Drop Shotting?

[DelfiBoyz_One_and_Only]

Has anyone used one of these, Roboworm 4" FX Sculpin? I want to use a drop shot more and that is the bait I choose to get started.

I have had little to no luck with a drop shot rig, I know a lot of people are using them where I fish and do well with them. I can do okay with them on the river (Potomac river) but not on the reservoir. The reservoir that I fish has a hard bottom. Mostly, clay, pea gravel, stumps, laydowns, and some bluff walls, only vegetation is against the banks and normally doesn't come out more than 3-4 feet. The reservoir is at the deepest holes about 60ft, I have caught fish as deep as 25ft deep off of points.

 

 

I am what they call a bank banger on my reservoir! Which means I prefer to fish the banks, flipping jigs and soft plastics year around. I do fish points, humps, ledges but only as a last resort and that has been my downfall. Summertime it's go deep or go home. Most people are dragging jigs and c-rigs in deep water and catching studs. I am beating the banks catching a limit and maybe 1 good fish.

 

 

I tend to fish the drop shot way too fast, but am unsure how to fish it most effectively. I basically fish it like a t-rig, with a little more pauses during my retrieve. I have the hook rigged about 8 inches above the 3/16oz drop shot weight. Where should I be focusing on throwing it and how should I retrieve it?

 

Jay-

[Snakehead Whisperer]

I throw a drop shot almost anywhere. As for my retrieve, it varies... but the standard fare is to almost dead stick it. I will give it a twitch here and there, then reel in the slack line. Some casts take well over 5 minutes to bring back. This has been my best producing ds technique. Sometimes I fish it faster, but if that's what the fish want I'll usually switch over to a crankbait or something else.

[ClackerBuzz]

http://www.bassresource.com/mike-iaconelli-fishing/dropshot-tips.html

[Glenn]

Yes, I use the Roboworm 4" FX Sculpin, and it's a good dropshot bait. I've caught several fish on them.  I like it in the Aaron's Magic color.

 

There really is no "right" way to fish this right.  For that matter, there's no "wrong" way either.  Two of the most productive methods I've found is:

 

1. Nearly dead-sticking it, just wiggling the rod tip every now and then.  Just let it sit and bake between shakes...as long as you can stand it.

2.  Dragging it.  I just put the trolling motor on low and let some slack out, then just drag it around weedlines, drop offs, etc.

 

Enjoy!

[Sam]

To continue Glenn's advice, you let the current move the bait on a drop shot rig.

 

All water has current, even ponds.

 

So cast it out or drop the rig straight down and let it sit there on a tight line with your finger on the line coming off the spinning reel.

 

Close your eyes and concentrate on what the line is doing.

 

When you feel a tap, the line moves or the line becomes heavy SET THE HOOK by raising your rod tip straight up. A lot of power is not needed. Just raise the rod tip and start to reel 'em in.

 

Snakehead and Clacker also give you some good advice.

 

Your major problem is the length of the line between the hook and your weight. Sometimes it has to be long (18-inches) and other times short (6-inches). You have to experiment to find the correct length for each day you fish the rig.

[Fishes in trees]

Drop shot really isn't a power bank beating style of fishing.  It is more of a slow down, try to figure out where they are on structure type of approach.  There are dozens or articles out there about drop shot fishing.  Basically, I had to learn how to chill.  Once I had made the decision on where to cast, I had to trust that decision for a few minutes at least, let the bait do its thing.  I generally use a foot or less of drop shot leader. Once it gets down, I keep a semi-tight line to it and basically let the motion of the boat and the waves move the bait.

 

For me it is a lot like fishing a wacky senko, in that once I make the cast to whatever object, I have to trust the bait and let it fall on a slack line, let it work itself with no additional action on my part.

 

If you are a hurry, hurrry power fishing type, drop shot fishing will drive you nuts until you "get it"

[motodmast]

i think the whole point of a drop shot is it allows you to keep your bait in the same spot for a period of time, say right next a stump, the weight dosnt move, unless you move it, but you can ever so lightly shake the bait and not move the weight, driving the bass crazy. if i see a peice of cover i like on the graph, ill first hit it with a jig, then if nothing hits the jig, ill throw the drop shot down there, and work it for a bit, and that usually gets the bass to bite.

 

so here are the key areas i like to throw a dropshot, dock posts,  outside weed lines,  select peices of cover (stump, big boulder on a gravel flat, laydown) you can pretty much throw it anywhere, the key is to move the bait, not the weight.

 

and i love the roboworm fx sculpin in ayu color, KILLS them on my local lakes, ill go through 2 packs in a day if the bite is on.

 

i usually have about 14 inches between sinker and my hook. and make sure to nose hook the bait, gives it more action

[J Francho]

i think the whole point of a drop shot is it allows you to keep your bait in the same spot for a period of time, say right next a stump, the weight dosnt move, unless you move it, but you can ever so lightly shake the bait and not move the weight, driving the bass crazy. if i see a peice of cover i like on the graph, ill first hit it with a jig, then if nothing hits the jig, ill throw the drop shot down there, and work it for a bit, and that usually gets the bass to bite.

