TACKLE
AND
TECH
PHOTO BY ROB MATSUURA
Good advice from one of the first pros to
unlock the potential of a pretty simple rig
By Sean Ostruszka
B
rent Ehrler is what marketing
circles call an “early adopter.”
While the vast majority of
people wait for something to become
popular before adopting it into their
lifestyles, early adopters are the first to
try most anything. Sometimes those
things flame out (ask anyone who
thought the Segway or Google Glass
were the future), but other times they
catch on.
Back when he was first starting out
in the pro fishing world, Ehrler hit gold
in the form of the Neko rig, which, back
then, was still a “secret” rig, and he
used it to help launch his career.
“I was fishing with these co-anglers
from Japan, and they were throwing it,”
says Ehrler. “They were catching so
many fish I had to try it. Now, remember,
this was back in 2005; around the
same time the drop-shot caught fire.”
While everyone was figuring out the
drop-shot, Ehrler got to have the Neko
rig almost all to himself. Of course, it’s
no longer a secret, but it still flies under
the radar for some reason. According
to Ehrler, it shouldn’t.
“The Neko rig has completely
replaced the shaky head for me, and
even a drop-shot many times,” explains
Ehrler. “Basically, it takes everything
great about a wacky rig and makes it
applicable to deeper or even vertical
presentations.”
The Basics
A Neko rig is pretty simple. It’s a
modified wacky rig with a nail weight in
one end. Deciding when to throw it over
other finesse baits is pretty simple, too.
“If I’m fishing up shallow, I’ll go with
a wacky rig, but if it’s out deeper – like
5 feet down to 50 feet – I’ll throw a
Neko rig,” says Ehrler.
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FLWFISHING.COM | MAJORLEAGUEFISHING.COM | AUGUST-SEPTEMBER 2020