November 22, 2019
By Ned Kehde
In 2014, we crossed paths with Frank Dietl of Washington, Missouri, for the first time. The results of that encounter produced a Midwest Finesse column that focused on a short history of his Swing Oil Baits and a few of its soft-plastic finesse baits.
In the summer of 2019, we talked with Dietl again, and we talked about his two Midwest finesse creations. One is the Ned Rig Worm. The other is called the Ned Stinger.
We also talked about the weather woes that have waylaid many Missourians that reside along the Missouri River. These woes hampered Dietl and Swing Oil Baits. It began in March when a severe wind storm downed a tree that crushed Swing Oil Baits’ shop. After that, the shop was flooded twice. It took until the middle of the summer before they were manufacturing baits again. Ultimately, they introduced the Ned Stinger to the angling world in early August.
He graciously sent us some to work with and thoroughly examine.
Here is what we discovered about the Ned Stinger.
In our eyes, it is a classic Midwest finesse bait that is adorned with a distinctive tail.
It is 3 1/16 inches long and cone-shaped.
It possesses a semi- or truncated-cone-shaped head. The top of the head is flat, which has a diameter of five-sixteenths of an inch and a circumference of about 1 3/16 inches.
The torso of the Ned Stinger is 2 1/2 inches long. It is encircled with 22 semi- or truncated-cone-shaped ribs. At ribs number two and three, the torso has a width of three-eighths of an inch and a circumference of 1 1/4 inches.
At ribs number six and seven, it is about seven-sixteenths of an inch wide with a circumference of about 1 7/16 inches.
After ribs number six and seven, the dimensions of the torso become smaller as it approaches the junction with its needle- or stinger-shaped tail.
At rib number 11, it is about five-sixteenths of an inch wide with a circumference of about 1 1/8 inches.
At rib number 22, it is three-sixteenths of an inch wide with a circumference of eleven-sixteenths of an inch.
The tail is seven-sixteenths of an inch long. At the junction with rib number 22, the tail is slightly more than one-sixteenth of an inch wide, and at its tip, it is one millimeter wide.
It is available in the following hues: Black Neon, Bluegill, Brown Pumpkin, Cotton Candy, Goby Magic, Green Goby, Green Pumpkin, Junebug, Margaritaville, Motor Oil, Purple Ice, Red Bug, Smoke Purple Flake, Smoke Red Flake, Smokin Blue, Watermelon Candy, Watermelon Gold Flake, Watermelon Red, and Watermelon Seed.
It is buoyant and impregnated with a scent.
The texture is very pliable and soft. And it readily quivers and undulates.
It is a very affordable soft-plastic bait. A package of 12 costs $3.00.
Midwest finesse anglers will affix it to a mushroom-style jig, and Swing Oil Baits makes one that is called a Ned Headz.
When Midwest finesse anglers are in pursuit of largemouth bass, smallmouth bass, and spotted bass, they will employ the Ned Rig Worm affixed to a mushroom-style jig with all six of the standard Midwest finesse retrieves. Its buoyancy facilitates the gliding motif of the swim-glide-and-shake presentation, which is often the most effective element of the Midwest finesse presentations.
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