Take The Stress Out Of Drop Shot Rig For Bass

Drop shot rig requires the right fishing type accompanied with a good rigging method. Fishing using a drop shot rig can be done in a variety of ways, but it all needs some additional equipment to set things up.

This might sound complicated but I’m here to simplify the whole procedure. You then understand how to knot properly and use a drop shot with some professional bass fishing advice.

What is a Drop Shot?

Any angler’s toolkit should include the dropshot rig, which is a versatile finesse presentation. The dropshot, once regarded as only being effective in deep water, has been modified to to be used in all water environments, including shallow and deep.

These three components are as follows:

• An end-tied line with a hook
• A leader trailing from the hook 
• Weight at the leader’s end so it hangs below the hook and bait.

Just like usual, the line runs down from the rod. However, a distinct feature is the small weight tied at the end of the leader, which requires a rather simple fishing tactic.

Half the struggle is rigging your line; the other half is understanding how to fish it. For now, let’s concentrate on setting up your drop shot first.

Some components of a Drop Shot

One small reminder, you might not need to buy many since you already have the majority of the equipment.

Rods and Reels

Drop shot works best with a medium rod performing extremely rapid action and a cozy spinning reel. It’s vital to keep in mind that this type of fishing relies on finesse, so you want something with great sensitivity to catch small bass but enough power to land a big one.

You don’t have to go overboard with the reel; anything you already have for freshwater should work.

Line for Drop Shots

A six pound test fluorocarbon line and leader should do the work if you want to tie a drop shot knot. You should choose the line that has the lowest visibility.

Remember that bass are timid when using finesse fishing techniques; if you spook them, they will nibble and swim away very quickly.

Drop Shot Hooks

For bass, the hook size is crucial, and the recommended size is a 1-1/0 or smaller. 

There are many different hook designs available but a drop shot hook is what you desire. The hook should have a big circumference and thin wire for the best motion.

Relate: Picking the right hook size for Bass

Drop Shot Sinkers

A basic understanding of drop shotting will do you wonder before deciding on the weight you want. In case of turbulent water, the weight’s job is to maintain your bait in position a few inches above the bottom. Therefore, a crimped swivel weight that you can clip onto the end of your line is what you should use, though you can also tie one if you like.

When there is a lot of wind outside and the water is choppy, I usually use a ¾ oz weight, but I wouldn’t advise using anything smaller than ⅜.

Furthermore, it is advisable that you pick a weight that complements the environment around you. The more it blends in, the better off you’ll be as you don’t want fish nibbling and fiddling with the weight at the bottom.

Drop Shot Worms

The type of bait you use when fishing a drop shot is up to you, but I suggest using plastic worms or something similar. The presentation of a drop shot works particularly well if you stick with rubber worms, though you may also use a rubber minnow if you like.

You can check out Berkley Gulp, famous for its water-based materials. All of their items, in my opinion, are fantastic, and they frequently give off effective scents, which makes things simpler.

All come down to how similar the bait is to the real thing. You just need to seek something that looks natural. 

Baits

Drop shot fishing may be done with just any little, soft plastic lure. Among available products, you can check out these three:

• The Producto Springworm
• The FindBass Mino Alewife
• The Lunker City Rascal Worm

In general, drop shotting is a finesse technique used to entice neutral, negative, or overly stressed fish. Low impact colors are the most sensible options in this regard because they blend in with their surroundings pretty well and are less likely to startle or intimidate fish.

Drop Shot Rig – How to tie 

Now that you have everything you need, let’s dig into the real stuff. 

• Take your hook, thread the line through the eye, and pull through a leader on the 1-foot long tag end (at least).
• Make a loop, then thread it back through the hook’s shank.
• Hold the end of the loop, and tie a single Palomar knot with the other end. Pull it tight after wetting it.
• At this point, you need to have a hook secured approximately a foot up with enough line to secure the weight to the other end.

Once everything is set up, you can rig your worm or shad in a Texas or wacky fashion, add a weight to the end, and voila, here is a drop shot rig.

How to Fish a Drop Shot 

To see how it works, let’s go fishing. Drop shotting for bass is frequently misunderstood as casting out, letting the lure sink to the bottom, and that’s it. Let’s look at some other fresh ideas and tactics to increase your chance of success when bass fishing.

