Ned Rig Fishing on Green Lake
Green Lake · Wisconsin · Midwest
Green Lake sits in Green Lake County in south-central Wisconsin, covering roughly 7,325 acres with a maximum depth of 237 feet — the deepest natural inland lake in the state. The basin is characterized by steep, rocky drop-offs transitioning to deep cold-water flats, scattered weed edges along the shallower northwest bays, and a thermocline that forms aggressively by midsummer. Largemouth occupy the weed-fringed shallows, smallmouth work the rocky points and transitions, and both species stratify vertically in summer in a way that rewards anglers who read the water column rather than defaulting to a single depth.
Ned Rig pairs a 3–4" ElaZtech-style floating plastic (TRD, Finesse TRD, or similar) on a 1/15–1/6 oz mushroom head jig. The bait's buoyancy causes it to stand upright on the bottom, creating a subtle action that triggers bites when nothing else will. Exceptional on hard bottom, gravel, and rock.
Ned Rig Setup for Green Lake
| Rod | 6'10"–7'2" medium-light spinning rod, moderate-fast action |
| Reel | 2500 size spinning reel |
| Line | 10 lb braid + 8 lb fluorocarbon leader |
| Weight | 1/15–1/6 oz mushroom jig head (Z-Man Finesse ShroomZ or similar) |
| Hook | Size 1 or 1/0 wide gap, built into jig head |
Seasonal Tactics on Green Lake
Lake: Smallmouth push onto rocky points and gravel transitions in the 6–14 ft range as water temps climb through the mid-50s, typically in late April through May. Largemouth stage along the emerging weed edges in the shallower northwest bays — a 3/8 oz swim jig worked parallel to the emerging coontail is one of the most consistent pre-spawn presentations on this water.
Ned Rig: Deadly on pre-spawn fish holding on gravel and pea-gravel flats in 4–12 feet.
Lake: Thermocline formation by late June pushes bass to a narrow depth band between 12 and 22 feet; smallmouth suspend over deep structure and respond to drop shots and finesse football jigs on the deeper rock transitions. Largemouth retreat to thicker weed canopies and the frog bite can be legitimate in Green Lake's back bays on calm mornings.
Ned Rig: Work deeper rock piles and main lake points. Drag slowly, let it stand. Green pumpkin and watermelon dominate.
Lake: Fall triggers aggressive feeding as smallmouth fatten ahead of turnover — topwater walking baits like the Heddon Super Spook Jr. produce well during the shad-flush period in September and October on open water points. Post-turnover, drop down to a 1/4 oz football jig dragged slowly across gravel and hard-bottom flats in 15–25 ft.
Ned Rig: One of the best techniques as fish get finicky before winter. Match shad colors on sandy/gravel bottom.
Lake: Ice anglers target walleye and perch in deeper basin areas; bass fishing slows dramatically under ice but mid-depth structure around 18–28 ft still holds smallmouth that can be coaxed on blade baits and small jigging spoons. Open-water bass fishing effectively ends by late November as water temps fall into the low 40s.
Ned Rig: Best cold-water finesse technique after drop shot. Extremely slow drag on hard bottom near deep structure.
Best Conditions
Clear water, hard and rocky bottoms, post-cold-front, heavily pressured fish, any season except peak summer spawn
Use Z-Man ElaZtech plastics exclusively — they float and are nearly indestructible. Regular soft plastics sink and kill the technique.
More Techniques for Green Lake
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