Dropshot help?

[SethB]

As much as I hate it I think it's time I learn to dropshot. I can tie the knot and have a decent rod. I have done it a time or two but that doesn't mean I know what I'm doing. Any help for a rookie?

[BassManDan]

Hey Seth,
Well those mondo spots weren't on dropshot, so what's your motivation

This is gonna catch me some heat but..."Dropshot is a quitter's rig, people use these because thay can't catch fish on anything better!" There it is said an I won't take it back!

Really though, I just removed all of the dropshot from my arsenal.
I don't like to fish it, its a pain in the @$$ to tie 37 knots for one rig , and it just hasn't really produced for me, so why have it take up space that could be filled with stuff I use and catch fish with.

My advise is go with the SHAKEY fishing, its more like a jig (that aspect should put it ahead of dropshot anyway!)
Really there is plenty of other finesse stuff that you can use in place of the dropshot (shakey, superlight jigs, plastic jerkabits, darterhead, open hook tubes, etc.)

I think that all of these are simply more efficient techniques to catch bass.

All right you devout dropshotters, bring the fire
BassManDan

[FISH2WIN55]

Seth,
IMO I like the long cylinder weights. I feel they tend to come through hang ups better. Also, keep in mind that you are mostly tring to move the worm not the weight. Always watch your line, and try to tie your worm at different lengths away from the weight. I usally start at 12 inches but you may have to adjust.

[cleb19]

A quitters Rig definately not!!!. There have been many of times where on Lakes in a tournament they wouldnt eat Anything, just 3 weeks ago I won a tournament on a Dropshot Rig, I have caught lots of 3-5 pounders on the Rig and have it tied on at all times no matter where Im at. Dropshotting can be frustrating for someone that doesnt know how to do it or be effective doing it, I use 6 lbe test line tie a palomar knot with a 1 or 2 owner circle hook, depending on where the fish are located relative to the bottom is where I put the hook, if the fish are sucked right onto the bottom then put your hook closer to your weight if there up have your hook up, put the weight on the bottom and shake on slack line remember that a lot of your bites will be pressure sensitive bites, lift the weight off of the bottom every once and a while and check for fish swimming off with the bait, let the fish tell you how there biting, off course if your dropshotting the delta or clear lake 6lb test obviously is a little light lol


cleb

[arupert]

i don't know about quitter rig people have there opinions i have mine. Some times a drop shot is the only thing i know you prob don't fish mead or deep canyon lakes. But dropshot isn't only fished shaking the worm on the bottom i have had most of my success dead stick and it is painful to a guy that hate to due it. Off a point down a bank let it sit for 10 or 15 sec people have this idea it doesn't catch big fish but its all about worm selection go with a seven inch try different colors if, you have that color that the big ones like such as bold bluegill by roboworm, than you will catch them if the big fish are there than they will bite.

[Mort]

As a newbie to bass fishing (about a year now with my boat) I love the drop shot. It is a total confidence builder especially with my electronics. When I start seeing fish below I can grab that rig and most of the time get results. It has increased my confidence on new lakes and for recreational fishing it has been great.

Use light line (6lbs) and very little bait action. Let the natural rocking of the boat do the work. Especially if you are using the smaller curly tail worms.

Good luck
Marty

[BassManDan]

Seth,
Let me add something...Those Blakemore TTI Standout hooks are a pretty cool idea, and for me that can't tie a palomar to save my life, they are a handy little critter...but I still don't like dropshot!

It's gettin' warm in here ,

BassManDan

[dockboy]

For a newbie, the drop shot is a rig that gets fish. They may not be the biggest or even keepers, but the drop shot is a good learning tool. Teaches both finesse and patience. Catching fish is the key to getting beginners started. Its versatile and can catch fish anywhere.
And there are times where the fish won't hit anything else. The ability to suspend the bait is key at times. I've lost several tournies to guys fishing ds, while I couldn't buy a bite. I personally am not fascinated by DS. But you can bet I have 3 rigs for it; light DS, deep water or heavier DS, AND powershotting. Its just a necessity down here in SoCal and especially up at Shasta and the other big nothern reservoirs. And the powershot with a casting rod can be great for finding fish on grasslines.
It is true that DS is overused. The fish do see it alot. If I can fish darter head, split shot, shaking, shakey, smaller Senkos, and small finesse jigs, I will. But there are times where the DS will outproduce those tactic. I've had more than my share of days where my Dad outfished on the back of the boat dragging a DS while I fished a jig or shaking rig. In fact, during winter, I like to use a DS to locate fish if they won't hit a rip bait or other reaction bait, and then go mop up with a jig or shaking a worm.

