Losing fish on dropshots

[RRocket]

Have used all the hooks described in this thread and the best dropshot/wacky hook I've ever used is the Hayabusa Spin Muscle. 

 

It's one of the best hooks I've ever used of any type.

 

 

 

 

[Aaron Stelmach]

22 hours ago, GetFishorDieTryin said:

Spinshots are good idea, but I avoid them if I can.  The bait either wants to sit nose up or nose down because the hook isnt fixed to the line.  If that line is anything but vertical, baits with density will actually swing under the line, so the hook point is facing away from you.  When that happens it makes it really hard to land a fish.  Using neutrally buoyant or floating baits along with using the smallest hook possible helps keep the bait in the right position.  Ive found that the Trokar Helix DS to be a much better hook then the VMC.  The wider gap and longer point are easier to set and they dont come out.  I really only use the Helix hooks when I dont have the room or cant carry a dedicated DS rod, like when Im on a yak or someone elses boat.  Other then that I just use a #2 Trokar DS or #1 Gama Drop/Split, both stick em.

thanks for the advice brother, gonna try different hooks but i went back out today and landed 4 out of 6 using a bit stiffer rod, i realized most of my lost fish are when i make a bomb cast and the fish hits at the end of it, a lot of my problem was i didnt have enough backbone to drive the hook home

[NoFroFishing]

On 8/4/2023 at 5:22 PM, Aaron Stelmach said:

Thanks for the advice, next rod I’m getting is probably gonna be that one. I just bought that setup plus a st croix premier at the beginning of our season which was about $800CAD so i gotta chill for a bit ?

 

as for the drag slippage, the fish i lost wasn’t running while i was reeling but I heard my drag from pulling the weight of the fish, would you say thats too light? I will try that water bottle trick aswell next time i go out

 I know next to nothing about drop shot fishing. But I did own that exact Victory model. The tip is like a noodle. Never had a rod that whippy before. Entirely possible that is a good thing for drop shotting though idk. 

I got it for Shakey heads and it just  wasnt for me. 

[WRB]

The Victory rod with noodle tip is 6’10” MLXF, too soft to hook set a crappie imo.

Tom

[Aaron Stelmach]

 

On 8/9/2023 at 4:00 PM, NoFroFishing said:

 I know next to nothing about drop shot fishing. But I did own that exact Victory model. The tip is like a noodle. Never had a rod that whippy before. Entirely possible that is a good thing for drop shotting though idk. 

I got it for Shakey heads and it just  wasnt for me. 

Personally not sure about vertical drop shotting because I’m a bank fisherman but for long distance hooksets i dont see an advantage.

[RHuff]

Well, I declare... y'all get bit on dropshots? 

[Reel]

I've been dropshotting for a while ( 5 + years) now, both from the bank and in a boat.  I use completely different techniques in these two situations, specially in rivers.  From the bank I use a long rod (7 1/2 footer) medium action and I have used Spin Shot a while but also use other types of hooks.  Spin Shots were not a problem.

From the bank, casting far, the rod takes up most of the strike and I don't set the drag so it slips at all.  You can loosen it later if need to.  

As you set, you have to turn the reel handle at the same time.  This prevents slack and keeps most fish pinned.

Drag should not sing as you wind.  That equals line twist.

When casting far the Spin Shot hook is NOT horizontal.  It swings down and is at the bottom of the line because it turns freely on it's axis.  I use a drop shot for walleyes and that is good. Hook is closer to bottom.

For me a longer rod meant not loosing fish.

[@reelChris]

If you're really worried about line twist, just put a swivel between the main line and leader then use some kind of thin wire hook to take care of poking through tough bass jaws.  

[Pat Brown]

Here's a weird question for the drop shot fishing collective hive mind:

 

Why can't you tie your Palomar through the back of hook eye (backwards) and then no longer have to pull the tag (leader) back through the hook eye to 'snell' it?

