Using A Jig As A Drop Shot Weight?

[lou304]

I've posted this on a couple of forums.

Has anybody out there ever tried using a jig as a drop shot weight? I rigged one up last season but never got around to trying it. I'd hear about it somewhere but was just wondering if anyone had tried it, and did it work. In a way it sorta makes sense, giving you another opportunity for a bite.

Just wondering.

[papajoe222]

I've been using a jig for 'Bubba Shottin' for a couple of seasons.  I started doing it when, using a bell sinker, I was feeling pick-ups  and coming up empty on the hook set.  I've had limited success, but this year I'm going to a 1/16 hair jig for regular drop shotting, but that's just between you and me.  No sense letting the cat out.

[Team9nine]

You can do what you want, but I don't recommend combining the two - bad idea IMHO. Throw one or the other, just not together on the same outfit/setup.

 

-T9

[dave]

You can do what you want, but I don't recommend combining the two - bad idea IMHO. Throw one or the other, just not together on the same outfit/setup.

 

-T9

Why not?

[Team9nine]

Here's an old thread that goes into some discussion on the topic: http://www.bassresource.com/bass-fishing-forums/topic/6510-jig-as-drop-shot-weight/

 

In my case, there are too many negatives to worry about. Are you working the jig, or working the dropshot worm? Are the bass you're trying to catch feeding on the bottom, or suspended up in the water column some? When you get bit, do you know which bait got bit? Are you going to set the hook like the little finesse worm got bit, or like the jig got bit? Does it make sense to drag around something on the bottom with a hook in it and likely increase your snagging potential, or collect moss and weeds? If they're biting baits on the bottom, why not just toss the jig by itself? If you're pitching your dropshot around cover like docks, logs or weeds, again, why have the extra hook to hang on stuff? If you use a jig with a weed guard, won't you have to set a little harder on the chance that the bass picked up the jig and not nose-hooked worm?

 

Not saying it won't work, and likely depends on the exact situation (lake, cover, etc.) you're fishing. I simply don't see any real advantages to doing it. Too many unknowns for me. If it works so well, why not use a jig/punch weight/skirt for your Carolina rig weight, too, because you occasionally get a sinker bite there, also.

 

-T9   

[J Francho]

What hookset you gonna use? How do you know it's the right one?

[dave]

I guess I should clarify that I don't typically DS finesse.  Usually in the matted grass.  Jig on the end with a beaver or something on the drop.  So,  I guess in a purely finesse situation,  I'd have to agree.

[DocNsanE]

haven't tried it myself but if you match the hooks on both presentations I'd say it's worth a try.

[J Francho]

As always, the devil is in the details. Special circumstances require special disclosure in order to to get answers you *want* to hear.

By that, it helps to have the full story when providing answers. I still don't know why two baits is an advantage in any of the cases. In heavy weeds, less terminal gear means less to catch weeds on. Twice the gear = twice the junk, but go ahead and try. My guess either a jig OR a bubba shot OR a punch rig OR a heavy jika punch rig is the best option for getting the bait to the fish, but not more than one at once.

We also don't know the OP's intentions.

[lou304]

I guess I was just wondering if, in certain situations, it would give you an advantage in having another offering down there. Obviously you wouldnt want to try it where it is highly likely to get hung, but it might entice a fish who might not ant the DS bait.

[Nice_Bass]

I use to try to fish musky flies on the back of a jig as a modified Carolina rig. 

I lost a lot of expensive musky flies.

[Bankbeater]

I tried using a jig as a weight a few years ago.  I got hung up a lot, and picked up moss with the jig.  I went back to using a bell sinker.

[Bluebasser86]

I've done well for smallmouth fishing a tube as my dropshot weight. Never tried a jig as my weight though. 

[corn-on-the-rob]

Same here. As long as the hooks are in the same hookset class then it should be doable. Like bb said, I have used small tubes or grubs with a lighter wire hook so that I can use the same hookset as drop shot.

 

That being said, for some reason I don't have confidence throwing the double set up for some strange reason.

[Dogmatic]

Fish-N-Fool has been using the drop craw weight rig for many years. Essentially a weighted tube rigged with a hook as a weight on DS rig. Very similar idea,and I always wanted to try, and now that it was brought up again, I will.

[J Francho]

Better know how to tie a good knot. A properly tied Knot usually sacrifices and distorts the tag end. You are relying on this to hold another fish. This would be a good case for Spin Shot hooks.

[SirSnookalot]

Will it work, sure.  Is it a waste of time, no.  Is it a waste of my time, yes !  For me these kind of set ups are too "gimmicky" for my tastes.  Whether I've fished a double fluke rig, drop fly rig, even an umbrella rig (stripers), IMO they are variations of the same basic theme, having multiple baits in a small area to attract game fish.  I have caught bass, snook and tarpon with these rigs, but have they really produced better for me, I'm not positive on that.

[primetime]

Here was my issue doing that...I broke off a lot as I never knew if they were on the Jig or Drop shot bait and I also found the jig would snag way too much around weeds, it causes line twist even with a swivel hook for me, I honestly thought It was good for about an hour, until I simply started power shotting the way Aaron Martin does it in his video, and I now just use a heavy weight on a weedline, not in weeds as the jig always would pick up weed and out of habit I would set the hook too hard if hit on the drop, and then it becomes tricky.....I personally never do well overall when trying to get creative with double rigs and even using a jig as the weight on a c-rig....Hook sets are different and I guess the right jig matters, but very few are weedless in the weeds that I fish at least, I would master the straight power shot before tying 2 hooks on, plus if you get 2 fish, good luck getting them both out of the weeds....Sparce weeds, sure it works well, but power shotting works, I am still crappy at it, it feels weird for me to not move a bait as I want to lift it all the time.....

[primetime]

The only hits I did have in that hour, were not in that heavy stuff, I realized after 5 minutes that nothing was going to allow 2 hooks to get through anything that requires more than 3/8 so I tried it on the weedlines and would cast it in holes in the Emergent weeds, or scattered grass, and all my strikes came quick, and you have a heavy rod, no stretch braid with a leader, and when you think you are not swinging that hard, keep in mind, you are 10 feet away, and have a broomstick, so you end up missing a fish the jig or punch rig alone would have caught. I would go heavy weight since that is the only reason to use it, it stirs up shrimp and other critters under a canopy, but a canopy means you need at least an ounce, and you have to leave it without moving, so how do you know your bait is not wrapped around your line while you are waiting? it happens almost 50% of the time or did for me....Only try this in sparce grass, I would love to see video of this working in a true canopy animals walk on.

[CRANKENSTIEN]

Go for it,  If it works great, if not then you may have wasted a few hours. with similar sized hooks and proper spacing for the situation, I would think it could be fished successfully.