Irvine, CA – In recent years many anglers have been seeking success drop shotting in the clear pristine waterways of the Northwest. I’ve learned a lot about the technique over the past few years and below are some of the top secrets I’ve learned. Special thanks to Rick Correa (WA), Ron Hobbs Jr. (WA), and Rafael Ortiz (CA) for sharing knowledge over the past few years.
Tackle
Having the right gear is one of the most important things to remember when drop shotting. Here are the components to consider:
Rod
• Spinning: A Dobyns 682 spinning rod w/ an extra-fast tip is ideal for me (medium-light rod). The extra-fast tip allows you to make longer casts w/ the light rig and there is much more backbone than a normal fast action rod.
• Situational Rod: When drop shotting 20’+ or in a lot of current I use a Dobyns 702 spinning rod drop shot rod, with an extra-fast tip. I’ve lost big fish when making long casts in deep water on a 6’6” rod because I couldn’t get the hook deep enough into the fishes mouth. I’ve learned that using the 7’ rod makes all the difference.
• Baitcasting: I use a Dobyns 703c for flipping a drop shot in and around shallow cover. I might use a medium-heavy action Dobyn rods if I'm flipping a heavier drop shot around heavy cover.
Reel
• Spinning: I use a big spinning reel 90% of the time. Make sure to get one with a big spool (40 or 4000 series reel if possible). This will drastically help you reduce line twists. Trust me...the bigger the spool the better when drop shotting. Bass Pro Shops makes some nice ones at low costs if thats an issue.
• Baitcasting: I use a baitcaster a lot when flipping a drop shot around heavy cover. You’ll see this much more in the coming years but many pros are doing this already out west. The 2007 FLW National Guard event on the CA Delta was won on a drop shot with 12lb test, ¼ oz weight & big baitcasting combo. Don’t under estimate a heavy drop shot when flipping in summer around shallow cover, or anytime the flipping bite gets tough.
Line
• Clear water – I’ve been more and more convinced every year that fluorocarbon line is the key to getting lots of bites during clear water drop shotting. I use 5lb test Sunline FC Super Sniper most of the time and step up to 7lb if the water is dirty or if the fish might run into some type of cover when being reeled in. Trust me...this Sunline will not break! Its amazing. In clear water, I never use more than 7lb fluorocarbon and I never use mono for drop shotting on a spinning rod. Mono captures much more sun light than fluorocarbon making it easy for a fish to see. Yeah...you might catch some fish on mono, but you won't ever see a guy winning a tournament fishing mono on a drop shot rig.
• Dirty water – In dirty water (3’ visibility to less) or in real heavy cover I use 12-20lb Sunline FC Super Sniper on a baitcasting combo. In this situation I may use mono if I need a shock absorber when setting the hook hard in close quarters.
Weight
• Shallow – In less than 10 feet of water I use an 1/16 to 1/8 oz drop shot weight. A cheap solution is to use “hollow core” steelhead weights or a very big split shot (SP1 size). However these do not hold onto your line as well as a real drop shot weight does.
• Deep – In 10-25 feet I use a ¼ oz weight all the time. It keeps the bait on the bottom, sinks quickly, and it’s too obtrusive. In water over 35 feet, I'll go up in weight.
• Current – I always use a ¼ oz weight when drop shotting in current at any depth above 25 feet.
• Baitcasting gear – I usually use a 3/8 to ½ oz drop shot weight on a baitcaster. A lot of pros are now using ¾ to 1 oz weights for punching through matted vegetation with a drop shot.
• Ball or Nail style – I use a ball style weight when fishing lakes with fairly little cover around where I’m drop shotting. Use a ball style whenever possible because it looks more like a little rock on the bottom. I use a nail style always in current or heavy chuck rock. It slips around the bottom much better without hanging up.
• Tru-Tungsten – I’ve learn from fishing in SoCal that a tungsten weight is key to getting bigger fish when fishing ultra clear water. Tru-Tungsten's size is about ½ of a normal lead weight and much less obtrusive. Beware because not all tungsten is a dense as Tru-Tungsten.
• Colored weights – I use colored weights now in ultra clear water. I definitely feel I get more bites with a colored weight. I usually use brown or black. I use power paint from Bass Pro Shops and a normal lighter to get the color onto my weights. A marker works well too.
Hook
• Smallmouth – I use a #2 Skinny Bear Drop Shot hook. By far this is the very best hook I’ve ever seen on a drop shot. You'll never miss a fish or have one get off at the side of the boat with this hook. Always use a RED hook if you can.
• Largemouth – I use a #2 or #1 Skinny Bear Drop Shot hook. If the water has less than 3’ visibility I use the 1/0 hook because it has a bigger bite and gets deeper into the fishes mouth. Always use a RED hook if you can.
