Would you secure the bait before you tie the line to hook or afterwards?

Yes sir!  I’m a big fan of swim jigs in the grass on river systems. Shad colored is a good one. 

I have not tried to flip in heavy grass. Do you want a heavy punching weight to go straight through the grass clumps or just heavy enough to slowly go through the grass? 

Nice!  I will add it to my bucket list. 😀🎣

Excellent catch. Way to stick it out in the weather. 😀

Do you have any preference on water clarity when using the ned rig?

Awesome. Looking forward to it. 

Brian, How about large bladed spinnerbaits and noisy lipless crankbaits in those conditions?

Nice one

Never tried it but would like to try it one day.