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The Neko Rig
Donnie
Donnie is a founder of Basshogg, avid bass fisherman and cottager.
- April 17, 2023
- 3:19 pm
- One Comment
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What is a Neko Rig?
The Neko Rig (pronounced “Neck – Oh”) is essentially a variation of the Wacky Rig, where a nail weight is added to the head of the soft plastic bait. The nail weight is typically made of tungsten or lead and is inserted into the bait’s head, which helps the bait sink faster and gives it a unique action as it falls.
First developed among bass finesse anglers in Japan, the Neko Rig is essentially just a weighted version of a Wacky Rig with a weight inserted into just one end of the soft plastic, giving the bait a unique action as it descends through the water column and a unique “stand-up-on-the-bottom” presentation that combines features of the Wacky Rig, Ned Rig and a shakey head jig.
Once the nail weight is inserted, a small hook is rigged into the bait’s body, typically in the middle or towards the middle. When fished, the Neko Rig allows the soft plastic bait to fall naturally through the water column with a unique action created by the added weight. The rig can be fished with a variety of soft plastic baits, such as worms, stick baits, and creature baits, making it a versatile rigging option for freshwater anglers targeting bass and other species.
How to Set Up a Neko Rig
The Bait
There’s a common feature with these baits. They’re all pretty ‘finessesy’ worms with a round profile. Needless to say, these baits are also epic on a wacky rig! One can vary in size based on the system they’re fishing. If they’re fishing a highly-pressured system, you may want to downsize and try a 4 inch. If the system sees massive bass – one can always upsize up until about 7 inches. Essentially you can try any of the following:
- Wacky Worms
- Finesse Worms
- Longer Creature Baits
- Lizards
- Paddle Tail Worms
- Crayfish Baits
- Minnows
The Hook
Choose a 2/0 or a 1/0 drop shot hook depending on the size of your bait selection. If you’re fishing an area with lots of vegetation or structure a weedless set up is recommended.
The Weight
Neko rigs use a nail or screw style weight that can be headless or have a head. Each style comes in either lead or tungsten.
If you fish a lot of rock piles or stained water, weights with exposed heads can help by adding clicking noises as you hop them along bottom. Otherwise, headless nails will offer the most finesse presentation.
Select your weight depending on water depth and conditions between 1/64oz and 1/4oz.
The O Ring and the Set Up
Place the hook near the middle of the bait, too close to the head will cause more snags and less hook sets. Pros are somewhat divided on the best way to place the hook, some will say to place it perpendicular and some will place it parallel and have the hook point faces the rear of the bait. I’d recommend trying both ways and see what works best for you.
Time to Try out the Neko Rig!
Fish the Neko rig on any deeper structure like points, drop-offs, ledges, humps, bluff walls, or deep docks. Cast it out and let it fall on slack line. Once the line stops moving, reel tight and check for a fish (they often hit on the fall). If there’s no bite, give it a couple of hops then drag it along the bottom. Let the bait fall to the bottom, once on the bottom, the worm will stand straight up and bass will often swim over and get it while it is sitting still. You can also give it a shake and then another short pause before reeling it back to repeat the process. Also try letting it fall to the bottom and make short hops while trying to maintain bottom contact. There’s no wrong way to fish it, as long as it’s in the water, you’re gonna eventually get bit.
Check out the Bass Blogg for more tips, gear recommendations and more!
One Response
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