I struggle with the dropshot.

[Fishingmickey]

Central Texas lakes, Whitney, Belton and Stillhouse Hollow all have good populations of smallmouth. They are also caught in Canyon lake and the Devils river. I suspect a bunch of others are out there too but the one's I have named above have some serious Smallmouth.  Whitney lake record is 7.7 lbs, Belton and Stillhouse is 6.4 & 6.7 Canyon lake is 6.1. Devils river 5.0.

 

3 hours ago, Sissyfishing said:

Thanks I’m a line watcher i know that helps 

nothing big and brown in texas

only lmb and spots 

3 hours ago, Sissyfishing said:

What lakes

 

we have a few lakes but there all pretty small less than 12 inches

See above,

FM

[Sissyfishing]

Im in north Texas but my brother in law lives Austin we go to Travis for Guadalupe bass

[islandbass]

3 hours ago, A-Jay said:

The drop shot is a super important part of my mid & late summer brown bass seeking arsenal.

Can't and won't say it's close to my favorite deal as I will always prefer to be moving something,

but the presentations effectiveness simply can not be ignored or overlooked.

I have to agree with @ww2farmer and others who have noted that

moving the rig / bait too much may reduce potential bites. 

A bit more of what works for me is here ~ 

A-Jay

I agree 100% with your comments on working the the bait. The “wiggle and jiggle it to death” probably accounts for the fewest number of strikes. 
 

I work what I call a semi-slack line, for lack of a better description. Not so loose you won’t feel a bite and not so tight like a crankbait is on being tugged at the end. 
 

Also, if you haven’t, especially beginners, find 2-3’ deep clear water and drop your rig down and observe. Experiment with different motions.

 

1) wiggle and jiggle it to death (just to see how you motion affects the bait)

2) make your line fairly taut, such that any tighter your weight will come off the bottom but don’t allow that to happen. Now let your line go a little slack (basically drop your rod tip a bit) and see how your bait moves. Sinking baits will start to descend and floating will react a little differently. You just might be a amazed how much the bait moves and undulates with so little movements.

3) there are other things you can do like a pure dead stick but don’t limit yourself. Drag it to a new spot and repeat. 
 

Experiment. Be a student of the technique 

 

And if the drop shot still doesn’t work for you, then the fish in your lake or river have COVID-19 and are resting at home recovering. 

 

Don’t give up but at the same time be mindful that the conditions are also a factor. There are just some environments where the DS just might not be the ideal choice.