Ned Rig Fishing on Gun Lake
Gun Lake · Michigan · Midwest
Gun Lake sits in Barry County in southwest Michigan, a natural glacial basin running roughly 2,680 acres with clean, relatively clear water and a diverse structural profile — sand flats, hard-bottom points, weedy bays, and mid-lake rock piles. The fishery holds both largemouth and smallmouth bass, with largemouth dominating the shallower weed-edge cover and smallmouth stacking on the harder offshore structure. Fishing pressure runs moderate to high from Memorial Day through Labor Day, given the lake's accessibility from Grand Rapids and Kalamazoo.
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 Gun 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 Gun Lake
Lake: Pre-spawn largemouth move onto protected sand and muck flats in 4–8 ft as water temps climb through the low 50s into the upper 50s; shallow jerkbaits and paddle-tail swimbaits on the inside weed edge produce before the spawn push. Smallmouth stage on gravel points in 10–15 ft and respond well to tube jigs and drop shots ahead of their own spawn in late May.
Ned Rig: Deadly on pre-spawn fish holding on gravel and pea-gravel flats in 4–12 feet.
Lake: Post-spawn largemouth retreat to the deep weed edge at 10–14 ft, where sparse cabbage and coontail edges hold fish through August; a Texas-rigged Zoom Magnum Trick Worm or a 3/8 oz swim jig covers both the inside and outside break. Smallmouth school on mid-lake humps and rock transitions in 18–28 ft and feed actively on Ned rigs and drop shots during low-light windows.
Ned Rig: Work deeper rock piles and main lake points. Drag slowly, let it stand. Green pumpkin and watermelon dominate.
Lake: As surface temps drop below 60 degrees in October, baitfish schools compress and both species chase shad on main-lake points and sandy flat transitions; a No-Wake spook or a 3/4 oz blade bait covers the reaction bite while a football jig on the 20 ft gravel transitions picks up the bigger smallmouth. Weed edges collapse by early November, pushing largemouth onto bare hard-bottom secondary points in 8–12 ft.
Ned Rig: One of the best techniques as fish get finicky before winter. Match shad colors on sandy/gravel bottom.
Lake: Ice fishing is the dominant winter pursuit on Gun Lake, but open-water anglers targeting the late-fall/early-winter window find largemouth suspended tight to dock pilings and standing timber in 10–14 ft; a blade bait or a 1/4 oz finesse jig fished very slowly on 8 lb fluorocarbon is the most consistent cold-water presentation.
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 Gun Lake
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