How do you retrieve a dropshot?

[Buzzbaiter]

I’ve never done well with this rig, how do you fish it?

[detroit1]

Alot of info out there on d/s.  More likely than not, you are not around fish.

[roadwarrior]

The biggest mistake is "over-fishing" the rig. Cast to a fishy spot and let your weight sit. 

Twitch it and let it settle. Move it 6"-12" and repeat. Continue until you feel you are out 

of the zone. Slow is the ticket. 

 

https://www.bassresource.com/bass-fishing-videos?field_tags_target_id=192&items_per_page=21

[EWREX]

fishing it vertically off the side of the boat i drop it down, let it soak, give it a couple twitches, repeat. if i cast it out i let it sink, slow drag with a couple twitches, soak, repeat back to the boat

[MN Fisher]

28 minutes ago, roadwarrior said:

The biggest mistake is "over-fishing" the rig.

Ya - what he said (all of it).

[Hammer 4]

What bait are you using ? Also if fishing where there is Current, there is no need to Twitch the bait, as the current will impart enough action on it.

[Bankbeater]

I don’t fish a drop shot that much, but when I do I let it fall straight down and then keep the line fairly tight while the bait is on the bottom. 

[A-Jay]

1 hour ago, Buzzbaiter said:

I’ve never done well with this rig, how do you fish it?

The single best piece advice I can offer when it comes to drop shot fishing is . . .

 To present your plastic like it was LIVE BAIT - regardless of which drop-shot plastic you're fishing.  Meaning, one does not generally do much with live bait other than throw it out there and  . . wait.

 So I'm rarely shaking, wiggling or 'working' my drop shot presentations much if at all.  

Clearly, there are times where imparting a 'little action' to the bait is the deal and bass will gobble them up. And I'll do that if & when it works. 

However,  I'm usually fishing a drop shot because I believe the fish are either in a neutral or negative mood - meaning they may not chase a moving bait. 

So a subtle, do-nothing approach can put a few in the net. 

Finally, if I have to turn the drop shot into a moving bait to get bit - I'm probably going to fish something else.

Good Luck

A-Jay

[PressuredFishing]

1 hour ago, Buzzbaiter said:

I’ve never done well with this rig, how do you fish it?

Cast out, close the bail, reel up the slack, grab a carbonated beverage of some type (I opt for a pepsi) bring a sandwich from home, and wait... and wait some more.... and then wait a little more..... then you can give a small twitch or two and take another sip of your carbonated beverage. Most of my bites come when I do nothing at all and it's been still for 5 minutes.

[ATA]

Cast it as far as possible(use lightest weight possible), Than use the rod and pul the weight and use reel to get the slack line. I am not shaking or twitching at all, because your soft plastic there is moving a lot. Do it slow and you'll catch the biggest fishes of your life on that 6 to 8lb invizX and #4 daiichi mosquito hook(I use red hooks).

Good Luck

[Bass Junke]

What everybody said above. The only thing I will add is I put drop shot baits in two categories, one the float and ones that sink. The ones that float or are neutrally buoyant are almost a do nothing bait. The sinking ones need a little twitching. 

[WRB]

Drop shot allows the worm to be wacky hooked, nose hook and weedless hooked. I prefer wacky hook hand poured or Roboworms, straight tails and Jackall Flick Shake 4.8 worms.

Rarely cast over 25’ unusually target casting to metered bass. Hook about 8”-12” above the weight.

Retreive is none, simply hold the rod with controlled slack and let the rod do it’s slight movements. Sometimes slide the weight a foot or so and repeat holding the to feel strikes.

Casting a distance use the slip shot rig is more productive.

Tom

 

[Darth-Baiter]

I probably do it wrong but I have taken a lot of fish.  it is my most productive method.

 

I cast it out away from me.  pull line tight, and either soak it without movement, or jiggle it a tiny bit.  nothing?, I spin the reel handle to pull it towards me, and pull line snug..and repeat.  

[Big Rick]

How do I retrieve a drop shot? For the most part, I don't. I don't video game fish, so it really doesn't apply to my fishing style. If I am reduced to fishing a drop shot I am just before calling it a day and going home. Most boring fishing I have ever tried to do. And what fish I have caught on it were all dinks. 

