Dropshot Technique Casting and Retrieving

[Firstoutfisher]

Got out tonight for a little bank fishing and tried out the dropshot for the first time ever. Got more bites than I ever have in this spot and got a PB. Now I am really itching to try out the dropshot some more. Couple questions though.

 

When casting and retrieving a drop shot how do you usually retrieve it? Cast it out, let it sit for a while, slowly reel to move the bait? Or slowly sweep the rod to drag it than pick up the slack? What about picking the rod straight up and letting the bait pendulum towards you? I tried a little bit of each tonight and they all felt kind of awkward and I was snagging a lot. 

 

When your weight is sitting on the bottom do you keep the line completely tight from weight to tip of rod? Or do you allow some slack? obviously too much slack and your bait will just be sitting on the bottom. 

[Big Hands]

The dropshot generally doesn't need for you to impart the action. When I first started using the dropshot, I wasn't having much luck with it. I was getting frustrated one day and cast out my line, and reached into my cooler for a sandwich I had packed. I took a couple bites while contemplating why this supposedly great technique wasn't working out so well for me. Finally I got back to tending my line, and there was a 2.5 lbs smallmouth giving me heck on the other end. That was a revelation for me.

 

I will move a dropshot to get it to a slightly different spot, but not so much to impart action. . . . . generally speaking. . . . . for me. . . . . If I do impart some action, it is usually much more subtle than if I was fishing a texas rig worm.

 

Sometimes they will eat it as it falls. Sometimes they will eat it right after it settles. Sometimes you wait for them to finally chomp down. They will often eat it in a similar way on a given day.

 

If you're snagging a lot, I would suggest keeping your line kind of taut so it doesn't let it slide into rocks and snags as easily. That definitely makes a difference for me.

 

Truthfully, there are many different ways to effectively present a dropshot. Vertically, cast it out a ways, suspended, I recently watched a video for a specific lake that said they were having success using a heavy weight and dropping it down to the base of a tree, letting the weight stay on the bottom, and then letting the bait settle to the bottom and then popping it up just far enough to get the line taut, but not move the weight from the base of the tree. Kind of jigging it up and down. That's a new one for me.

 

The point being that are likely a lot of different ways that could work in a given situation, but to get going and get some fish in the boat, I would say that using less input to entice the fish has worked well enough. 

[Firstoutfisher]

22 minutes ago, Big Hands said:

The dropshot generally doesn't need for you to impart the action. When I first started using the dropshot, I wasn't having much luck with it. I was getting frustrated one day and cast out my line, and reached into my cooler for a sandwich I had packed. I took a couple bites while contemplating why this supposedly great technique wasn't working out so well for me. Finally I got back to tending my line, and there was a 2.5 lbs smallmouth giving me heck on the other end. That was a revelation for me.

 

I will move a dropshot to get it to a slightly different spot, but not so much to impart action. . . . . generally speaking. . . . . for me. . . . . If I do impart some action, it is usually much more subtle than if I was fishing a texas rig worm.

 

Sometimes they will eat it as it falls. Sometimes they will eat it right after it settles. Sometimes you wait for them to finally chomp down. They will often eat it in a similar way on a given day.

 

If you're snagging a lot, I would suggest keeping your line kind of taut so it doesn't let it slide into rocks and snags as easily. That definitely makes a difference for me.

 

Truthfully, there are many different ways to effectively present a dropshot. Vertically, cast it out a ways, suspended, I recently was a video for a specific lake that said they were having success using a heavy weight and dropping it down to the base of a tree, letting the weight stay on the bottom, and then letting the bait settle to the bottom and then popping it up just far enough to get the line taut, but not move the weight from the base of the tree. Kind of jigging it up and down. That's a new one for me.

 

The point being that are likely a lot of different ways that could work in a given situation, but to get going and get some fish in the boat, I would say that using less input to entice the fish has worked well enough. 

 

Thanks,that is a very informative post. When I mentioned moving/retrieving the bait it is more so to move where it sits than it is to impart action. When fishing from the bank I am very limited in where I can put the bait so I need to cover water somehow as there aren't high % spots to throw to like from a boat. It seems like there really is no right or wrong way to present it kind of like most other techniques. I will just have to put in the time and see what works best for me.I probably should switch from the nose hooked version to a texposed version when fishing from the shore. Although I think most of my snags were the weight getting stuck. Overall I am pretty excited to explore this technique more. It seems like a lot of people dislike it but as a person that is almost always using some kind of moving bait it was nice to just cast it out and see there and wait, good mental training for focus and patience. Also eye opening how many bites i got in such a small stretch of shore versus running the whole 1/4 mile with a quick moving bait and maybe only getting a handful. Maybe covering water isnt as important as I once thought.

[Darth-Baiter]

I cast gently as far as I can.  Let it soak.  I might twitch a few times but I imagine it’s moving enough down there.  Then s few cranks and repeat. When it gets closer I reel it all back in a smooth upward slow sweep.  I sometimes get bit when the baits swims up.  

[Big Hands]

24 minutes ago, Firstoutfisher said:

I probably should switch from the nose hooked version to a texposed version when fishing from the shore. Although I think most of my snags were the weight getting stuck.

Probably the weights more so than the bait/hooks if there isn't much brush/trees. I like the hooks seen in my avatar (Owner Wacky Weedless Hook - Camo Green) for nose hooking dropshot baits in areas with brush, weeds, and trees. That little plastic thing sticking out really helps.

[WRB]

Imo when casting and slowly retrieving the Slip Shot shines, Drop Shot works better when the line is more vertical. Difficult keeping the within 45 degree angle from shore.

Drop Shot rig don’t overlook wacky hooking worms!

Tom

[Scott804]

Depends on when I am using it. One of my best days ever was with a dropshot that was being shook lightly nonstop. I almost exclusively fish it casting and retrieving. By far my favorite way to fish a dropshot though is with a paddletail swimbait slowly reeling, specifically a megabass hazedong shad. One of the best ways to imitate super tiny bait or just present a swimbait in a way they might not have seen. 

[SWVABass]

From shore I usually try to find an area with steep break allowing me to fish it more vertically. Though I pick it straight up and allow it to pendulum back to me keeping the line slightly taught. I also use the cylinder weights instead of the cannon ball or bass casting wieght design. BPS makes them pretty cheap and if I break off it’s usually the weight, also I don’t use tungsten for DS.