Drop Shot Rig Heavy Tackle

[soopd]

I want to drop shot with a baitcaster and heavier tackle. I want to work this like a Carolina rig not like your typical drop shot. What would be the best type of hook? Should I tex pose the worm? What would be the best plastic to start with? Floater? Or ?

[lmoore]

Depends what your using the technique for. I'd use a normal T-Rig setup, and choose plastics based on the cover and food source that time of year.

 

 

[soopd]

Going to use the technique just to show fish something they might not see too often. Seems like everybody is throwing a carolina, Texas, or a jig. Not going to abandon those rigs because

I have confidence in all of them. Just looking for a different presentation

[Sam]

Soopd, so you want to use heavy tackle for a finesse presentation.

Makes sense to me.

May I suggest using a 1/0 or 2/0 weedless hook on 17 pound test with enough weight to keep the sinker on the bottom?

How about fishing this setup in deep water of 15+ feet using at least a 7 foot or longer heavy rod paired with a baitcaster.

You can use any plastic of your choice, be it a Senko, 10 inch Jelly Worm, trick worm, swimbait, large lizzard, Rage Tail Anaconda or any plastic you wish. Even the 6 inch finesse worms in the color of your choice may produce good results.

Throw it out as you would a jig and pig or a Texas rig and bring it back to the boat, slowly, shaking it as you make your return. Or you can drop it straight down from the boat to the bottom and shake, shake, shake,your booty.

Anything goes in bass fishing so give your suggestion a try and let us know what happens. You may have discovered another way to fish the drop shot rig.

[Wayne P.]

I magnum dropshot in timber a lot in the summer. I use a regular offset worm hook and Tx rig a Trick worm with a 1/4 oz or 1/2 oz weight. 20# fluorocarbon leader on 50# superline.

[ChrisAW]

I used this rig throughout the summer trying.to catch bigger fish in the deep water. I use 15# Seaguar InvisX, with 1/2 to 1 ounce weights depending on depth, and either offset straight shank or EWG matched to the bait, usually 3/0 or bigger though. Not only did i pull in quite a few big'uns, i also hooked into a couple 35" plus pike on 10" worms. Lol

[Fishes in trees]

I keep a couple of bubba drop shot rigs ready to go in my boat nearly every time I go fishing. I don't think it is as good a "cover the water" approach as a carolina rig is. I think where the bubba drop shot rig excells is where you've found specific stuff on the bottom what you want to put a lure around, but the cover is too gnarly for a more traditional 6 lb or 8 lb finesse dropshot approach.

99% of the time I'll use a half ounce weight... next season I'm going to experiment more with 3/4 and 1 ounce weights. I'll use 14 or 17 or 20 lb fluorocarbon line. I prefer the window sash weight style over the round weights, but really I don't think it makes much difference... If you aren't getting hung up every so often, you've not fishing tight enough to the cover.

I use Gamakatsu hooks mostly, either the skip gap style or wicked wacky or the weedless finesse wide gap ones.

Last year, I tried alot of different plastic baits. I got the best results on Chompers Salty Sinkers (Huckleberry color) and the Berkley crazy legs chigger craw. I used chartreuse dye on the legs and tips of the claws.

I had a couple of trips where I got bit on a paddle tail worm.

There were a couple of different rod set ups that worked for this style of Bubba drop shot fishing. I used a 7 1/2 Kistler Flippin/pitching stick with a Curado 50E or a 7'3" Quantum rod (MH tending toward H) with a different Curado E

or a Calcutta 50.

Lastly, you can go into the In-fisherman archives and there are several Rich Zaleski (I'm not certain I spelled his last name corrrectly) articles that go into bubba drop shop fishing in great detail. That's enough to get you started.

[Fishes in trees]

Just another thought, If you're going to use a drop shot setup as a search bait instead of a Carolina rig, why not go all in and take a page out of a walleye fisherman's bag of tricks.

