Keeping bass pinned with a drop shot?

[trout123]

I've had plenty of success catching 6 inch bass on a drop shot and bringing them on land but some of the bigger bass I'll set the hook, start reeling and a few seconds into the fight they pop loose and the hook flies out. This has happened on both of the biggest fish I've hooked on a dropshot, one splashed around in the water so I'm not as inclined to think it was my fault but the other had plenty of pressure on it and it seemed it just randomly popped out the hook.

When I'm setting the hook I try to pop the rod up to where the tip is pointing almost straight up and down from where I have it when I'm giving the bait action and then very quickly afterwards I start reeling them in. I'm also fishing with size 2 gamakatsu dropshot hooks.

[Dens228]

You're reeling them in withy your rod pointing straight up or lowering it back down?

It's a small hook, don't rip it out of their mouth and let the rod action do it's thing. 

[trout123]

Just now, Dens228 said:

You're reeling them in withy your rod pointing straight up or lowering it back down?

It's a small hook, don't rip it out of their mouth and let the rod action do it's thing. 

I try to keep it straight up but I'll move the rod around if I have to pull the bass around a bush or something, Im keeping good pressure on the fish though, theres no slack line.

Im using a 6 foot MF rod and giving the rod a sharp pop up with my wrist and elbow, no giant cross their eyes hookset lol!

[WRB]

What type of line and worm are you using??

Tom

[Sphynx]

6 minutes ago, WRB said:

What type of line and worm are you using??

Tom

This is my question too, are you pairing your line to your hook? Do you use a bait that gets out of the way enough to allow the hook to penetrate the lip? Try to find either a thinner bait, or try a hook with a bit larger gap with your current bait.

[Glenn]

Could be setting the hook too hard.  Here's how to do it (be sure to watch the whole thing, because there's some additional tips that help you learn it)

 

 

[scaleface]

3 hours ago, trout123 said:

I've had plenty of success catching 6 inch bass on a drop shot and bringing them on land but some of the bigger bass I'll set the hook, start reeling and a few seconds into the fight they pop loose and the hook flies out. This has happened on both of the biggest fish I've hooked on a dropshot, one splashed around in the water so I'm not as inclined to think it was my fault but the other had plenty of pressure on it and it seemed it just randomly popped out the hook.

When I'm setting the hook I try to pop the rod up to where the tip is pointing almost straight up and down from where I have it when I'm giving the bait action and then very quickly afterwards I start reeling them in. I'm also fishing with size 2 gamakatsu dropshot hooks.

I have the same problem .  

[Jigfishn10]

4 hours ago, Glenn said:

Could be setting the hook too hard.  Here's how to do it (be sure to watch the whole thing, because there's some additional tips that help you learn it)

 

I'll be doing a lot of drop shot fishing this summer. Just got schooled here. Thanks for posting this!!

[Dens228]

4 hours ago, trout123 said:

I try to keep it straight up but I'll move the rod around if I have to pull the bass around a bush or something, Im keeping good pressure on the fish though, theres no slack line.

Im using a 6 foot MF rod and giving the rod a sharp pop up with my wrist and elbow, no giant cross their eyes hookset lol!

I wouldn't keep the rod pointing straight up.  You removing some of the flex of the rod to battle the bass.   Lower it a bit but keep it up enough to always have bend.........

[jbsoonerfan]

Check your drag and another variable could be switching to a ML rod might help. 

[Boomstick]

Usually on the smaller hooks that are commonly used for the drop shot, you just have to raise your rod tip upwards rather than give a full hookset. If your drag is set right, you should be able to try to control the fish with the rod and reel when the fish swims at you and keep it pinned. A 2-3lb fish usually puts up a pretty good fight on lighter finesse gear, but I usually don't have a problem keeping them pinned.

 

Just off on a thought here - what hooks are you using? I usually use Owner Mosquito light hooks and they work very well. Using 12lb Sunline SX1 and 6lb fluorocarbon leader, Seaguar Blue Label 6lb or Berkley Trilene Fluorocarbon XL 6lb to save some money when the drop shot isn't a primary technique.

[GTN-NY]

I heard good things about Owner Mosquito light hooks. I bought some but have to wait for spring

[roadwarrior]

Hmm...

 

Gamakatsu Octopus Circle Hooks #4. 

Problem solved!

[Boomstick]

4 minutes ago, roadwarrior said:

Hmm...

 

Gamakatsu Octopus Circle Hooks #4. 

Problem solved!

I am fairly certain that's what I used before the Owners and if I'm right they worked well too. The circle hooks practically set themselves.

