Drop Shot

[lunkerboss923]

The other day I bought an entire drop shot kit. I have the weights, I got these ridiculous feather lures that look like you'd pick up at Orvis, and a few ridiculous other drop shot pieces. I'm from Houston, we don't have smallmouth bass, why would you use drop shots. It seems like an awful lot of work.  Pulling out your cute spinning rod, tying a palomar knot on both ends of the weight and then rigging your hook. I don't know anything about it, all I know is it's a midwestern thing and smallmouth bass eat it up. The nearest body of water is the Guadalupe River that is home to a few introduced smallmouth that breed with spotted bass. 

 

 

[Bluebasser86]

Don't fish a drop shot for largemouth because they're too sophisticated to eat a silly rig like that ?

 

Drop shot originated on the West coast, for mainly largemouth, and they were catching real big ones on their "cute" spinning rods.

 

I pitch a drop shot at vertical cover and docks and shake it in place for largemouth for lethargic fish that ignore jigs and T-rigs that get pulled away from the cover too quickly. It isn't just a finesse rig either. I fish a 4/0 Owner Cover Shot with a baby brush hog and 1/4oz weight on a baitcaster to pitch at docks.

[lunkerboss923]

Ok, fair enough, but the work tying all the leaders and knots. It seems like overkill. It's annoying when you spend $30 for a technique that isn't practiced in my part of the country. Sometimes you knock what you don't understand. 

[Bluebasser86]

It's only 1 more knot though? Tie a knot with plenty of tag end on the hook, then tie or clip the sinker on the end of the tag line and you're done. It's really not a hard rig to set up compared to some others.

[WRB]

Bubba shot is your answer.

Tom

[lunkerboss923]

For what it's worth, I do own a spinning rod. I mainly throw Z-Man Ned Rigs with it, when I want to find where the 1 and 2 pound bass are hanging out. 

 

Carolina rigs turned me off of ever wanting to fool around with leaders. To each his own I guess. If it catches fish for you, do what works I suppose. 

[Ogandrews]

Drop shots are effective I don’t think that really needs explaining. 

 

Also the only thing I tie on on a dropshot is the hook, just like any other rig. I use clip on weights, sometimes I’ll do an overhand knot or two after I clip it to keep it on better but your still only tying one palmar 

[JustJames]

12 hours ago, lunkerboss923 said:

For what it's worth, I do own a spinning rod. I mainly throw Z-Man Ned Rigs with it, when I want to find where the 1 and 2 pound bass are hanging out. 

 

Carolina rigs turned me off of ever wanting to fool around with leaders. To each his own I guess. If it catches fish for you, do what works I suppose. 

that why you don’t use dropshot, because you just want 1-2 lb bass.
BTW I also use baitcaster as my main dropshot setup even I have perfect spinning setup built for dropshot specific. 

13 hours ago, lunkerboss923 said:

Ok, fair enough, but the work tying all the leaders and knots. It seems like overkill. It's annoying when you spend $30 for a technique that isn't practiced in my part of the country. Sometimes you knock what you don't understand. 

Dropshot requires nothing special only one knot to hook if use mono/FC, 2 knot if use leader just like everything else. Yes sometime ppl knock off something they don’t understand, but if you wanna catch more fish, you’d better learn dropshotting.

[NHBull]

Prior to this Summer, I threw the DS 3 times.

My 2 best fish this year have come on a DS.....1 in 8 FOW, the other in 30.  “Old dog,New tricks”

 

[lunkerboss923]

I was watching a YouTube video that said to tie the Flurocarbon to mono. I have a hard enough time tying a uni knot 

[BoatSquirrel]

1 minute ago, NHBull said:

“Old dog,New tricks”

Yes sir!  The day a man quits learning is the day he is officially old.

 

2 minutes ago, lunkerboss923 said:

tie the Flurocarbon to mono.

Naw.  Keep it simple and rig it like BlueBasser says.  Long tag end and clip the ds weight on.  I power-target fish a dropshot.  Its a bite getter especially on tough days.

