Ned Rig Fishing on Hoover Reservoir
Hoover Reservoir · Ohio · Midwest
Hoover Reservoir stretches roughly 10 miles along Big Walnut Creek in central Ohio, forming a long, narrow impoundment with a mostly natural-looking shoreline of standing timber, laydowns, and gravel points. Water clarity trends stained to lightly turbid depending on rainfall, with occasional clear-up periods in late summer and winter. Largemouth bass dominate, but saugeye — a popular Ohio stocking program — share the water and draw a significant portion of the fishing pressure, which actually keeps bass-specific spots less crowded than they'd otherwise be.
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 Hoover Reservoir
| 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 Hoover Reservoir
Lake: Pre-spawn largemouth stack on gravel and chunk-rock points in 4–8 ft as water temps climb through the mid-50s; laydown-heavy creek arms are the first places fish move shallow once temps cross 58 degrees. Jerkbaits and swimbaits cover water efficiently during the search phase.
Ned Rig: Deadly on pre-spawn fish holding on gravel and pea-gravel flats in 4–12 feet.
Lake: Bass push deep by mid-June relative to this shallow system — that often means 10–14 ft along the main channel edges and submerged timber lines. Finesse tactics like drop shots and shaky heads on Ned rig-style baits outproduce reaction baits once surface temps crack 80 degrees.
Ned Rig: Work deeper rock piles and main lake points. Drag slowly, let it stand. Green pumpkin and watermelon dominate.
Lake: Shad migrations pull bass into the upper creek arms and mid-reservoir coves through October; topwater and bladed jigs produce best during the early morning feeding windows before water temps drop below 55 degrees.
Ned Rig: One of the best techniques as fish get finicky before winter. Match shad colors on sandy/gravel bottom.
Lake: Most recreational pressure disappears, and largemouth suspend over the deeper channel timber in 12–18 ft; a slow-rolled swimbait or a jig deadsticked on the bottom in 55-degree or colder water accounts for the few fish actively feeding.
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 Hoover Reservoir
Ready to fish Hoover Reservoir?
Ask Hank about current conditions, water temp, and exactly what to throw today.
Ask Hank →