"Drop shot" question.....

[TuscarawasRiverRat]

I hope you all will forgive me this rookie question.

Most of my fishing is done in slow-to-medium current in the river.  I'd like to know what you folks do to get your lure near the bottom without getting hung up on the logs/branches/etc.  I've located some deeper holes in the river and want to explore them for wintertime smallies.

While reading some of your posts I keep coming across the term drop shot.  This term is new to me.  Will somebody please explain to me what a drop shot is and what its uses are?

Thanks.

-Rob

[fourbizz]

I would start here.

http://www.bassresource.com/fishing/dropshot_fish.html

you may want to bump up the amount of weight you use for fishing in current

[Tin]

Besides the drop-shot, I thing a better alternative would be a football/spider jig. How deep are those holes you have located?

[bassnleo]

In clear water that's fairly slow moving I've done really good with a drop shot. I fish a local river that's fairly shallow but it does have some slow deeper pools, say 8-20 feet deep. I experimented alot this past summer and fall with a drop shot and caught alot of fish. In a late fall tourney, water temps of 53 degrees I whacked em while my partner struggled to get bit on a tube and jig.

I know that no other anglers were using a drop shot.

As far as getting hung, that's a tough one. I would try a cylinder style ds weight and maybe a 1/0 ewg hook so you can texpose the hook point into the bait. That may reduce hang-ups some but your weight may on occasion still get hung.

I mainly use 4 inch worms but will also use 2 1/2 tubes or 3 inch beaver style baits.

My main weight was 3/16 oz but did go up or down depending on current.

A football jig (like mentioned) would also be a good choice.

[Tin]

Definatley go with a cylander weight or good old Bonk-U-Dong weight. As far as the bait, a lot of people drop-shotting for smallies in the Northeast are starting to swear by the Berkely Gulp Leech. But a small worm or slim senko will do the trick as well.

[bassnleo]

What is a Bong-U-Dong weight?

That's hilarious man

I think you mean Bakudan?

[TuscarawasRiverRat]

Tin2win asked how deep are the holes.....

This is a fairly small river and depth varies quite a bit between summertime lows and winter/spring floods.  Right now the river is above "normal" pool, but not near flood stage.  Most of the river is about 4' deep.  The holes I have found are around 10'-12'.

-Rob

[Tin]

What is a Bong-U-Dong weight?

That's hilarious man

I think you mean Bakudan?

LMAO! I guess I was way off on that. Didn't have a package with the spelling of it nearby and thats I how I thought it was pronounced. Use New Englander's cant talk right anyhow.

[bassnleo]

What is a Bong-U-Dong weight?

That's hilarious man

I think you mean Bakudan?

LMAO! I guess I was way off on that. Didn't have a package with the spelling of it nearby and thats I how I thought it was pronounced. Use New Englander's cant talk right anyhow.

Good grief, I've still got tears in my eyes. Guess that's what a Bonk-U-Dong will do to ;D

In all seriousness, the GULP! leeches are good also. Although I haven't used the yet, there is also some sort of GULP! minnow that also works on a drop shot from what I hear. A 4" or slim senko is a great choice to. I like to rig them wacky on the drop shot and shake the heck out of it.

[Tin]

there is also some sort of GULP! minnow that also works on a drop shot from what I hear.

Shhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh... I wasnt gonna tell him about that. lol.

[Banor]

Check your local regulations.  In Michigan the drop shot is illegal in most river systems.

B

[littlefisher]

Yes, I believe it was last year that they finally changed it so you can have a weight below the hook, but only on inland lakes and rivers.  It's still illegal on the Great Lakes and any connecting waters unless they revise it for this year.  

A friend of mine fishes a lot of tournaments on either the Great Lakes or connecting water and what he does is ties a jig on below the drop shot hook which makes it legal.  It may look silly, but it's not against the law.

[BaitBall]

Why would they make it against the law?

That sounds silly...

I read lots of article about this rig in the off seaon, and I plan on using 3" critter baits on the hook this year. I bought a few helgamite plastic baits ....and I love the idea after seeing it on my hook. I plan on doing well with this 'tempting' morsal bait and I will also be using small glass rattles to make it a little easier to find.

Last year we drop shot 3" senkos, that worked ok too. I don't think it is my prefernce though.  Yama makes a better 4" "shad" shape platic which has a very teasing tail.  That was on my hook most of last year once I discovered it.  

I also did ok with a full size paddle tail worm in black. I keep hearing that black is the right color for this rig.  I believe the black helgamite will beat them up this year. That is where I am starting this season.

I know this may sound wierd, but I did really good with this drop shot rig when I counted the distance from ground to the fish with my electronics and matched this distance with my hook.  Sometimes bass would hold 8 feet off the bottom and I would set my hook 8-10 feet up.  This was deadly. It is enoying as hell to fish this long leader under the hook ..but it worked so well I stuck with it.

I hooked up much more once I counted up off the bottom with my electronics and presented the bait just above them. Please try this and send me a christmass card when you SMASH them!

[J_pontius]

Drop shot is not illeagal on Lake Erie.  If it was all of the 2007 northern divisional tourney would have been dq'd.

Michigan and other lakes maybe but not Erie!  

Amen on that long leader trick brother!