed meeting people as they came through the doors and some of the seminar attendees as well.
Kehde would go first and talk about the history of finesse fishing and the people who revolutionized it with their unique styled baits. Here we were with the man that really was the “glue” of finesse fishing as he has written numerous articles for In-Fisherman through the years. Kehde got a first hand look at many of these legendary anglers from the back of their boats in major competitions throughout the country writing their stories for readers to enjoy. From Chuck Woods, the creator of the original “Ned Rig” using a chopped-down plastic worm on light jig heads to Guido Hibdon, the inventor of the Guido Bug and “Finesse Power Fishing,” Kehde gave us a front row seat to the stories and memories of how finesse fishing became what it is today. Other legendary figures mentioned were Bill & Virgil Ward (Bass Buster Lures) who popularized Marabou jigs, and helped inspire the finesse movement. There was Bert Hall, the creator of the Road Runner, a small jig that became another finesse staple and still used effectively today! And last but not least, Ray Finkle and his tackle shop which was the epicenter for the “birth” of midwest finesse fishing. These stories of legendary figures were fascinating to listen to as Kehde described in detail their contributions to the finesse fishing movement.
Kehde also gave us insight into many of lures that were developed such as the Maribou jig, Jig Worm, Chuck Rig (which eventually was named the “Ned Rig), the Road Runner, Reaper, and Puddle Jumper. We learned that green pumpkin and junebug were the main colors used back in the day. There is also a “Kansas Special” color. Basic plastics that Kehde uses are the 2 1/2” ZMan ZinkerZ which is very similar to the Chuck Woods Beetle. According to Kehde, winter time is great for the ZMan Finesse ShadZ which is a shad shaped worm. From what I’ve noticed in reports and on this day we fished, Kehde absolutely loves to throw the 4” Finesse WormZ. He also throws the 2 2/4” tube.
Jig heads include painted jigs in mainly baby blue or red and sizes range from 1/16 oz to 1/32 oz on a #2, #4, or #6 hook. His line includes 4 to 6 lb main line braid with a 4’ to 6’ section of 4 to 6 lb fluorocarbon leader using a Seaguar knot to connect the lines. His rod has a medium light action and is 5’4” long paired with a 2500 series reel. This system is designed to catch numbers of bass over size. He still catches big fish though! Kehde’s mission? Catch as many fish as possible!
Basic retrieves include a swim, glide, and shake technique; drag and shake; hop and bounce; straight swim; basic drag; and sometimes strolling the bait. Everything Kehde does is built on decades of knowledge from everyday midwestern anglers. Nothing is flashy, but extremely effective!
When Kehde finished his presentation we were astonished by his presentation. He kept us engaged every second as history was told from the man who witnessed it all first hand!
When it was my turn to present, I thought, “How do I follow up the legend of finesse fishing?” I was so honored just to be there and hopefully help the anglers that were present learn a trick or two when using the Neko rig. I thanked our hosts along with Austin and Tony for organizing this great event. I could go into detail here about the Neko presentation but what we are going to do is write an additional piece featuring the Neko rig and all the details that go with it. Stay tuned for some “Neko Juice!”
Coming soon…
Full video recap on this outing and a comprehensive review of the Neko Rig.
Thanks for the plug! Actually remember that day at Bass Pro Shops. It’s great to take a technique. Learn it and make it better like you’ve done. Congrats.