 

I am probably in the minority. 

[DitchPanda]

How do I retrieve it? Quickly so I can cut it off and tie on a Ned rig or shaky head. I can't catch crap on a drop shot.

[papajoe222]

I reserve the drop shot for areas that are either likely holding fish or for areas that I've marked fish and haven't had any takers on other presentations. It's a do nothing presentation and that's the way I fish it, though I will admit that I don't give it much time to produce. No takers in 15min. or so and it's REO Speedwagon time for me.

[Deleted account]

If I'm fishing it vertically, I just hold it in place. I'll give it a bit of slack, then slowly raise it sometimes, keeping the sinker on the bottom, or shake it, or tap the rod sometimes, but mostly just hold it there.

When I'm casting it, I will let it soak for a bit, then lift the rod to move it about 2 feet, take up the slack, and repeat.

[fishwizzard]

I never fish a DS vertically, it’s always a (mostly) moving presentation.   I use it most in the dozens of empty-bottom ponds around me.  I use a DS so I can present a smaller plastic just off the bottom with minimal chances of it snagging and wasting a cast.  I cast it out and slowly crank it back, keeping the weight on the bottom.  If the weight hits something I will stop and deadstick/shake it a bit. Sometimes I crank it fast enough to just keep the weight ticking the bottom, sometimes so slowly

that I use my thumb to advance the spool and don’t touch the handle.  

[cyclops2]

I just realized that I have been using and doing ....Drop Shot... For about 60 of my 84 years. It is the most effective way in any lake structure during August terrible days. It can ALMOST equal using live swimming bait.

  About time you all caught up to me.     

[AManWearingAHat]

Shore fishing, I cast mine out as far as I can. I let it hit the bottom under slack line and then give it a few twitches. Then Ill pop it towards me, let it find the new bottom, twitch it more and repeat. It's a great technique for finding skittish fish holding near the bottom.

This lets me survey a range of depths until I find the band the fish are holding in. Then its just casing back to that band and working the bait there. I had tremendous luck with the Drop Shot in 2021. Easily my most productive technique. 

Same technique will work for boat fishing too, but spot lock will help. If I'm fishing it with a friend who is working the shore, Ill cast out ahead of the boat on the other side as not to interfere with the shore cast and sort of work the lure back towards the boat as we move the spot I cast to, if that makes sense. I've picked off some very nice smallies doing that. Though this will only work if you've got a bottom where you've got a big depth gradient you can work. Otherwise Id just throw at the shore too.

[fishinNWA]

On 1/28/2022 at 3:06 PM, Buzzbaiter said:

I’ve never done well with this rig, how do you fish it?

You don't. You throw a shaky head or other finesse rig lol. I have never had much luck either, mainly because I don't have as much confidence in it.

 

 

 

Edit: Sorry DitchPanda, posted this and then saw we kinda said the same thing

[Hook2Jaw]

How do I retrieve a dropshot fished horizontally?  Barely.  Some of my retrieves last minutes.

[Choporoz]

I probably use it most out at the ends of laydowns.  After I've beaten it up with jigs and spinnerbaits and Trigs, I park out over the crown if depths are good. Put a DS down and pick off a couple more....oftentimes good ones.

[TOXIC]

Vertical drop

Cast and retrieve

Dragging drift fishing

[Bankc]

Sometimes I just drop it straight over.  Sometimes I cast it out.  When I cast it out, I'll usually let it sit there on a semi-taught line for a few minutes, and then hop it once or twice, and let it sit there again.  It's not so much a retrieve, as it is just letting it sit in place in a different spot.  If I impart any action to it, I'll use my finger to just tickle the line.  I feel like using the rod tip makes too much movement.  And I might just do that once every minute or two.  

 

To me, the drop shot is a desperation move.  It seems to work best when nothing else is working.  It's one of my favorite presentations this time of year, when the water temperature is in the 30's to low 40's.  I don't catch a lot of fish in the winter, but if I do catch one, it's usually on a dropshot.