Detecting The Drop Shot Strike

[Jigfishn10]

It's been quite a while since I fished a drop shot and I really can't remember what the strike was like? The closest drop shot technique was using a very similar rig for deep sea fishing a while ago.

We were fishing 100' - 150' of water for ground fish and really all you felt was a heavier weight when a fish was on. Granted the gear we were fishing on this guided trip was very stout pool cue and cloths line for fishing line. I'll be using a 6'9 heavy rod with 14# mono (I maybe rethinking that tho). 

So, what is your experience with the bite: Subtle, aggressive, just a heavy weight?

[bigspirit]

Hopefully others chime in because I don’t have a lot of experience with drop shots but when I’ve done it it’s been with a medium power rod and light braid to a flouro leader. I’ve had no issues detecting a bite on this setup. 
 

If you’re going to use that rod, switching to braid or flouro might help with bite detection compared to the mono. 
 

I havent heard of someone using a Heavy power rod but that’s not to say it can’t be done (and again, I’m not super experienced in this technique). 

[rtwvumtneer6]

I consider a drop shot a finesse technique.

 

I fish dropshots on a M/L or Medium spinning rod.  15/20# high vis braid to a 6 or 8# Fluoro leader.

 

Usually see my line jump and it feels like someone smacked my line with a pencil.  Other times, I'll lift and the rod will load.

[TnRiver46]

I’ve always been able to feel the bite very easily, although I don’t know if I’ve ever owned a heavy rod . Hooking them is a little

harder for me but I’m getting better. Passing the tag end back through hook eye after the palomar helped me tremendously 

[A-Jay]

All my drop shot action happens with 10lb braid & almost always in less than 40 feet of H20.

 Some  D/S Bites to me can feel like a 'tick' or even a pretty good 'doink'. 

But at least 75 % of the time and it may be much higher than that,

I never feel the actual take, the bait just gets heavy and or the rod starts to load up a little. 

I rarely DO anything with the bait (impart No action)

so most all of this happens on a semi-tight or even fairly slack line.

I like a 7 ft Medium spinning 98% of the time. 

Over the years my D/S 'Hookset" has increase just a bit as has the weights, baits & hooks I prefer.

Hope that helps

A-Jay

 

[roadwarrior]

I use a #4 Gamakatsu Octopus Circle Hook. The fish hook themselves.

When I detect ANYTHING I lift my rod and begin reeling.

 

[Dens228]

I use a M/Mod spinning setup with 20 lb braid to a 6 or 8 lb mono leader.

I've only caught little bass on it and don't use the technique much though.  

No issues with detecting strikes, most of my fishing is in less than 20 feet of water though. 

[Jigfishn10]

Is "doink" technically a fishing term? ?

[A-Jay]

10 minutes ago, Jigfishn10 said:

Is "doink" technically a fishing term? ?

But I bet you knew exactly what I meant . . .

#keepingitreal

A-Jay

 

[Jigfishn10]

2 minutes ago, A-Jay said:

But I bet you knew exactly what I meant . . .

#keepingitreal

A-Jay

Yep I did.

#thatfishhitwickedhahd!

[GTN-NY]

It was explained to me it feels like you have caught weeds on the hook. So far that’s what I’ve felt. 
your setup sounds more like for Bubba shot

 

[Team9nine]

Both types of bites you typically get have been described above, but it somewhat depends on setup, too. Seems like there are two  camps when it comes to DS rod actions; Stiffer rods with XF actions, and then more moderate action rods. Both work fine, as I’ve used both for DS, but I’d say you’ll feel more “tick” bites on the XF, while the bite on the more moderate actions is akin to ice fishing with a spring bobber - don’t worry about feel and just watch the rod tip for loading. Whether you use braid or straight fluoro/mono can also play a difference.

