School me on the ned rig . Not real sure I am even spelling it right. Does it catch fish and under what circumstances.

Here's the complete run down straight from the source:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qqGTzPt6TIQ

The Ned rig with a small TRD Zman stick bait will flat out catch fish.
I don't know why but it will get you bit when nothing else will.
You will catch small fish but it will catch big fish as well so keep throwing it.
I fish it on a spinning rod with 10lb braid to 10lb fluorocarbon leader. I pitch it around stumps, docks, bridge pylons and basically anywhere you'd fish a jig.

I am somewhat new to using the NED rig . But I did start catching fish with it recently . The good thing is it's a lure that gets bites . Unfortunately , the bites I have been getting are all smaller fish . My biggest complaint is with using the " shroom" heads that are designed for the Z- Man plastics . The hook gap is to small and misses quite a few strikes . If you can find similar weight heads that have a wider gap , should help with landing fish .
I did some research on why this lure is so effective . Apparently it is to mimic crawdads that are molting ( size and shape ) . Also , when water temps hit 50F , crawdads start searching for mates and food and are usually smaller at this early time of the year . Last week , I was getting a few good fish on weightless wacky senkos and my bite died , I tried several other approaches with no luck , switched to a NED rig and had hits about every 4th or 5th cast .

The only finesse fishing i do.

I also tried it this past year useing the Shroom heads. Be careful setting the hook with those things it is a very light wire and will straighten out very easily. I did catch one over 5 and nearly lost it due to the "Fish" bending the hook.

I'm at Table Rock this weekend and am stocking up. These things are lethal up here. Like others said, often a small bite but a ton of fun.

You don't need anything special. Ball head jigs with light wire hooks and either end of a senko or similar bait. Throw it out and let it sit. Drag and reel slowly. Do not hop. Lite line and a spinning set up. NO hook set. Just start reeling while putting tension on the line. Kinda like a crappie hookset.

^^^^
Yes to all the above
Slowly dragging most of the time
Every now and then, they will want it briefly gently glided/swimming off the bottom and falling again (sort of like a lazy crawfish)

Besides a smaller representation is there an advantage to using the ned rig over a weightless senko or a Texas rig senko?

Gets to the bottom faster than a weightless senko
The ball head/mushroom head won't bury at the bottom as much as a bullet weight
When you drag a ball head/mushroom head the plastic stands mostly vertically and rocks/wobbles a little bit
Looks like a little, easy to eat snack of a critter slowly scurrying on the bottom
I have more confidence with it in clearer water and the less silt on the bottom the better. Bridges can be really good. Not the greatest heavy vegetation lure, but you can slowly glide it above deeper vegetation with the ball head/mushroom head weed guarded hook.

So it's kind of similar to a light weight shaky head except you work it different?

Honestly, that's all it really is (even though some like to say it's different), but the hook set is much lighter.

I use the ned regularly. Its a cool bait for pressured fish or just giving them something else to look at. I however hate the TRD's and wont use them. They have very little action at all. I buy my baits from Outkast Custom baits in PA. They have tons of action and at super buoyant unlike the TRD which tend to lay over.