Best Reel For Drop Shotting

[Felix77]

All,

 

I'm not looking for manufacturers but ideas about what I should be looking for in a reel that one would dedicate for drop shotting.  Reel size (30, 40, 60?), line capacity, reel speed, inches per turn, drag?

 

Thanks

[Crestliner2008]

A smooth drag is paramount in my opinion. Size to match your rod. A 6'6" med-light rod would be matched quite well with an Abu Cardinal 101 size reel. Not sure what comparable sizes are with other manufacturers?

[tomustang]

I prefer 1500 or whatever Cardinal 10 is

[Hyrule Bass]

honestly, you can drop shot with anything and have success. i use heavy gear and drop shot for catfish quite often too keep my bait out of the grass on the bottom. yeah, ive drop shotted chicken livers and cut bait and other things with success...

 

my PB largemouth came on a drop shot with a 6'6MH rod and 15lb mono with an owner 2/0 baitholder hook and 1oz weight. the reel, well its an old shakespeare tiger spincast(when they were metal and big) that owns most of my PBs for various species. while mostly associated with finesse fishing, it doesnt have to be fished on light gear...

[lmbfisherman]

I use three different setups -

 

Light - I use 1000 series (Shimano)

Medium - I use a 2500 Series (Shimano)

 

For heavy situations I will use a BC. 

[Felix77]

Thanks guys.  Curbed my bait monkey from an extra purchase.  Just have to wait for the new Rage Baits.  LOL

[J Francho]

I picked the Stradic CI4 2500 for my three dedicated vertical DS setups.  I have two ML and one MED.  The reels are light weight, and for their size take up the most IPT.  Smallies tend to rocket to the surface, and keeping up is important so you can have pressure on them when they jump.  Notice I did not use the phrase "if they jump," LOL.

[KWCheek]

Curious why everyone seems to use a spinning reel and not a casting reel?  Is it personal preference?

[wnybassman]

Curious why everyone seems to use a spinning reel and not a casting reel?  Is it personal preference?

 

No, I use both for different situations.   For open water structure "in the cone" fishing a casting reel is not optimum for dropping line straight down at a high rate of speed.

[Crestliner2008]

Curious why everyone seems to use a spinning reel and not a casting reel?  Is it personal preference?

I mainly use spinning because it takes less time for your bait to hit bottom when you are fishing off-shore. Heavy cover would find me with the a baitcaster, but that's a small percentage of time.

[OkobojiEagle]

Curious why everyone seems to use a spinning reel and not a casting reel?  Is it personal preference?

ergonomics

oe

[quanjig]

I use the pfluger president 30? I think on a kistler dropshot rod and a medium bait cast setup when bubba shot fishing. I think smooth drag is important, correct drag is most important!

[J Francho]

No, I use both for different situations.   For open water structure "in the cone" fishing a casting reel is not optimum for dropping line straight down at a high rate of speed.

 

 

I mainly use spinning because it takes less time for your bait to hit bottom when you are fishing off-shore. Heavy cover would find me with the a baitcaster, but that's a small percentage of time.

 

 

Curious why everyone seems to use a spinning reel and not a casting reel?  Is it personal preference?

 

No Good and Crest pretty much summed it up. 

 

I'll bubba shot in heavy cover using a baitcaster, but the gear is all different.  ww2farmer (I think) turned me onto using a bullet punch weigh, reversed on the tag line and a small split ring to keep the sinker from slipping.  Big creatures and worms on a heavy wide gap weedless hook (Owner Wide Gap Plus, or Rig'n Hook) work well.  I use anywhere from a mh to my flipping stick for this.