[Dan McKenzie]

I wonder if Don Iovino thinks it's a "quitters rig", is nymphing vs. dry fly a quitters rig? or could it be that's what the fish want?

[DeltaDan]

Personally- I would rather stick with flippin a kreature or a beaver alllllll day long and come up with nada -- rather that dropshotting and being succesful in boating a fish.


But that is just me and I expect to not be succesful in boating a fish. --- Unless I am flippin' mah Jig.


Senkos are the same- They don't work !!

[Gator]

Dan - we gotta go fish......with a bet on the line......

[DeltaDan]

Your 18 hole offer for golf done expired when the summer ended........But we can still give it a go BrothA !!


Fish you for naming rights and a 18 of your Natti Light vs. my Diet Coke this Nov 3ard if we by chance happen to partner up ??


Put your huevos where you mouth is !!

[Marc]

Wow, guys. From all the comments above I have to say you guys are all stuck in the box...if all you are getting is small bass then you are thinking of dropshotting as one-dimensional.

I fish the dropshot so many different ways with success that it is clearly a presentation technique that is only limited by your imagination.

I dropshot 6" Senko's, Swimbaits, and many other baits you guys are flippin! And I have caught more big bass because of it. I'm still learning new ways to dropshot! Have you punched a mat with a 1 oz QuickDrop yet? There are a couple of pros on the Delta that have been kicking butt with big bass dropshotting weedlines with 1/2 oz QuickDrops.

Even small baits on a dropshot rig catch big bass. I have won more money with big bass on dropshotted 4" worms than any other technique. I guess I should be glad you guys hate dropshotting!

[Gator]

LOL - may have to arrange it before then as I am already scheduled with a partner......

I'll let ya know...

(Sorry for the thread hijack)

[SethB]

Dan, I never said "I didn't catch those fish on a dropshot." I guess I'm not a true rookie. I have been trying to dropshot for a couple of years now. I have caught fish doing it. I'm just not that good at it and would really rather be doing something else. For years a 1/4oz. jig on 12# line was as finess as I went. I never like putting the jig rod down(and seldome do)but there have been days at Shasta where sad to say dropshot was the only way to consistantly get bit. Not a darter head, no shakey head, no splitshot ,no matter how hard I tried to get bit on something else it just wasn't happen'n. Clearlake last spring my buddy out fished my jig atleast 3 to 1 with his spinning rod and dropshot and same 2#-4# class of fish. I really don't like to dropshot. I do like to catch fish. Lots of lakes we fish are good dropshot lakes. I have always viewed dropshot fishing as a no brainer, any one can do it technique and it is. 99.9% of the time I can do better on a number of other baits or rigs but for that .1% the time I want to be ready with the know how to make the best out of a tough day of fishing. If you ever get the chance to fish with or against a good drop shot fisherman it might change you opion. Oh yeah "I didn't catch those fish on a dropshot."

[Gator]

Seth - You answered it right here

"there have been days at Shasta where sad to say dropshot was the only way to consistantly get bit."

Let the FISH tell you what they want. I love to hear people say "I hate that style and will never use it" especially if I am in a tournament against them. That's one less weapon to use against me.

I dropshot lakes where needed and I BUBBA shot on the Delta. There have been days where I have been T-Rigging or wacky rigging worms and not getting bit, I switch to the Bubba shot and get bites. You have to be versatile.

[DeltaDan]

Seth- I never ment anything other than posting that I do not like dropshotting personally.

It is most likely the fault of them dayum Senko's cause they never work !

I have confidence in Jigs and flip baits like the brush, mini brush and the beaver/kreatures.

I will and do like split-shotting though !! ..... Even had some custom baits poured from here that work really really well.


It's a personal choice and confidence thing -- That was all I was saying.

[MikeD]

what about scent on the dropshot bait? flavors & the reasons why you use those flavors of scent? was thinking about getting the blender out and pureeing some large earthworms for some flavor on the worm

[SethB]

Bubba shot yeah I can do that. I guess its the whole light line, spinning rod, deep water thing that I'm not used to. If I'm fishing in more that 20' of water and I dont have a heavy jig on I'm lost. 10" power worms/8"dead ringers on 15-20# floro 1/2oz. dropshot weight and some heavy cover. Thats more like it. Does that count as dropshot fishing?

[Marc]

SethB, that's what I'm talkin about!!!

[SethB]

Man I hate it when that happens I read the posts and as I'm typing a reply 5 other post show up I was refering to BassManDan not Delta Dan sorry for the mix up. Hey Delta Dan Im with you I love flipping and pitching jigs and yanking fish out of the bushes I do it all day long when I can but some of the lakes I fish don't have that option.

