Drop Shot - How's it working for you?

[smithmal]

So I thought I'd try my hand at using the drop shot technique @ Liberty Reservoir this weekend.

I'll be using the following tackle:

1. Line: KastKing braid (15lb)
2. Leader: Seagur fluorcarbon (20lb)
3. Hook: Owner's Mosquito (2/0)
4. Weight: S&J's Tungsten Drop Shot (1/4oz)


Plan on setting the hook 18" above weight using Palomar knot.

Lures:
Plan on trying the following:
1. Senko worms (wacky style)
2. Baby D Bomb (Missle Baits)
3. Fat Swing Impact Swimbait (Keitech)
4. Roboworm

In terms of where, I guess I'll just use my Deeper Fish finder and drop when I find something interesting.

I've never done this before and am only going off of what I've read/seen on the internet. From what I've seen people use a combination of hooking the lure through the nose and/or a Texas rig.

Any thoughts, hints, lessons learned people have regarding bass fishing using this method would be appreciated.

Thanks,

smithmal

[Big Mike]

I use a smaller hook, size 6 or 4 when fishing something like the roboworm or any other straight worm. I only fish those thru the nose. I also use a tube bait which should be kind of similar to your baby D Bomb. For that I do use a bigger offset hook and rig it like I would a carolina rig -its a big bait and I want to make sure the hook gets in the mouth. Patience with an occasional jiggle will serve you well. Good Luck - I think you'll enjoy drop shotting.

[smithmal]

Mike,

Thanks for the reply. Yeah... I think my hook might be a little too big. When drop shotting, do you prefer rod movement or dragging your lure? From what I've read, people get more hits when dragging.

smithmal

[BassMoore]

i use a gama 1/0 EWG hook. and i rig my robo worms weedless so i can get into lay downs and all too

I use my drop shot as a search bait and drag through some nasty stuff

[Big Mike]

Mike,

Thanks for the reply. Yeah... I think my hook might be a little too big. When drop shotting, do you prefer rod movement or dragging your lure? From what I've read, people get more hits when dragging.

smithmal

I do both and let the fish tell me what they want. I'd say it's 60% drag, 40% twitch for me. In both cases I'm slowing things down.

[bunnielab]

I got crazy into dropshotting at the end of the summer. It was my most productive lure throughout the fall.

I run it on straight 7lb floro, 1/0 Owner Finesse Heavy Cover, a 1/8 to 3/16ox weight, and a purple or pink 6" Roboworm. I have tried a bunch of other plastics and hooks, but this combo was the clear winner. It comes through cover very well, has a great hookup raito, and the keeper on the hook is magic, I can get 4-5 bass on a single worm. In open water I like the Owner G-Finesse hooks, they are sharp as hell and hold fish well even with the barb pinched down. I have yet to settle on a smaller lure the the 6" Robo, but I have a bunch to play around with in the spring.

I also most always do a slow drag, only pausing after having to pop the lure over cover or when I feel it falling into a hole or off a large rock.

[DanMarino]

That is an excellent post Drew. Thanks for sharing.

[bunnielab]

I have been bass-obsessed for the past two seasons. I can't even remember the last time I fished for anything else. Next year I want to mix it up a bit more as I really miss jerking perch, but the single mindedness really helped me get confident with a couple of bass presentations, the dropshot being the most current craze. So many of the bass spots around me are small, soft bottomed ponds where jigs and other normal bottom contact lures get gunked up almost instantly. I had long dismissed the DS as a vertical, deep water presentation and was blown away when I tried it from the bank at how well it worked in that situation. Even when fishing it faster, it works so well to keep a small plastic out of the muck but still right on the bottom.

I will say, those Finesse Heavy Cover hooks are amazing. They are obscenely priced, but are so much better then the Roboworm hooks I had been using that I find them well worth the cost. I am going to stock up at whatever BF sale has them the cheapest in a few weeks, but even at MSRP they make a pack of soft worms last so much longer that I suspect they save a bit of money overall.

