Z-Man Finesse TRD’s – A Must Have for Every Smallmouth Angler

The traditional ned rig has ruined fishing for reasons I refuse to comment on. It falls into the same category as the drop shot, my least favorite method of fishing.

With everybody throwing ned rigs, could our fish condition to them? What if finesse eventually fails to catch them? What will we do next?

There were many days throughout last season in which nothing in the boat was working.

Often, a Z-Man Finesse TRD was the only thing they’d touch. A softer ElaZtech formulation and custom salt content allow the TRD to exhibit the precise sink rate, lifelike action, and irresistible feel that expert finesse anglers have learned result in longer holds and increased hook-up ratios. It will last thru dozens of fish before falling apart.

Many customers in recent seasons brought their own TRD’s on trips. Perhaps everyone else knows something that I am too stubborn to know.

I’m thankful Cory Schmidt of Z-Man hooked me up with a care package back in 2021. Nowadays, I’m on their promotions and fishing team.

If you add these to your arsenal, always keep them stored in original packaging for protection. Never store them together with different colors, or other types of plastics. Otherwise, they will bleed, warp, and disintegrate.

Z-Man Fishing Products 2.75″ Finesse TRD

Yoga Pants / rigged with 5/32 oz. 3G Smallmouth Solutions Neds

Rapidly becoming the greatest fish catcher of all time, it is simple, frugal and efficient. The Ned rig has actually been around for the last half century or so, when Ned Kehde first concocted this jig worm. It excels in difficult fishing conditions, on pressured waters, and is one of the best clear-water finesse fishing options to consider. Today, several ned rig variations are available from several manufacturers, most notably from Z-Man Finesse Baits.

With the introduction of the new The Finesse TRD (The Real Deal) stickbait and Finesse ShroomZ jigheads, along with Midwest finesse staples like the Finesse WormZ, Hula StickZ, Finesse ShadZ, and 3.75″ StreakZ, anglers now have all the tools needed to employ the Ned Rig and all of its variations right at their fingertips. Kehde’s small jighead and plastic combo may look unassuming on the surface, but its buoyancy, slow fall, and darting action are astonishing, almost always eliciting strikes in even the toughest conditions.

Zman’s Finesse lineup of ElaZtech baits are designed specifically for the Midwest finesse angler. A soft and supple formulation and salt content enables these baits to exhibit precise sink rates and buoyancy, stand upright, have a lifelike action, realistic feel to fish, and durability that’s proven to withstand hundreds of fish per bait. Z-Man anglers including my guide customers and I believe that fish will hook up more and hold on longer.

In the event smallmouths are favoring a super-size meal, or want a bottom-oriented ned, I still often turn to my specialized AR Rig, using a 4.5-inch all black stick worm rigged on a 5/16-ounce mushroom head.

I didn’t pick up a ned for the first time until 2018 when I concocted my own jig worm to help weed out the dinks. Many eye-opening experiences followed. Nowadays, I always keep one tied onto a 7ft medium action finesse spinning rod whether it’s my super-size AR Rig or Z-Man’s TRD.

You will need Yoga Pants 99% of the time. Though Canadian Craw, Goby Bryant, and The Deal are author favorites too. 

It’s a numbers presentation, but it’s also one that targets some of the largest bass living in the most pressured lake systems. It’s also the bait to use when smallmouth don’t show interest in tubes or other bottom-dwelling jigging methods. It’s a trip-saver in coldfronts. It’s also a guide’s life-saver.

Head Styles

Traditionally a small profile, the Ned Rig is typically fished with a 1/16 to 1/8 oz. mushroom style jig head, and tipped with a 2 to 3 inch tail segment of a stick worm. The flat mushroom style jig head allows a stick bait to stand and be presented upright. This is an angle bass are new to.

Even though many anglers fishing the rig are scoring gargantuan numbers of bass and experiencing 50 to 100 fish days with it as a finesse option, the Ned Rig is my solution for big smallmouth when they’re fixated on leech patterns – typically from mid June through August. But it is also a year-round fish catcher too.

I fish my neds as a bottom presentation. This calls for full bottom contact and use of a heavier head. I fish it with a 5/16 oz. mushroom head custom-poured by our friend, Gregg Kizewski, of 3G Smallmouth Solutions in St. Germain, WI. Then in snaggy situations, such as dealing with rock piles wood and cribs, Gregg also makes them weedless with his Next Level Jig that can be Texas rigged.

I bomb cast it for long distances, and hop and dead stick it along the bottom in order to imitate a leech. Always keep pressure on the line in order to detect the most subtle bites. An immediate hook set will result in the bass connecting with hook in the roof of the jaw, 99% of the time. You will want the 7’1″ MXF Victory (Finesse), and Legend Tournament Bass LBTS71MF (Versatile) spinning. My reels are spooled up with 10-pound Cortland Masterbraid for main line, and up to a 5 ft. section of 8 lb. fluorocarbon leader.

St. Croix Rod used: Legend Tournament Bass (Versatile) LBTS71MF / Victory (Finesse) VTS71MF