The Ned rig’s inventor says you should fish it with a short rod. Here’s why

These days, every avid Canadian bass angler surely has at least one spinning rod outfitted with a Ned rig. After all, the light mushroom-head jig adorned with a soft-plastic, worm-like nub has become a must-pitch presentation for tournament pros and recreational Joes alike. And now the offering has jumped well beyond bass fishing, with legions of walleye, crappie, perch and backwoods trout anglers also warmly embracing it.

As exceptional as the Ned rig is, however, most anglers are presenting it improperly by using the wrong fishing rod. At least that’s according to the man who should know, my good friend Ned Kehde, the famed rig’s namesake. His simple advice? “You should use a short spinning rod.” And that, he says, is at the heart of U.S. Midwest finesse fishing, which spawned the Ned rig in the first place.