[DanMarino]

Drew, do you nose hook your worm, Texas rig it, or fish it wacky? When I drop shot, I usually nose hook the plastic with an Owner light wire MUTU circle hook.
Tom

[bunnielab]

For 6" Robos, I almost always use the Finesse Cover hooks and t-rig it. The point on them is very fine and sharp, so I don't feel like my hook-ups suffer and it makes the entire presentation surprisingly weedless. I still don't fish it right in cover due to the light line, but for grass and bottoms covered in fallen branches it really helps with snags.

For the rotating cast of 3-4" plastics, I nose hook them, but with the hook point buried in the plastic, like the second lure down in this picture.
Capture.jpg
It makes most plastics a one-fish deal, but it works for a wide range of stuff and still keeps the hook from catching on tiny branches or leaves. I use the Owner G-finesse hooks for this as again, they have a very thin and sharp point so the plastic almost always is able to clear the point.

I have never really messed around with wacky rigging drop shot plastics, but am going to try it more this coming season. I think when I do I might give circle hooks a try. I debarb all of my DS hooks as even with getting most of my hits on the move, bass still seem to inhale the lure. I have gotten pretty good at the behind-the-gills hook removal, but I feel like I would fish a wacky rigged plastic even slower and would prefer the more reliable lip hooking of a circle.

My other big idea is to take some 2-4" zonker strips and tie them too Standout Hooks, making dropshot flys. I have had some luck just piercing the fur with the hook, but it spins around a ton and causes awful line-twist. The panfish went nuts over it though, rarely could I complete a retrieve without a tiny one grabbing the end and running my lure all over the water.

[DanMarino]

Thanks for the continued excellent posts. This thread is a good example of why this fishing forum is great.

[smithmal]

Thanks for the awesome info Drew! BTW, I saw a video recently in which the OP uses two o-rings when wacky rigging and crosses them over on the lure. He then puts the hook through the cross which really makes it almost impossible for the fish to rip the lure off the hook. This is what I'm doing when I wacky rig.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2-oO-86RNao

smithmal

[Romo]

Gonna be out dragging the ned rig this weekend and probably giving the drop shot a try. Water temp in my local river is down to 45 from 60 only 2 weeks ago. Anyone have any dropshot tips for this cold water? Gonna be fishing a shallow, rocky smallmouth river no deeper than 10 feet anywhere. My plan is to just go as light and slow as possible in the deepest pools with smaller baits. Any recommendations for baits that get bit in colder water would be appreciated.

[DanMarino]

For 6" Robos, I almost always use the Finesse Cover hooks and t-rig it. The point on them is very fine and sharp, so I don't feel like my hook-ups suffer and it makes the entire presentation surprisingly weedless. I still don't fish it right in cover due to the light line, but for grass and bottoms covered in fallen branches it really helps with snags.

For the rotating cast of 3-4" plastics, I nose hook them, but with the hook point buried in the plastic, like the second lure down in this picture.
[ATTACH=CONFIG]22568[/ATTACH]
It makes most plastics a one-fish deal, but it works for a wide range of stuff and still keeps the hook from catching on tiny branches or leaves. I use the Owner G-finesse hooks for this as again, they have a very thin and sharp point so the plastic almost always is able to clear the point.

I have never really messed around with wacky rigging drop shot plastics, but am going to try it more this coming season. I think when I do I might give circle hooks a try. I debarb all of my DS hooks as even with getting most of my hits on the move, bass still seem to inhale the lure. I have gotten pretty good at the behind-the-gills hook removal, but I feel like I would fish a wacky rigged plastic even slower and would prefer the more reliable lip hooking of a circle.

My other big idea is to take some 2-4" zonker strips and tie them too Standout Hooks, making dropshot flys. I have had some luck just piercing the fur with the hook, but it spins around a ton and causes awful line-twist. The panfish went nuts over it though, rarely could I complete a retrieve without a tiny one grabbing the end and running my lure all over the water.

Drew, this is one of my favorite threads on Snaggedline. When I'm not fly fishing in 2018, I plan to give drop shotting some serious attention. I am also intrigued by your quote above. The idea of wrapping some zonker strips to circle hooks is very interesting to me and possibly a genius idea. I have some of those spin-shot drop shot type hooks that allow the hook to spin and reduce line twist. I will give this a try and report back to you.

I'm looking forward to spring 2018 and some warmer water.

[DanMarino]

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=ktwZlz...ature=youtu.be