[parker]

my favorite thing about a drop shot is that you are fishing a weightless bait with a weight. Im not a drop shot master but it catches fish real good.

[froteur]

aaron martens seemed to have done ok with the dropshot in the delta this year.

[Auggie Dog]

Seth,

I love these kind of threads because if you start reading at the beginning, usually, what's at the end is not even close to what it started with. Let's see if we can jumpstart this back around

To answer your original question, I think I can help. I too have found times when I start to lose confidence in the dropshot but I have found usually it is because I was not listening to the fish trying to tell me to switch it up if you want bites. One of the biggest mistakes we make is getting "tunnel vision" and not changing up to suit the fish. How many times a day do you switch colors or size of your bait? Do you stick to straight tail worms or will you switch to a curl tail or something totally different like a senko or even something like a baby brushhog when you get stuck in the 1-2 lbs fish class? Also, look around to see what the fish are feeding on. If I see dead shad all over the place, I will try to use a shad pattern to match what they are feeding on. If I don't, I might go with a red or green type color to look closer to a craw.

What line are you using? I use P-Line Floroclear on all of my dropshot rods. I love the fact that it is stong as heck, stays limber on a spinning reel for a long time, almost disappears under water and is very reasonably priced. I do not have many fish break me off when using the 10 or 12 lb test which is as small as I will go on Clearlake. If fishing very clear water, you might want to use 6-8 lb or bites will be far and few between.

One of the biggest debates can be over hook size. Many will tell you you need #2 or even #4 hooks. I just can't bring myself to use that small of a hook when I know a DD bass could grab on so I use a 1/0 Gamagatsu EWG but you use whatever you are comfortable with.

Then let's talk about weights. Weight size can affect the bite just as much. a lot depends on the depth you are fishing but weight size is very important in feeling a bite. You have to be able stay on the bottom to work your bait correctly as well as be able to feel a bite without hanging up every other cast. I use a long slender dropshot weight with a swivel clip to cut down on line twist especially when fishing deeper than 10 ft and when fishing in rockpiles, it does not get hung up nearly as much as a round or teardrop style weight. Use a weight big enough to get down but not so big you hang up constantly. This will help feel those very light bites the big ones seem to give that presentation. Also, you want to vary your tag length for your weight. Start with about 12-18 inches from your hook to your weight and then move it up until you find the bites.

The knot you use is all about personal preference. Most like the palomar knot for dropshotting and it is a great knot. I use the Trilene knot which gives you 2 loops of line through your eye and I just leave a long tag for my weight. Either one of these work great.

I have caught many fish over 6 lbs on Clearlake on 4 & 6" Roboworms as well as baby brushhogs, reapers and senkos and most of those bites felt more like bluegill instead of bass. The big girls seem to just suck it in and chew for a minute instead of the freight train bite you get from a 2 lber. The key is to be fishing where the big ones are likely to be. If you fish docks in 4 ft of water all of the time, you are going to catch small fish on average. You have to go where the big ones go like deep rockpiles, breaks in 15-20 ft, and offshore channels that double as migration routes especially in spring when they are heading in to spawn.

Get yourself an assortment of 4 & 6" Roboworms in Aaron's Magic, Margarita Mutilator, Green Pumpkin and Oxblood and go fishing. Switch colors and sizes until the fish tell you to stop. This should improve your catch ratio and if you fish the right spots, your size as well.

Auggie Dog

[BigBossMan]

Marc,

Do you nose hook those bigger baits like the 6"senko or rig it weedless?

[Terry Smith]

I have to agree with Auggie &Cleb just like to add Prizim shad 4" robo worm and Morning dawn Pro worm 4" and the shad imatation not sure what they call it. I catch fish on all lakes with these colors. Oh and I have found that Largemouth like the worm closer to the bottom and I don't move it hardly at all like I would for Smallmouth and Spots.

Good Luck, Terry

[Marc]

BigBossMan,

In most cases I wacky rig/dropshot the 6" Senko using a Gamakatsu Live Bait Light Wire hook (it is a saltwater hook designed for nose-hooking live bait, but is real strong).

But when I'm fishing in heavy cover I Texas rig it on a Gamakatsu G-Lock hook on heavy line and can punch mats with this rig and present a bait above the bottom under a mat. It is deadly. Mat fish tend to suspend just below the mat, so a dropshot rig puts the bait where they can see it better.

When I'm sight fishing I'm nose hooking with the Live Bait Light Wire hook or the wacky rig.

