YUM Expands Ned Dinger Color Selection

The Ned Dinger is a critical lure anytime bass fishing turns challenging. Learn about six fabulous new Ned Dinger colors and how to fish this finesse lure effectively.

When the going gets tough, the savvy get out their Ned Dingers.

OK. That’s not quite how the saying goes. When the subject is bass fishing, though, our version certainly rings true. The Ned Dinger excels for producing bass when heavy fishing pressure or conditions make it tough to catch bass other ways. Of course, a Ned Dinger produces even more bass when fish are feeding actively, and for many anglers, it’s a go-to lure for a broad range of situations and always kept within reach.

Because of the Ned Dinger’s extreme effectiveness and popularity, YUM has selected it as one of a handful of baits to get new colors. The six new Ned Dinger colors are available now on Lurenet.

About The Ned Dinger

The YUM Dinger is a definite good match for Ned rigging. In fact, 3-inch Dingers were among Ned Kehde’s baits of choice for his midwestern finesse fishing approach long before it was called “Ned rigging.” When his approach began gaining popularity, many anglers would shorten regular Dingers to make their own “Ned baits.”

The Ned Dinger was developed specifically for this finesse fishing technique to provide an ideal fit right out of the package. It is a little less than 3 inches long, flat at one end to fit flush to a Ned Head, slightly stubbier than other Dingers, and engineered to stand up.

The Ned Dinger has been available in seven colors, so the addition of six new colors nearly doubles the selection, and every color added is an outstanding fit for this lure and the finesse fishing approach it was created for.

6 New Ned Dinger Colors

• Green Pumpkin Blue Flake – Not much mystery here. Green Pumpkin Blue Flake takes one of the most natural, productive and popular soft-plastic colors ever made and adds a nice dose of blue flake that includes dark blue flake and a very sparkly light blue.
• Elder’s Magic – Born on Lake Ouachita, where clear water can make fish finicky, Elder’s Magic has become one of YUM’s most popular colors for other Dingers and Finesse Worms and is a welcomed addition to the Ned Dinger selection.
• GB Haze – GB Haze became an instant favorite when it was created last year as a Custom Color YUM Dinger. It has a smoky watermelon base and small blue and black flakes, together creating a sort of a hazy look that excels in clear water and is an outstanding fit for the Ned Dinger.
• Pumpkin Groove – Undeniably groovy, Pumpkin Groove starts with light Green Pumpkin base and includes a heavy dose of orange flake. Green and orange are both important colors in craws and sunfish, so together they scream dinner to bass and other gamefish.
• Green Clown – There are two sides to every story, and that’s evident in Green Clown. One side is a watermelon green infused with bright gold, orange and purple flake. The other side is a dark green pumpkin with a light dose of dark flake.  
• Northern Lights – Northern Lights, which premiered as a Custom Color for the 4-inch YUM Dinger, seems aptly named because it’s ideal for smallmouth bass in Northern waters. That said, don’t limit this spectacular laminate color, which is smoky on one side and a creamy light blue on the other with a sprinkling light purple and dark blue flake. It’s also very well suited for Southern spotted bass and other finesse applications.

Fishing a Ned Dinger

One of the best things about a Ned Dinger is that it produces well in a broad range of situations. It’s wonderful for wading or floating a creek or small river and casting for smallmouths or spots. That said, it’s also a spectacular bait to turn to on a major reservoir anytime heavy fishing pressure, water conditions or weather makes the fish fussy. It works well for fishing many types of areas and is a dependable producer in a broad range of conditions. It’s not a good option for muddy water or heavy cover, but past those limitations, a Ned Dinger will produce bass in most situations.

It's worth noting that Ned Dingers sometimes get used very effectively for other finesse tactics, such as drop-shotting and fishing a split shot rig. Because this bait was designed for a specific approach and that approach remains primary for most anglers, we’ll focus on that application.

A Ned Rig is a form of jighead worm, with a small soft plastic bait strung onto a jighead, with an open hook. The small size of the baits normally used, the style and size of jighead, and the presentation distinguish the “Ned rig” technique.

Ned rigging jigheads, like the YUM Ned Head, feature a rounded front – typically using a mushroom shape, and are small and have light-wire hooks to allow good hook penetration even with the light line and spinning tackle normally used. The mushroom head rocks forward when dragged, causing the bait to stand up, which is an important aspect of the technique.

Slow movement and contact with the bottom characterize the presentation. Some anglers will include small hops, but the classic Ned presentation involves dragging the bait with very short pulls and moving the rod tip just enough to rock the head in place and make bait stand up and dance in key spots.

Because of the light jigheads that work best, Ned rigging is most efficient in less than about 10 feet, whether that’s along the bank or atop a point, hump or roadbed. Anglers will work deeper – even notably deeper with minimal wind or current – but deep Ned Rigging is substantially slower and doesn’t allow you to cover as much water.

Creek & River Fishing with a Ned Dinger

The creek and river fishing approach can be a little different. The rig is the same: A Ned Dinger fished on a Ned Head and fished on light spinning tackle. Presentations vary more in creeks and small rivers than in ponds and lakes.

Although at times a slow, meticulous bottom presentation of a Ned Rig is highly effective in moving water – just as it is in a lake – swimming the bait, allowing it to be delivered faster in the current, or hopping it more aggressively along a gravel bottom will work better some days. Productive creek fishing commonly calls for mixing things up early, with locations and with presentations, and paying attention as the fish reveal patterns. Feeding fish might be holding in current lines and near cover at the edges of pools, and different presentations might be required for each type of spot.

Fish types also tend to be substantially more diverse in stream settings. While smallmouth or spotted bass might be the official targets and make up the largest part of a catch, creek catches tend to be diverse, with rock bass, white bass, warmouths, trout and channel catfish being just a handful of the fish types that might be included.

Of course, that’s part of what is so nice about a YUM Ned Dinger. It’s small enough that a host of fish species will attack it and get hooked, but it also appeals to bigger bass!