Drop Shot Weights

[Zach P]

Hey everyone, do you find there is any difference in casting and performance between cylindrical, ball style, and tear drop weights? I tend to use cylindrical weights, because the reservoirs where I live have tons of rock, but have been tempted to try out the other two styles recently. I fish areas without rock as well and feel that the ball and tear drop might be more affective in these areas.

[5dollarsplash]

I fish a lot of soft bottoms and, in my experience, the cylindrical style performed better.  The ball and tear drop tended to make a impact crater and sit there quite snuggly. 

 

Take this with a grain of salt though, as drop shot tends to be a last resort for me.

[J Francho]

Skinny, pencil weights in current, ball everywhere else.

[Felix77]

I tend to use the pencil style weight most of the time.  Fish it around grass, rock etc with very little issues.  I use the ball as well but tend to when the bottom is smoother (sand, pea gravel ish)

[wnybassman]

All I carry/use is ball weights anymore.   I've tried both over time and couldn't really detect any pro's or con's about any of them so I decided to keep my selection simple.

[J Francho]

Ball style seems easier to pour.  They also stay locked in the hair band I use as a keeper on my rod.

[Crestliner2008]

Instead of trying to pour my own, or purchase them - which can be expensive - I went to Walmarts and picked a few packs of STEEL bass casting sinkers. Then I added a split ring and finally a "drop shot swivel", which is available from Netcraft. Simple and easy to assemble. Very inexpensive too. It was less than $2.00 for 6 of the steel sinkers! Been using this set up for 1/2 dozen seasons now, with no problems.

 

Here's how I put them together:

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Zach P]

Skinny, pencil weights in current, ball everywhere else.

 

Do you find the pencil style is hung up less when the current moves the line and this is why you use them in this situation?

[J Francho]

Do you find the pencil style is hung up less when the current moves the line and this is why you use them in this situation?

 

Exactly.  It has less drag as well.

[Grizzn N Bassin]

i keep it simple for right now just use ball style.

[WRB]

I prefer the ball shape most of the time and use Top Brass drop shot weights painted black. The brass weight gives the same hard click feed back as tungsten at less cost. The Mojo style cylinder weights I use for slip shot rig. If you are getting hung up a lot, use a ligther weight, 1/4 oz chage to 3/16 oz for example.

Tom

[ww2farmer]

Skinny type for me. They hang less, and they stack nice in the box so they store more neatly.

[Koofy Smacker]

Instead of trying to pour my own, or purchase them - which can be expensive - I went to Walmarts and picked a few packs of STEEL bass casting sinkers. Then I added a split ring and finally a "drop shot swivel", which is available from Netcraft. Simple and easy to assemble. Very inexpensive too. It was less than $2.00 for 6 of the steel sinkers! Been using this set up for 1/2 dozen seasons now, with no problems.

 

Here's how I put them together:

 

 

 

 

 

 

I personally pour my own cylinder weights, but one of my tournament partners did this exact thing. Turned out neither of us liked it. The steel is much bigger and actually falls slower because of it. Also in the time to make them I can pour 5 times as many. Given I have all the equipment but I prefer lead much more. Tungsten is far and away better in drop shot weights but with the amount that I lose them I would need to be Bill Gates to keep a stock of them. I tend to pour 2-300 in a sitting in 1/8, 3/16 and 1/4 which covers all my bases unless I am super deep where I have a small bit of 1/2 which gets down there in a hurry.

 

To the OP, I prefer cylinder because they get hung up so much less than the balls.

[BenB54]

I tend to use the pencil style weight most of the time.  Fish it around grass, rock etc with very little issues.  I use the ball as well but tend to when the bottom is smoother (sand, pea gravel ish)

 

Same as Felix, except I use a tear drop more often than a ball in sand and gravel.

[Zach P]

Same as Felix, except I use a tear drop more often than a ball in sand and gravel.

 

Do you find any differences with teardrop as opposed to ball?

[BenB54]

Do you find any differences with teardrop as opposed to ball?

 

Not really. I think you get the same feeling as the ball, but in my experience with them I get less snags.

[Oregon Native]

I pour the cylinder and prefer over ball. Get hung up far less than round in rock. Even better is using what they call a slinkie (out west) they don't sink as fast and kinda look like a ugly worm so bass sometimes hit em. But they are awesome around rock.

[gobig]

Cylinder weights hang less in the rocks. That's what I use.

[WIGuide]

I use both. Generally I use the cylinder weights when I'm fishing around chunk rock and grass since they don't get hung up as much in the rock and don't pull as much grass. Everywhere else, I generally use round or diamond weights.