[NHBull]

Nobody says you have to throw it nor should you have to be convicted.

Its just fishing ?

[galyonj]

Don't worry about that. Whatever line you've got on the rod you wanna use is fine.

 

FWIW, I think you've got an idea in your head that's a lot more complicated than the reality of rigging this up. Really there are only two things you want to be sure to do:

 

1. Rig the hook with the point up, and then run the tag end of your palomar back down through the hook eye.
2. Leave 8-12" of tag end so you can have somewhere to put the weight.

 

Literally all there is to it. For the soft plastics you can pretty much use whatever you like. Trick worms, whatever came in the box if you want, etc. Little flukes are a banger for this.

[lunkerboss923]

So just so I understand you right, the tag is the part of the excess line that you cut off after tying the not onto the hook. Correct? Guys to be honest, I was knocking something I didn't understand. 

 

Why is the drop shot so effective? 

[NHBull]

It keeps the bait in the target zone longer than anything else.  It also keep the bait out of the mud on soft bottoms.  It can be rigged several different ways to suit your situation

 

[galyonj]

Yessir, you got it.

 

I think it's effective because it lets the lure move, but the lure isn't something the fish has to go much out of its way to get a bite of. The lure just kind of hovers and wiggles or whatever in the fish's face.

[J._Bricker]

^^^^ @lunkerboss923 as Tom mentions this is what a lot of people refer the heavy version of this technique. I just call dropshotting cause it does work for me...

[WRB]

The BR site has multiple Drop Shot video's; Advanced Drop Shot Techniques: Bubba Shot.

Tom

[NYWayfarer]

You can use a dropshot with a baitcaster. I originally started that way fishing one of the big lakes up here. I realized spinning gear lets you get your bait to the bottom faster just open the bail and let her drop.

 

I find this rig effective as it keeps the bait off the bottom. The current gives your bait all the movement it needs. Good technique when the weather is hot and the Bass are deep.

[DogBone_384]

Hook onto a 3 or 4 pound SMB on a drop-shot and you'll know why it's worth it.

[Fishes in trees]

I carry a finesse drop shot rig and a bubba drop shot rig in the boat nearly all the time.  I've never had a monster 50+ fish day using either the finesse or bubba drop shot technique.   I have had the drop shot turn a bad day into a decent days

[lunkerboss923]

Like I said earlier. I don't fish for smallmouth bass. We don't have them in Houston, Tx. 

[JustJames]

Seem like you don’t like or want to believe in this technique, end of discussion and let’s move on.

From the look, even IF you wanna try, but if you don’t have confidence or at least believe that it would work, then it ain’t gonna work. To learn new techniques, even though, it doesn’t require any skill but patience and willingness is a must. You might get skunked a first few tries but after you get a hang of it the outcome might be great.

Some tried this technique and don’t like it, some use it all the time because this help them at least catch some fish on a bad day, but you, you just dont seem to like it at first hand. 
A few years back at least 60-70% of my catches were from dropshot (shallow muddy, a lot of vegetation in small pond) Nowadays I only use it a few times, only when target woof pack in shallow weedy type, for numbers.
My dropshot technique is not even close to what others describe, I shake the hell out of it and fish it super fast. Most of the time my tag end is short 8-12” I don’t use light line, the #8 copolymer is my usual setup on any medium baitcaster. I adapted the technique to what my liking and catch fish. Maybe it is a western thing, after all.

 

 

[DogBone_384]

1 hour ago, lunkerboss923 said:

We don't have them in Houston, Tx

Bummer.  I guess you'll have to suffer with some of the bigger LMB in the US...

 

Best of luck!

[Fishin' Fool]

2 hours ago, lunkerboss923 said:

Like I said earlier. I don't fish for smallmouth bass. We don't have them in Houston, Tx. 

I live/fish in Michigan. There are alot of smallies here. I've caught alot of largemouth on a drop shot probably more than smallmouth. I'd say probably 3.5 pound largemouth were as big as I've caught. Not giants but nice size fish. I'd rather throw a drop shot than a jig all day.