By this I mean get some half or 3/4 ounce bottom bouncers and let the wind (with trolling motor assist) push you across flats, points, whatever. Just another thought.

[Lund Explorer]

I keep a couple of bubba drop shot rigs ready to go in my boat nearly every time I go fishing. I don't think it is as good a "cover the water" approach as a carolina rig is. I think where the bubba drop shot rig excells is where you've found specific stuff on the bottom what you want to put a lure around, but the cover is too gnarly for a more traditional 6 lb or 8 lb finesse dropshot approach.

99% of the time I'll use a half ounce weight... next season I'm going to experiment more with 3/4 and 1 ounce weights. I'll use 14 or 17 or 20 lb fluorocarbon line. I prefer the window sash weight style over the round weights, but really I don't think it makes much difference... If you aren't getting hung up every so often, you've not fishing tight enough to the cover.

I use Gamakatsu hooks mostly, either the skip gap style or wicked wacky or the weedless finesse wide gap ones.

Last year, I tried alot of different plastic baits. I got the best results on Chompers Salty Sinkers (Huckleberry color) and the Berkley crazy legs chigger craw. I used chartreuse dye on the legs and tips of the claws.

I had a couple of trips where I got bit on a paddle tail worm.

There were a couple of different rod set ups that worked for this style of Bubba drop shot fishing. I used a 7 1/2 Kistler Flippin/pitching stick with a Curado 50E or a 7'3" Quantum rod (MH tending toward H) with a different Curado E

or a Calcutta 50.

Lastly, you can go into the In-fisherman archives and there are several Rich Zaleski (I'm not certain I spelled his last name corrrectly) articles that go into bubba drop shop fishing in great detail. That's enough to get you started.

After reading the original post, my thoughts went almost exactly where you did. Not fishing in trees (no pun intended) but using that type of rig for dropping into holes within heavy weed beds. I can see in my mind's eye that bait sitting suspended 6"-8" off bottom right in some old hawg's face until they can't help but eat it.

[dwtaylor]

I do this technique a lot during the summer. I fish a really clear lake around here and the longer I can keep a bait still and in their face, sometimes the better. I use 3/8-1/2 oz casting sinkers because I snag them a lot and drop shot sinkers are too expensive sometimes. I personally dictate my hook style on the bait. If it is a straight/curltail worm, I use a straight shanked offset hook, much like the trokar hd offset hook. If I am using a thicker bait like a tube, I will use a wide gap offset hook. Big worms are absolutely deadly with this technique. I really want to try the new YUM F2 Mightee Worm for it this summer. It looks like a great bait.

[A-Jay]

I played around with this a bit last season.

I was fishing a mid lake hump/flat with light to medium weed clumps in 8-12 fow.

Drop shotting a small creature bait was taking fish from around the clumps. But by bumping the rig up a bit I was able to penetrate the weeds and get a few more bites. On Medium casting tackle I went to 30lb braid w/12-15lb Big Game mono leader which worked well to get the bass up and out of the cover.

I could have simply thrown a Texas rig plastic or jig also but I liked being able to hang the bait in their face.

I plan on applying this in some other situations this year.

A-Jay

[SDoolittle]

Here's something you might like:

[soopd]

Thanks that was a good video.

[gobig]

That is my favorite Paycheck baits video. The drunk guy in the boat makes it. You can do the punch skirt on a dropshot also.

[Gangley]

I actually prefer heavier gear for dropshooting and have done this with great success on Lake Fork. I used a Curado 200 E7 with a MH Bucoo rod, 20 lb flouro, 3/8 oz bullet weight resting on a bead, and a 5/0 straight shank hook about 2.5-3 ft up. 28 fish that day, with most in the 3-4 lb range.

[J Francho]

For the weight, slide a bullet style weight on, and tie a split ring on the end.

[soopd]

That's a good idea.

[Jaheff]

Works good in the ocean too! I drop shot ( not dropper loop) heavy weight and line depending on current.