[J Francho]

It doesn't matter what way you tie it. The tag back through the hook eye just helps keep the knot in a position so the hook hangs out. That knot doesn't even have to be a Palomar either. 

[LrgmouthShad]

I still have never fished a dropshot

[scaleface]

On 8/4/2023 at 7:40 AM, Aaron Stelmach said:

Lost 2 nice bass today, right now im using the vmc spinshot size 1. They are pinned for a second and then they pop off? 

I made pretty much this exact comment a year or two back.

[TOXIC]

2 pages or suggestions and yet no one has mentioned my style.  I do not nose hook dropshots, I use a #1 (not a 1.0) gamakatsu ewg and Texas rig all of my dropshot baits.  No swivels, no spin shots, nothing but 6-8lb mono to my hook and a QuickDrop tear shaped dropshot weight most often in 1/4 oz.  In all my years, it’s what works best for me.  My fish don’t throw dropshots. 

[RHuff]

1 hour ago, TOXIC said:

2 pages or suggestions and yet no one has mentioned my style.  I do not nose hook dropshots, I use a #1 (not a 1.0) gamakatsu ewg and Texas rig all of my dropshot baits.  No swivels, no spin shots, nothing but 6-8lb mono to my hook and a QuickDrop tear shaped dropshot weight most often in 1/4 oz.  In all my years, it’s what works best for me.  My fish don’t throw dropshots. 

 

 

 

 Care to share what you do to get bit? My frustration stems from never seeming to be able to get bit on them. Where and when do you throw them? What kind of soft plastics?

[Darth-Baiter]

My exact dropshot setup is. 
 

Phenix Maxim 7-2 med

2500 reel.  
20lb braid

10lb sniper leader

3/16th sinker.  Usually tungsten, but I have fist-loads of the cheap stuff as well. 
hook. Is the owner Downshot. 1/0 usually. Rigged weedless. 2/0 even on Clearlake 
bait 80% of the time is a GP Zoom Z-drop worm.  (I am zero% on the hit-worm)

I like a 8-12 sinker line length 

 

 

[WRB]

On 8/9/2023 at 1:26 PM, WRB said:

The Victory rod with noodle tip is 6’10” MLXF, too soft to hook set a crappie imo.

Tom

St Croix has introduced a 6’8” MXF that should work well, haven’t held or fished it yet. I do like the Victory spinning rod handle design and overall quality.

Tom

[ChrisD46]

On 8/4/2023 at 12:14 PM, galyonj said:

I'm pretty ignorant in general, and I think I've fished a dropshot all of two times ever, but those spinshot hooks feel like a solution in search of a problem.

 

Maybe I'm missing something, though.

Spin Shot hooks help prevent line twist on a drop shot - especially when reeling back into you for another cast. You can prevent line twist (to a degree) by reeling your drop shot back in more slowly. Also, with the short Spin Shot hook try bending the hook point out / up about 1 or 2 degrees more which should help you stick bass on the drop shot better.

[ChrisD46]

My current favorite drop shot hooks : Owner Mosquito Lite #1 , #2 for nose hooking and Owner Cover Shot Worm Hook 1/0 , 2/0 for T-Rig drop shot . I prefer to nose hook like Aaron Martens had demonstrated (not free swinging) . *Lastly , you think you know most approaches to drop shot fishing ? ... Wait until you see KVD fish fast with a horizontal drop shot technique for a reaction bite (lol !)

[WRB]

The Aaron nose hook was for Weedless applications to cover the hook point. The problem with this rig is getting a solid hook set requires a firmer rod lift to drive the barb past the hook point covered with plastic.

Nose hooked I prefer exposed soft plastic hook point.

Weedless drop shot soft plastic my preferred hook is Owner 5133 Down Shot hook T-rigged.

Tom

 

[king fisher]

There is a chance your hook is ok, your rod is good, there is no problem with your line, and you don't need to change your technique.  You can't land every bass you hook.  Sometimes they just get away.

