The Ned Rig for Perch

By Alex Clayton · Updated 23 October 2026

A lure that barely moves often catches the perch that ignore busier lures. Cold, wary fish won’t chase, but they will pick up something sitting still in front of them.

The ned rig is a buoyant soft plastic on a light mushroom-head jig. It stands up on the bottom and its tail drifts on the pause. It was developed by US angler and writer Ned Kehde and is also called Midwest finesse.

In the UK, ned rig perch fishing works on canals, rivers, pits and stillwaters, even worked gently. The six steps below cover when to use it, the metric tackle, rigging, the retrieve and the rules. For the wider picture, see our perch fishing guide.

Step 1: Decide If the Ned Rig Suits Your Swim

The Ned that catches in one swim snags or vanishes in the next. The bottom is usually why.

The Ned rig is built for wary or pressured perch hunting tight to the bottom, and it comes into its own in winter. It needs a clean, firm bottom so the head sits on top and the plastic can stand up.

Two things work against it:

Soft silt buries a mushroom head, and the plastic can’t lift.
Weed and snags foul an exposed hook point, so rig it Texas style there.

A head under 5g sinks slowly, so in strong flow or real depth another method may suit better.

Situation	Reach for
Clean, firm bottom, cold perch	Ned rig
Perch beside a post or feature, lure held in one spot	Drop-shot fishing
Weed or snags	Ned rigged Texas style, or a full Texas rig

On Windermere I’ve found cold perch rarely chase far, and slowing a lure right down is usually what brings bites.

Step 2: Set Up a Light Rod, 0.10mm Braid and a Fluorocarbon Leader

Two numbers cover the whole line set-up: 0.10mm braid and a 50 to 60cm fluorocarbon leader.

Rod and reel. Use a light lure rod whose casting-weight rating covers heads under 5g, paired with a small fixed-spool reel. Check the rating printed on the blank before you buy.
Mainline. Spool with 0.10mm braid. Braid has almost no stretch, so the small taps that come on the pause are easy to feel.
Leader. Join 50 to 60cm of fluorocarbon to the braid with a braid-to-fluorocarbon knot such as the FG knot or the Albright knot. Step up the leader’s breaking strain if you’re fishing near snags.
Jighead. Tie the head to the end of the leader with a knot you already trust.

If you already drop-shot for perch, your drop-shot rod and line will usually do the job for the Ned rig too.

Step 3: Pick a Light Mushroom Head and a Buoyant Plastic

For perch, the head should weigh under 5g. The lighter it is, the slower and more natural the fall.

Choose a mushroom (or “shroom”) head. Its shape gives a slow fall and keeps the plastic upright once it lands. For lures up to 3in, a head under 5g is generally best. Go lighter for a slower drop in shallow or still water.

Most Ned heads are sold in US ounce fractions. These are approximate conversions (1oz is 28.35g):

Pack size (oz)	Approx weight (g)
1/16oz	1.8g
3/32oz	2.7g
1/8oz	3.5g

There is no single right hook size. The hook is moulded into the head, so pick a head whose hook gap clears your plastic and follow the pack guidance.

The plastic matters as much as the head. Use a buoyant stick-style plastic so the tail floats up off the bottom. Go natural or muted colours in winter, and brighter or UV colours in murky water.

Weight is the setting to get right first with this perch rig. Start at 1.8g to 2.7g in cold, still water, and skip the 3.5g end in shallow canals.

Step 4: Thread the Plastic Straight, or Rig It Weedless

A Ned that lies flat on the bottom has lost the one thing that makes it work. Threading it straight fixes most problems.

Push the hook point into the centre of the flat end of the plastic and thread it along the shank until the plastic meets the head.
Bring the point out so the plastic sits dead straight. A kink makes it spin on the drop and lie badly on the bottom.
On open, clean ground, leave the point exposed for the best hook-ups.
In weed or snags, rig it Texas style: bury the point back into the plastic so it slides through cover without catching.

Before you cast, drop the ned rig in the margin and check the tail floats up off the bottom. If it doesn’t, rethread it or switch to a more buoyant plastic.

Step 5: Fish It Slowly: Twitch, Twitch, Pause

If you’re missing bites on a Ned, slow down rather than speed up. The retrieve is mostly stillness, and perch often take on the pause.

Cast and let it sink on a tight line. Watch the braid where it enters the water so you can see or feel a take on the drop.
Twitch, twitch, pause. Give two short lifts of the rod tip, then let the lure settle. The twitches puff up silt and the buoyant tail wafts on the pause, which is when many takes come.
Dead-stick when it’s cold. Leave the lure still for up to a minute, then inch it along. This is the approach for cold, pressured perch.
Strike on any tap or line movement. Braid makes these obvious, so don’t wait for the rod to pull round.

Dusk is a prime perch feeding time, especially in winter, so plan to be fishing as the light goes.

Perch aren’t the only fish that take a ned rig. Chub on rivers and canals, zander and the odd pike will have it too, which matters for the leader (see Step 6).

If nothing has happened after a few casts, lengthen the pause before you change the lure.

Step 6: Stay Legal and Look After the Perch

In England the coarse close season covers some canals as well as rivers, so check before switching venues in spring.

Rod licence. In England and Wales you need one to fish for freshwater fish with rod and line, even on private water, plus the owner’s permission. Under-13s are exempt; 13 to 16-year-olds get a free junior licence. The fine is up to £2,500. Prices change, so check GOV.UK and our rod licence guide.

Close season. In England it runs from 15 March to 15 June inclusive on rivers, streams and drains, some canals and SSSI stillwaters. Most stillwaters have none. Check the local byelaws and our fishing seasons guide. Wales (Natural Resources Wales), Scotland and Northern Ireland differ.

Fish care. Unhook quickly with wet hands and mind the spiky dorsal fin. Pike can bite through a light fluorocarbon leader, so avoid ultra-light lures on pike-heavy water and carry long-nosed pliers.

Check the venue’s own rules before you fish.

Frequently asked questions

What weight jighead do I need for a Ned rig for perch?

Use a head under 5g for lures up to 3in. Most Ned heads are sold in US sizes, and 1/16oz to 1/8oz works out at roughly 1.8g to 3.5g. Go lighter for a slower fall in shallow or still water. The hook is moulded in, so match the head to the plastic rather than chasing a hook size.

Is a Ned rig better than a drop-shot for perch?

Neither is better overall, because they do different jobs. The Ned moves slowly along a clean, firm bottom and suits wary perch that won't chase. A drop-shot holds the lure still off the bottom, which suits perch tucked beside posts, pontoons and other features. Carry both and pick by swim.

Can you fish a Ned rig in the close season?

On most stillwaters in England, yes, because they have no close season. On rivers, streams, drains, some canals and SSSI stillwaters you can't fish for coarse fish from 15 March to 15 June inclusive. Wales has different rules. Check the local byelaws on GOV.UK and the venue's own rules before you go.