[Fishes in trees]

My current thoughts on drop shot fishing.  Yeah, I think that it is a "finesse" approach, but that don't mean that you can't bubba it up some.  For me, mostly because of the cover & brush I the lakes that I fish in, I tend to catch more fish using the bubba shot compared to using lighter gear.  My bubba shot gear consists of a 7'5" Kistler pitching rod ( I got the telescopic one because it stores in the fishing truck better ). I use a small Calcutta 50 size reel and 20 lb Abrazx line, maybe once or twice I've used a 3/8 oz weight, much more often than not I'll use a half ounce.  My thinking here is that with the bait being above the weight, the weight really doesn't affect sensitivity all that much and the half ounce weight gets me to my target ( the bottom) asap.

To the original poster - I think that a 6'9" heavy rod will work but I think you'll get better leverage and reach with a longer rod.  I began my bubba drop shot fishing using an old All Star WR 1 and while the rod could handle any fish I might ever hook up with, I got to like the extra reach I got with the Telescopic  7'5" Kistler better. I think that 14 lb line will work, but IM0 an abrasion resistant line will work better.   I'm using the stoutest abrasion resistant line I can find that my little Calcutta 50 will handle well and that turns out to be Abrazx.   Pretty certain that other lines will work , just haven't tried any others.    In my situation that little Calcutta 50 holds a relatively small amount of line, so I haven't tried a braid to fluorocarbon line.   If you're using a regular size reel, that might be an option.

 

My lighter drop shot system consists of a 6'10" Loomis drop shot rod and 6 lb test.   I use straight 6 lb test, mostly because the reel only holds a modest amount of line and it is just easier that way.   I use the max weight that is recommended for the drop shot rod ( 1/4 oz )

because I want the weight to get to the target asap and a quarter ounce drop faster than a lighter drop shot weight does.

 

One of my goals for the upcoming season is to be quicker to pick up the lighter rod instead of the bubba rod and see if the lighter line gets me more bites.  When I'm thinking finesse, I want to try to pick up the lighter drop shot rod instead of the shakey head or the quarter ounce Brewer Slider rig.  In the lakes that I fish, most of the hits will be slot fish (12" to 15") so I'm more or less confident that the rod will handle them.   Last season, the largest fish that hit the lighter drop shot rig was a 17" fish and the rod handled the fish fine, but it was in an area that didn't have an abundance of gnarly stuff.  I'm going to start throwing in to the gnarly stuff more and see what happens with the lighter rig.  

Going to a 10 or 12 lb braid/fluorocarbon leader combo might be an option.  

A little bit of background - I'm a junk fisherman, every time I go fishing I carry an assortment of different rigs, to hopefully best match the conditions I might run into, so I always carry both drop shot rigs.   If you're into a more minimalist approach, my approach might not work well for you.  Hope these thoughts help while you're re- rigging,  waiting for the thaw.

[Columbia Craw]

I rarely feel a doink.  Most bites are more of a quick bip or a twang.  If they really take it it’s a kadunk which is a doink but more pronounced.  If I lift the bait and feel that twonngg type of resistance, I just keep lifting and reeling.     

[Jigfishn10]

Wow! I’m glad I took @Columbia Craw as a second language in college. 

Totally understood that post.

Thanks man!

[TnRiver46]

7 hours ago, Jigfishn10 said:

Is "doink" technically a fishing term? ?

That’s exactly what it is 

[lo n slo]

1 hour ago, Columbia Craw said:

I rarely feel a doink.  Most bites are more of a quick bip or a twang.  If they really take it it’s a kadunk which is a doink but more pronounced.  If I lift the bait and feel that twonngg type of resistance, I just keep lifting and reeling.     

sounds an awful lot like my middle of the night trips to the bathroom.

[Jigfishn10]

OMG! Thanks for that visual @lo n slo.

[Born 2 fish]

During the day I watch my rod tip I usually see the bite before I feel it. 

[Jigfishn10]

There's a lot of good information here as well as a lot to think about in terms of gear. I've got some time to dial it in, but wanted to thank all who contributed.

[Bluebasser86]

Most are what I'd call "pressure" bites. I never feel anything, it's just extra weight on the line when I try to move the bait or lift the rod next time. I'm also a rod tip watcher and will check the inflection of the rod tip to see if there's any noticeable movement. I use a fairly long rod (7' 3" ML/XF), with 10lb braid and an 8lb leader but we don't have a lake in the state with 100' of water in it so I can't speak on fishing anything that deep.