[Big Hands]

Dropshot fishing has been one of those techniques that yields best results for me when I think of it as a complete system. The rod, the reel, the line, the terminal tackle, the baits . . . and me. . . are all part of the system. They are all important. If one isn't right, my success rate suffers.

 

Regular dropshot hooks are so small that the less of an actual traditional hookset I use, the better chance I have to land the fish. I have to really concentrate to keep from doing what I normally do with a traditional Texas rig. I lost a lot of fish and I had to make adjustments that were counterintuitive to my previous soft plastic experiences.

 

All I do now when I detect a fish is to reel down until I feel pressure and then keep reeling as I lift into it, VERY firmly. That's it.

 

I have largely gone away from M/F rods for dropshotting and now mostly use my Zodias 7' ML/F, but will occasionally use an Expride L/F or a Daiwa M/F. The ML/F Zodias seem perfect for driving the hooks I use home and keeping fish pinned on 10 lb braid with 7-8 lb fluoro leader.

 

Steady pressure moves the hook to where it can dig in whereas a sudden movement just pulls it right on past their lips.

 

I think not using too heavy of a hook with the ML/F and L/F rods is key. The hooks I like for the ML/f and L/F rods are:

Gamakatsu Wide Gap Finesse

Owner Mosquito

Owner Mosquito Light

 

For the M/F and sometimes the ML/F rods I will use these hooks:

Owner Jungle Wacky

Owner Jungle Wacky Weedless

They are a little heavier gauge wire and almost a bit of a circle hook and I have had decent success with them.

 

The past few times I have been out, the small to tiny bass have been absolutely rabid. I have tried to wait until I get a solid tug before reeling into them, but if it turns out to be obviously small, oddly enough I can use a popping hookset motion to effectively shake them off. I think their lack of mass makes it harder to drive the hook home, and the pause in pressure lets them get free.

 

When I first started dropshot fishing, I was using Mosquito hooks and came to the conclusion that they were junk. I was having difficulty hooking and landing fish and blamed the hook. Eventually I evolved my technique to the reel down and lift method and it made me wonder if the Mosquito hook might actually be OK if I used better technique. Yep. it sure is a good hook when used properly, and I like them enough to buy the bulk packs.

 

I found a hook called the Owner Mutu Circle Hook that is like a dropshot hook that has a distinct bend to one side on the barb. This hook was designed to use the reel down with pressure to allow the hook to slide down to the corner of the fish's mouth where it then buries itself and it is surprisingly good at doing so, I use it for fishing live shad, but have been tempted to try it for dropshotting just to see what happens.

[TOXIC]

On 8/26/2023 at 11:21 AM, RHuff said:

 

 

 

 Care to share what you do to get bit? My frustration stems from never seeming to be able to get bit on them. Where and when do you throw them? What kind of soft plastics?

I was throwing drop shots before it was really popular.  I have found that, with simple adjustments, it is a very versatile presentation.  As has been evidenced by the northern swing of all the professional tournament trails, the drop shot is a major player especially for smallmouth.  Also with the popularity of front facing sonar, it’s a great presentation for vertical fishing.  I have caught fish out of 70 feet and 2 feet on a drop shot.  I’ve caught fish in the dead of winter and the heat of summer.  As for baits, I have yet to figure out why fish want what they want and when but I have a natural progression of Yamamoto plastics that I will eventually find one that works. Here are my preferred baits in order of my progression.

1. Shad Shape Worm.  This line has been expanded from the original to multiple sizes and a floating option.

2. 5” Pro Senko.

3. 5” Kut Tail Senko

4. 5” California Roll

5. 5” Curl Tail.

Colors are dependent on a lot of things and the bait I am using.  Always Texas rigged on a #1 gamakatsu ewg hook, 6 to 8lb test mono and a 7 ft spinning rod. Not saying it’s the best but it’s always worked for me.