 

so here are the key areas i like to throw a dropshot, dock posts,  outside weed lines,  select peices of cover (stump, big boulder on a gravel flat, laydown) you can pretty much throw it anywhere, the key is to move the bait, not the weight.

 

That's one often overlooked advantages to drop shotting.  If you do this a lot, look into the wiggle rig.  I think you'll like what you see.

[Comfortably Numb]

I started drop shotting this winter and did much better after taking Ike's advice and not moving it so much. 4" Robo sculpin is a great bait.

[MarkH024]

Any recommendations on a drop shot weight for very soft silty or mucky bottoms? Or avoid ds altogether?

[Snakehead Whisperer]

Any recommendations on a drop shot weight for very soft silty or muckya bottoms? Or avoid ds altogether?

If vegetation is not bad then a round or teardrop shaped weight will work well.  The cylinder shaped weights are useful for fishing rocks, heavy grass, tules, etc., but not as useful for fishing open water as they don't maintain contact with bottom as well. Usually I will work a round weight anywhere that I can get away with it. I will opt for a teardrop weight if fishing brush, and a cylinder weight if fishing rocky bottoms (especially in heavy current, e.g. river smallmouth in riffles.)

 

The money invested in buying the right weight for the right application will save you $$ in the end because you will lose much less gear in the long run.

[Sam]

The Wiggle Rig????

 

I have the Wiggle Rig.

 

Have not used it much but now that J has put his stamp of apporval on it I may give it more attention this year.

[TNBassin']

How much space do you guys use between the bait and the weight?? I know it varies, but what's a good starting point? I just rigged up my spinning reel a few minutes ago with the d shot, and I have maybe 12-14 inches distance between the bait and weight. Is that ok to start out with?

[J Francho]

The Wiggle Rig????

 

I have the Wiggle Rig.

 

Have not used it much but now that J has put his stamp of apporval on it I may give it more attention this year.

Two words for you, Sam:

Docks. Docks.

[J Francho]

How much space do you guys use between the bait and the weight?? I know it varies, but what's a good starting point? I just rigged up my spinning reel a few minutes ago with the d shot, and I have maybe 12-14 inches distance between the bait and weight. Is that ok to start out with?

I generally start at about 15". If I'm "fishing in the cone," I can see on the graph whether fish are coming up to the bait, or hitting it from a suspended position. You can make your adjustment from there.

[DelfiBoyz_One_and_Only]

So I got my Roboworm 4" FX Sculpin today and I am a little skeptical. How can I use something so little to catch fish? Will a BASS bigger than 10 inches really eat this thing? Can bass even find such a little bait? It looks like a bait for crappie or blue gill. Someone give me some good news or positive insight!

Jay!

[Arv]

Bigger bass will definitely hit that 4'' worm. They have for me. I like to drop shot and I use the 4'' robo's often. DS works really well when the bite is extremely slow for me. I find it works better when I deadstick for a while and occasionally make a small hop or drag the rig back towards me.

[DelfiBoyz_One_and_Only]

Thanks ARV I am not sure it's the 4" part I think it's more the skinniness of the bait. If you are telling me it will catch keeper fish and that you have done it I will have to give them a honest attempt.

Thanks again.

Jay-

[J Francho]

Keepers?

 

4" finesse worm:

 

 

3" worm:

[DelfiBoyz_One_and_Only]

Geez! Are you serious? Those are nice fish, and I am amazed they would eat such a tiny bait. I am going out with only one rod next weekend rigged only with a drop shot rig. Not coming home till I catch some keepers on it. Thanks J Francho



Jay

[J Francho]

Big fish are often about location.  They don't follow the typical "rules" we all read about.

[DelfiBoyz_One_and_Only]

Point taken!

[xbacksideslider]

Assuming fish that are relating to the bottom and the use of a sinking/salty worm, then I try to have the tip of the worm touching bottom for a vertical presentation and that means that line angle matters when adjusting the weight's distance from the hook.

 

So, when I'm in the back of the boat on a slow drag or drift, or if I'm stationary and casting and soaking to mask my presence, I use more distance between weight and hook, because the line angle from tip of rod to bottom under those conditions will be perhaps 20* to 45* depending on how far the bait is from the boat. 

 

Taking both the angle of the bottom and the angle of the line into account, if I'm crawling the weight downhill back to the boat then I might set the weight 24" or more from the hook, or, if I'm crawling uphill maybe only 3" from the hook.

 

If the fish are not relating to the bottom but are suspended at some reachable (with drop shot) depth above the bottom, then I use a floating (horizontal presentation) worm and try to set the hook at whatever distance from the weight, that will place it slightly above, or in the midst of the fish but this is where some other technique begins to take over, suspending crank baits, spoons, or float n fly.