Dragging

This is just right for aimless anglers who don’t know where the bass are but are desperate to catch some with your drop shot. According to many experts, they won’t bite if you bob it around on the bottom, but they will bite if you drag it. The plausible explanation is because you’re causing a loud disturbance.

Anyway, I advise trying this drop shotting approach because it is used by seasoned fisherman. Drop your bait into the water and watch it drop to the bottom. Simply retrieve it quickly enough to drag the weight across the water’s surface once it touches the bottom.

Deadsticking

Deadsticking is one of the most used methods for drop shotting.

This technique entails letting the weight drop to the floor and stopping there for around 15 seconds. You gently raise it from the water’s surface after that and let it bob up and down for an additional 15 seconds. There is no need to wait a long time between throws, and you may repeat this practice all the way back to the boat. 

Knowing the bass’s location is of great use to this technique. There is not a lot of movement, so you should have a broad sense of where to fish. 

Vertical fishing

Bass on structure or suspended bass can be caught vertically. Most people imagine this when they hear the term “dropshot.” For this fishing method, you need fisheries sonar to detect the cloud of baitfish. 

First, look for their distinctive arches on your sonar screen to move your boat over suspended bass or bass that are sitting on a deep hump. Drop your line straight down and watch the weight descend on your sonar screen until it reaches the depth of the bass on your graph (change sensitivity settings till you can see the weight on your screen).

After that, you can deadstick, twitch, or slowly lift and lower the bait until one of these presentations prompts the fish to bite.

Swimming technique

Basically this technique has a swimming tail. It is a finesse swim bait.

First, allow it to pendulum down and keep it tight enough that it may pendulum a fair distance. Don’t forget to steadily retrieve it as well.

The tail motion on that small grub is amazing. Additionally, it might be the most skillful way to fish with a swimbait, look-and-bait, or grub. Remember to stay with it and never shake it. Up to the tip of your rod, use the conventional do-nothing method.

And a fish will essentially gorge itself on this. It’ll only become heavier. You will only experience that after taking a bite of this.

Frequently asked questions

• When to Fish a Drop Shot

The drop shot setup works from 2 feet of water to 100 feet of water and is very effective year-round.

Drop shotting was initially created as a vertical fishing technique for deep water, but it has subsequently been modified to work as a casting technique for shallow water, and it performs equally well in both situations.

The following times are ideal for throwing a drop shot rig:

• When bass move to deeper water (in summer or winter)
• When bass stay close to the bottom
• When bass are sluggish (due to either hot or cold temperatures)
• When bass are not aggressively feeding (due to change of weather)
• In open water or in water with light cover

• Where to Fish a Drop Shot  

You can basically fish a drop shot all year round but some locations to keep in mind are natural lakes in the Northern where the deep border of the weed growth is often the critical pivot point in bass location.

You should try along the deep weed edge, at the bottom of drop-offs, and on extended points that go beyond the deepest growing vegetation. 

• How deep do you fish a drop shot?  

The drop shot setup suspends the bait approximately 14 inches off the bottom. Just leave a foot and a half or more from the tag end before tying the hook on. Put a Palomar knot on it. 

In order for the hook to stick the fish better and become less caught up, you should always angle the point of the hook up. Run the tagline through the hook’s top eye once more to make sure it is upright. Weights for drop shots are now widely accessible. 

For the most part, you should only use 3/16-ounce tungsten. If the water is deeper than thirty feet, I’ll use a 3/8-ounce.

• How to drop shot rig bass from shore  

Since drop shot fishing from the beach works so well with small tackle, it is ideal for capturing bass with finesse techniques.

Drop shot fishing from the beach is often done with a lightweight drop shot rod and a reel spooled with 10–12 lb test fluorocarbon, which is considerably lighter than the 60 lb test braid used for throwing lures around dense cover.

Because of this, you may need delicate presentations and a very slow retrieve speed, giving picky bass all the time, they need to decide to eat your lure. Fish can be caught whenever you want, by finesse fishing with a drop shot rig from shore, not just when they’re being picky.

Final thoughts 

It is undeniable that drop shotting offers a fantastic approach for overfished lakes and ponds. I hope this article can equip you with some helpful pieces of information so you can grasp this strategy with ease.

That’s it! Good luck! I hope your drop shot fishing is successful in capturing both smallmouth and largemouth bass!