Dropshot Larger Plastics

[Montanaro]

Fishing a Highland reservoir known for quality smallmouth this Saturday and was wanting to throw a dropshot with larger plastics to get bigger bites.

I have 8 lb fc leader on a ml rod. Smallest offset hook is 4/0 but I have size 1 owner mosquitos. I have baby dbombs, missile craws, real deal shad, rage craw/menace/shell cracker, and swing impact as options. Are these too large for the equipment?

[Fishes in trees]

You can tx rig larger drop shot baits if you want to.  I've found that the Lunker City Texposer hooks work better than wide gap hooks, or the Owner down shot hooks that are made for tx rigged drop shot.   In my opinion the best drop shot hook for larger plastics is the Gamakatsu Wicked Wacky hook.  It comes in sizes from 1/0 to 5/0.  It allows you to nose hook anything and it comes through gnarly cover fine.   My go to bait for this presentation is a Berkley 4" chigger craw or a crazy legs chigger craw - but beavers and large paddle tail grubs have work for me as well.  Ribbon tailed baits - not so much.   A gulp sinking minnow is another great bubba drop shot bait.

[5fishlimit]

Those baby d bombs will work just fine.

[camman]

I would imagine you may have trouble setting the hooks on bigger baits with a ML rod. Even with the hook exposed its a lot of plastic in the fishes mouth and having more backbone in the rod will help on hook sets

[Catch and Grease]

Rage craws and beaver baits work great on a drop shot!

Just because its a drop shot doesn't mean you have to use a tiny hook and small fluorocarbon, try it on a bait caster with heavier line and hooks.

[A-Jay]

I caught a ton of very respectable bass (mostly smallmouth) drop shotting a SK Rage Craw texposed on a 3/0 ewg Gamakatsu hook.

 

I didn't start fishing this until mid-July but by season's end it still ended up being one of my top producers for numbers.

 

Dip those claws.

 

A-Jay

[eyedabassman]

First I would up size your rod to a M or MH and try the new VMC  Powershot hook! It is a spin shot hook but made for bigger bait on a drop shot. This is what I do on a drop shot ( big or small baits ) I fish two spin shot hooks,one about 10 to 12 in. from the weight and the other hook about 10 to 15 in. above the other hook. That way I cover more water and get a few doubles. But to answer your question I do fish big baits on a drop shot,7 in. ribbon tail worm,Paca craws, lizards,paddle tail swim baits,trick worms,ect. And with the VMC hooks no more line twist and the hook moves 360 degrees!

[dday07]

Nothing beats a dropshot wacky rigged 5' Senko...at least around here.

[gnuisance]

First I would up size your rod to a M or MH and try the new VMC  Powershot hook! It is a spin shot hook but made for bigger bait on a drop shot. This what I do on a drop shot ( big or small baits ) I fish two spin shot hooks,one about 10 to 12 in. from the weight and the other hook about 10 to 15 in. above the other hook. That way I cover more water and get a few doubles. But to answer your question I do fish big baits on a drop shot,7 in. ribbon tail worm,Paca craws, lizards,paddle tail swim baits,trick worms,ect. And with the VMC hooks no more line twist and the hook moves 360 degrees!

 

Interesting. Do you use the same bait or different ones? This could be a great tool to see what the bass prefer

[eyedabassman]

Interesting. Do you use the same bait or different ones? This could be a great tool to see what the bass prefer

I will start out with the same baits and if after awhile I will may go with the same bait but different colors. And if nothing after that I will mix it up  on the baits.

[EmersonFish]

I think people get caught up on the idea that a "drop shot rig" has to be fished on a rod that has certain qualities that have come to be expected of a "drop shot rod." But these qualities are usually related to fishing the smaller, light wire hooks vertically. Using a slightly heavier wire hook with a larger bait, there is no need to confine yourself to your usual "drop shot rod". If you have a M spinning rod that you usually use for "shaky head" fishing, for instance, it will drive those slightly larger hooks home without being too much stick for the situation. And the 8 lb fluoro works perfectly either way.

[Crestliner2008]

I "bubba" drop shot with a 7' MH action spinning rod. I use between a 2/0 to a 4/0 off-set worm hook, depending on the size bait I am presenting. And what I find is that my dropper - from hook to sinker - is shorter. Maybe only a foot or so, as opposed to a lighter presentation. Just seems to work better for me. Baits can be anything you want to try.

[eyedabassman]

I "bubba" drop shot with a 7' MH action spinning rod. I use between a 2/0 to a 4/0 off-set worm hook, depending on the size bait I am presenting. And what I find is that my dropper - from hook to sinker - is shorter. Maybe only a foot or so, as opposed to a lighter presentation. Just seems to work better for me. Baits can be anything you want to try.

X 2  I agree !