Dropshotting to me is a presentation method...it can be applied in numerous situations and applications. I dropshot in shallow flats, deep ledges, heavy cover, under boat docks, etc. I can dropswim quicker than fishing a C-rig, or deadstick. When you start applying the "presentation" in different applications, then you will really understand what dropshotting can be.

More than anything else, to me dropshotting is all about presenting a bait that is un-restrained by a weight, and being able to present it at various heights in the water column.

[Joe W.]

My advise is go with the SHAKEY fishing, its more like a jig (that aspect should put it ahead of dropshot anyway!)
Really there is plenty of other finesse stuff that you can use in place of the dropshot (shakey, superlight jigs, plastic jerkabits, darterhead, open hook tubes, etc.)

None of these keep the bait suspended off the bottom and sometimes that is what you need to get bit. Sometimes they are just not picking baits up off the bottom.

Maybe you're stuck on deep water vertical drop-shotting and I agree that is boring. You can do a lot of different things with a drop-shot rig. There are no rules to it. I've flipped DS's into heavy cover, long cast it, anything I do with a C-rig I can do with a drop shot. There are techniques I like better for sure, but it can be very productive.

[jcruz]

The current issue of Bass West Magazine contains a great article by Pro John Murray who carefully details the various uses of a drop shot rig. I agree totally with his assessment that the drop shot rig is a great search bait - whether you in 2 feet of water or 60 feet a 4-6 inch robo worm carefully placed in the face of a bass is more often than not a little too much to resist. I have used the drop on the delta and caught huge fish in areas you would never think to throw such a rig.

[BigBossMan]

Marc,

Thanks for the reply. What size weight(s) do you use? Punching mats? Deep clear water? Shallow stained water? And all other water / weather conditions that exist?

[BassManDan]

Hey Seth,
Man this got pretty fierce!!!
Hope you still got some insight.
You had me worried for a second, but I'm glad to hear that those spots weren't on the drop shot.

All the best buddy,
BassManDan

[Marc]

BigBossMan,

I use all 8 sizes of QuickDrops for different applications and conditions. Most of my mat punching is with the 3/4 and 1 oz sizes. Open weeds and weedlines with 1/2 oz. I also use a lot of 1/2 oz in deep river applications, and in the wind. BTW, a friend just beat me on the Columbia River using the 1 oz QuickDrop...it was the only size he could use in the wind and waves, and the smallies didn't mind at all.

The 3/8 oz size is the size I use the most for 20-35 feet deep.

I use a ton of 1/4 oz for most mid-depth applications, or for quick Dropswimming in shallow water. 3/16 oz is what I use for 10-15 foot depths outside weedlines or over rockpiles.

The 1/8 oz size is the most common I use for pitching under docks, and I also use the 1/16 oz size for this.

The 1/16 oz size is my go-to for shallow dropshotting where there is no wind or current...you can't imagine how deadly this is when dropswimming shallow water during prespawn and during the spawn. When the wind is blowing or there is river current I do the same technique with the 1/8 oz size instead so I can maintain contact and feel the bite.

These are the most common times I use each size, but don't limit yourself to this list.

[brambo0311]

I am not tring to hijack here but have a ? I use those stand off hooks and always drop 2 hooks with 2 baits. I have not done this in a tournement but is it legal. I usually use a flashtrix on one and a senko on the other nose hooked. I have stuck 2 fish at once this way.

[Greg_Cornish]

My buddy usses a crappie jig and a worm as a weight - dropshot on the top 8 inches up. He caught a 7 lber on the crappie jig.

[brambo0311]

That is a great idea. Kind of like using a shakey head and a drop shot at the same time.

[BIG DADDY BLUE RANGER]

Seth I know nothing about deep drop shottin on lakes... but I can tell you a quitters rig it is not... I've seen plenty of giant 25-30+ lb drop shot bags on the delta and clear to prove otherwise.. My best DS fish this year went 8 1/2,, my team partner is a DS fanatic and dumped a giant close to 10 in a touney a few weeks ago... we still haven't forgot that one.. and another buddy I know has 4 DD's this summer alone on the DS....

Just fish it... shallow, deep, in the current, out of the current.. anywhere you believe big fish feed. I use 6" fat or 7" Robo's in all the standard colors... I typically use 3/8 - 1/2 mojo with a 6"-8" leader....1/0 round bend gammi on 10lb seagaur on spinning for finese or a 3/0 round bend gammi on 15 lb seaguar w a 7'2" hvy Loomis most of the time.

and the best part of all is it's a simple rig to gain confidence with quick.