Islandbass’ Take on the Drop Shot

You don't need a Drop Shot specific rod. A medium-light to medium-powered rod with a moderate to extra-fast action, and a length ranging from 6'3" on up to just over 7' should work for you for now, unless you plan to fish heavier cover. If you find drop shotting to your liking, you can then opt to go with a Drop Shot specific rod of your choice. As a rule of thumb, a longer rod will enable you to have more line control and leverage; two big pluses in drop shotting.

I prefer spinning reels (a size 20 or 2500 reel is an excellent choice) because they require less work to give the bait a better (IMHO) descent than a baitcast reel. Sorry baitcast reel users, but the way a spinning drops the bait (for ¼ oz weights and less) smokes a baitcast reel any and every day for drop shotting. To those who use baitcast reels exclusively, please note I said for drop shotting in its basic, finesse form (lighter lines, weights, and smaller baits). There will not be a need to strip line off just to make the bait fall.

Because you are drop shotting, lighter line is preferred if the cover you are fishing allows it. Go up in # strength if the cover dictates this. I like and use 6# fluorocarbon, particularly Seaguar's Invizx. This line kicks fanny. No doubt about it. The plus in going with fluorocarbon in a higher # test if needed is despite having a slightly thicker line diameter; the angler retains the benefit of fluorocarbon’s trait of near invisibility as advertisers so claim. Whichever line you choose, I think the fluorocarbon line of your choice will be fine.

I know that some also prefer to use braid. I know the benefits of braid and am not against it and maybe someday I’ll use it with a fluorocarbon leader. Given the amount of sensitivity my rod and line provide me, I just don’t have a need to take it up a notch to braid for the typical depths I fish, which is usually no more than 20’. If you plan to fish greater depths, braid may very well be the ticket. The enhanced sensitivity braid provides can be a plus.

Keep an open mind here. Many baits of a variety of shapes can be used. The general rule of thumb is a tendency to use smaller baits since we are "finesse" fishing (translates to downsizing in general). The typical length of a drop shot bait usually ranges from 3" - 4.5" but this is NOT set in stone. Roboworms, Senkos, Sniper Snubs and Bolts (the latter two are locally made baits), Reaction Innovations Flirts, and heck, even Baby Brush Hogs and Tubes can be used. Think out of the box. I have used longer worms too. This season, the 4.5” Roboworm (in Aaron’s Magic) and Sniper Snubs in Watermelon and Dark Brown have been so effective that to date I have not seen a need to try something else or other colors. It might be different for bass in other waters. If you wish to know, so far the most effective baits for me have been, the snubs and roboworms.

I prefer to use size 1 or 2 (mostly size 2) Owner Mosquito or Gamakatsu Split Shot/Drop Shot hooks. If I am fishing a grassy area in which grass can catch the exposed hook, I opt for the Owner Down Shot hook, which is in essence a mini version of an EWG (extra wide gap) worm hook. Naturally, if you plan to drop shot much larger baits, you might need to go up in hook size.

Despite the initial perception of working this lure, it is not all about jiggling and wiggling the bait to death. An angler can indeed work the bait this way, but I can tell you from personal experience, that wiggling and jiggling the bait to death (continuously) has accounted for the fewest number of catches. By no means am I saying to not wiggle and jiggle it to death. That is only one method.

So what should one do in addition to the wiggling/jiggling tactic?

Keep the weight on the bottom for the most part and leave enough slack to let the bait sink/float/suspend on its own weight. Then, when you think the bait is near the bottom lift/twitch the rod just enough to move the bait a little (without moving or minimizing the movement of the weight on the bottom) and repeat. In effect, what you are doing is working a semi-slack line and this is what is imparting action to the bait. No hits? Repeat if you wish, or add a little dead sticking to the mix or, drag your bait to the next spot. All are good choices. The dragging of the weight from one spot to the next also imparts life and action to the lure and can help to draw a strike. In addition, working with the slack and dead sticking have been far more effective for me compared to wiggling and jiggling the bait to death.

Not sure what the bait will do? Find some shallow water and drop your bait down. The depth should be one where you can see all the way to the bottom. Once the weight is on the bottom, let your bait fall by lowering your rod. Before the lure hits the bottom, raise the rod’s tip enough to bring the lure up, and do your best to keep the weight in place. Watching this will give you an idea of what will likely be happening when you are not able to see the bait with your own eyes. Visualizing what the bait is doing when I can’t see it helps me to focus on what I am trying to do, and that is catching fish.

Concerned about not being able to feel the bite on this semi-slack line if you are using fluorocarbon or braid? Let me put you at ease. It is not an issue. Either of those lines combined with a sensitive rod is more than adequate to feel the bite when the line has a bit of slack.

The strike or hit can vary depending on the activity level of the fish, the quality of your set up to a certain extent, and the line you are using. More sensitive rods do a better job of transmitting what is going on to you. I have had the blessing of drop shotting with my Berkley Cherrywood Rod, which is decent and not too shabby, but comparing it to my Lamiglas Certified Pro Drop Shot rod is something else. Here is my analogy:

If the Cherrywood rod provides stereo sound to me while watching a DVD movie, the Lamiglas rod gives me the sound in THX and Blu-Ray for the mental image, for the full cinema experience. The latter rod is not necessary to enjoy drop shotting, but it makes it a lot easier to feel and detect the subtle strikes.

The line you use can also influence the feel of the strike. My experience working with both mono and fluorocarbon is that the latter always seemed to give me a better picture. We all know now that although FC line can have as much or more stretch than a comparable monofilament line, it is likely that its density still enables it to beautifully transmit information from the end of our line, to the rod and to our hands. We all know how well braid transmits data back to the angler too so I don’t think I need to elaborate further.

The hit or strike can feel like:

1) A mushy tug or tick, which could translate to a complete inhalation of your bait or the fish attacking the lure from the hook's side.

2) A nibble or nibbling, that transmits vibrations through the line to you. Sometimes you can see or feel the line vibrate through your semi-slack line. More sensitive rods tell you this much better and more clearly. I believe when the hit is like this (my best guess anyway as I visualize the strike), it is possible that the fish might have taken the lure from the side opposite the hook and the nibbling/vibrations you feel is the fish taking in the bait into its mouth, eventually getting to the hook.

3) Bam! An aggressive hit and it's on!

The Hook Set

For one and three, just reeling up the slack and adding enough tension to make the line taut is sufficient for most cases to drive the light wire hook home. For case two, you have to wait until the fish gets to the hook and then do as mentioned above. If you don't, you will pull the lure from the fish's mouth. Since it didn't get to the hook, there is no way the fish can get hooked.

I have written this based on the experience I gained from drop shotting. Take it for what it’s worth, an opinion at best.

I will close by giving you a final warning:

WARNING: Drop Shotting is as addictive as it is effective.

Good luck and go get’em!

-ib

(Alexander Arceo)

Review of That Season

The Drop Shot technique has been so effective for me that in my first season learning and using it. It has accounted for 100% of the smallmouth bass and about 70% of the largemouth bass I have caught in that season, and I caught a lot, the most ever!!! And here is the thing that makes this even sweeter. They were all caught from the shore. No, this is not a testament to my skills, but a testament to the effectiveness of the Drop Shot technique.