[Way north bass guy]

I used to lose some smallmouth on a drop shot, but I think I’ve adjusted things to my best assessment. I’m either using 8 or 6lb fluorocarbon. 95% of the time I was using a Maxscent flatworm ( pretty small, thin profile bait), and a Gamakatsu split shot/dropshot hook, size 2. Used to use some slightly stiffer rods and I’d lose fish, but I’ve settled on a Cabelas walleye prodigy rod, 7’6” in ML. With this setup, I caught close to 500 Georgian Bay smallmouth last summer, many up to over 5lbs, and I can probably count on one hand the number of fish of any real size that came off. No big hooksets, just tighten up and reel into them, the little hook is to sharp it pretty much sets itself. As long as you keep a bend in that rod, it usually stays dug in. 

[WRB]

I use reel set rod sweep as my standard hook set. Not enough time to think about  2 different hook sets. 

Just set the reel drag at 1/3rd line strength to change force to the hook. Swing too hard the drag slips.

My other advice is don’t use a drop shot rig if you cast further then a 45 degrees line angle to the weight. Casting a longer distance change to a slip shot rig, so much more effective.

Tom

[GTN-NY]

6 hours ago, Glenn said:

Could be setting the hook too hard.  Here's how to do it (be sure to watch the whole thing, because there's some additional tips that help you learn it)

 

 

Is there a way to save that video to my phone or computer?

[Columbia Craw]

A longer rod would make a significant impact.

[LCG]

Too stiff of a rod? 

[GetFishorDieTryin]

On 1/8/2021 at 7:54 PM, GTN said:

I heard good things about Owner Mosquito light hooks. I bought some but have to wait for spring

Theyre great hooks but they bend and break easily so keep that in mind.

 

On 1/8/2021 at 2:40 PM, trout123 said:

I've had plenty of success catching 6 inch bass on a drop shot and bringing them on land but some of the bigger bass I'll set the hook, start reeling and a few seconds into the fight they pop loose and the hook flies out. This has happened on both of the biggest fish I've hooked on a dropshot, one splashed around in the water so I'm not as inclined to think it was my fault but the other had plenty of pressure on it and it seemed it just randomly popped out the hook.

When I'm setting the hook I try to pop the rod up to where the tip is pointing almost straight up and down from where I have it when I'm giving the bait action and then very quickly afterwards I start reeling them in. I'm also fishing with size 2 gamakatsu dropshot hooks.

You really dont have to swing on em to get a good set.  I just sweep my rod to the left or right or straight up if im fishing vertical.  I use the Gami DS and the Trokar DS and most of the time they stick em right in the roof.  Ive found the bigger the fish the better the hook is set, Ive caught a lot of fish over 5lbs on #1 and #2 DS hooks and I need pliers to get them out. 

Make sure to use a reel with a smooth drag and keep it fairly low, I use 8 and 10 lb Red Label and keep my drag about 2.5-3.5 lbs.  I like the drag to slip a little bit when im setting the hook especially if im using a braid mainline.

The way you rig your bait can have an effect as well.  I like to rig my baits so that the point of the hook is close to, but not sticking out of the head of the bait.  This time of year using softer plastics like Roboworms, Keitechs, may Bubbling Shakers may make a difference if you have to punch through plastic to set the hook.    

 

[trout123]

On 1/8/2021 at 11:51 AM, WRB said:

What type of line and worm are you using??

Tom

30 pound braid to an 8 pound floro leader and 6 inch straight tail roboworms

[WRB]

Weedless rigged worms using a size drop shot hook isn’t easy. Aaron Martens technique can work be inserting the hook point about 1/4” behind the nose point forward to the node end. 

I prefer #5133 size 1/0 Owner Down shot hook weedless hooked.

Try reeling fast then rod sweep hook set, works for me.

Tom

 

[trout123]

16 hours ago, WRB said:

Weedless rigged worms using a size drop shot hook isn’t easy. Aaron Martens technique can work be inserting the hook point about 1/4” behind the nose point forward to the node end. 

I prefer #5133 size 1/0 Owner Down shot hook weedless hooked.

Try reeling fast then rod sweep hook set, works for me.

Tom

 

Thanks! I might try some of the smaller roboworms to, i just grabbed what the guy at the tackle shop suggested lol

[Chonch12]

On 1/8/2021 at 7:54 PM, GTN said:

I heard good things about Owner Mosquito light hooks. I bought some but have to wait for spring

 

On 1/8/2021 at 7:46 PM, Boomstick said:

Just off on a thought here - what hooks are you using? I usually use Owner Mosquito light hooks and they work very well. 

 

I just started to drop shot last year and found those Mosquito hooks to work really well. They are super sharp and thin so its easy hook through the lip. They are pretty strong as well, I was able to land a 5lb Snakehead on one and it didn't bend. It put up a pretty decent fight too since I was on the bank

 

GL