• In Cover – Often I drop shot with 6lb to 8lb test Sunline around shallow cover (but not “in” the heavy cover). For this type of drop shotting I always use a #1 or 1/0 Roboworm Rebarb Hook (www.tacklewarehouse.com). An offset hook works ok too but the Rebarb Hook allows you to rig it weedless and the light wire hook comes through the bait without effort and goes deep into the fish’s mouth quickly. In real heavy cover I’ll use much heavier line and a #1 to 2/0 hook; probably a medium wire hook if I’m flipping the drop shot in close quarters.
Tip: One of the biggest tips I can give you when picking a hook is to make sure the hook has a thin light wire. I’ve landed many 6lb and 7lb bass this year on a light wire hook so don’t be afraid to throw it. The main reason for the light wire is because it allows the bait to move and flutter naturally in the water. A heavy hook kills the action and you might as well fishing a texas rigging.
Rigging
• Drop Shot hook - Nose hook the bait about ¼ of an inch past the nose of the bait and make 100% sure the bait stands straight out in the water. Keeping the bait straight in the water can be the difference between getting bites and not getting bites because crooked baits will spiral in the water giving it an unnatural action.
• Offset hook – Texas rig the bait and make sure the hook point will come out quickly and easily with just a little bit of pressure.
Knots
I use a Palomar Knot on the hook and make sure it’s a real good knot because the light line can break easily if not done slowing and carefully. Once you’re done with the knot, take the tag end of the line and run it down through the hook eye again with the hook point on top and the shank below. Make sure to adjust your knot position so the hook stands perfectly straight out when you hold the line tight. This gives your drop shot the natural action it needs to draw bites. I CAN'T STRESS ENOUGH HOW IMPORTANT IT IS TO MAKE SURE THE HOOK IS STRAIGHT UP AND DOWN!
Leader Length
• Clear water - In clear water I’ll usually use a 6 to 12 inch leader. If fish are suspended or likely to be chasing baitfish (like they do in the rivers when the shad run) I’ll use a 10 to 24 inch leader.
• Dirty water – When drop shotting in 3’ visibility or less I’ve learned from many pros to use a real short leader, like 2 to 4 inches and a heavier weight so the bait stays on the bottom all the time. Remember in dirty water that smallmouth will likely be glued to the bottom hunting crawdads because it’s an easier meal versus trying to chase minnows without being able to visibly see them.
• Weedy bottoms – Whenever there are weeds on the bottom I’ll use a leader long enough to keep the bait above the weeds; usually 15 to 18 inches. Also, this allows me to still fish the open style hook over weeds and other types of cover.
Lures
• Baits
o Smallmouth – You can never go wrong with an Aaron’s Magic 4” Straight Tail Roboworm for big smallies. Other dynamite baits are 3.5” Outlaw tubes, ring worms, & tiny brush hogs. Panic Minnows can be a riot as well.
o Largemouth – When the bite is tough, I use 4” Roboworms. When it’s going a little better or I need better fish, use 6” Straight Tail or 6” Fat Roboworms. Don’t under estimate a Panic Minnow too.
• Color selection
o Smallmouth - Green pumpkin is always the best color choice to start out with. Sand is by far the next best big fish color especially if the smallies are eating minnows.
o Largemouth – In clear water, Aaron’s Magic, reds and purples are killer. In dirty water Aaron’s Magic and Green Pumpkin are my favorites.
Setting the Hook
• Open face hook – The key is to not set the hook with an open faced hook. When you feel a strike or when you feel tension on the line, just lift your rod and start reeling and the light wire hook will go into the fishes mouth every time.
• Closed face hook – If the worm is rigged Texas Style properly, then you should only have to set the hook softly and just reel about 10 cranks reel fast and the hook will be deep into the fish’s mouth.
Rod Position
• Calm Conditions – 45 degree angle is key. This gives you enough angle to feel a bite well but also the proper rod angle to set the hook properly and quickly when needed.
• Windy Conditions - This gets a little tougher. Keep your line tight and your rod tip 6 inches off the water surface. When you feel a bite, swing your rod sharply to a 90 degree angle and reel as fast as you can to get the hook in the fish’s mouth good. If you can cast directly into the windy or directly with the wind, then you can still get away with the more ideal 45 degree angle rod position because the wind will only blow the line toward or away from you respectively and not out to the side.
• Current – When your bait hits the water, you want to make sure your line doesn’t bow into the water downstream. Since fluorocarbon sinks, this will cause your bait to move too fast in the water and the fish usually will not chase it down. If you see your line bowing downstream, quickly snap your rod up in the air and lift up your line and swing the bow upstream, then give it slack a little allowing the bait to fall back down to the bottom. The key is to try and keep your bait moving at the speed of the current.
45 degree angled rod position Rod down at water level when windy
Other tips
• Weight keeper – I use my wife’s black hair ties and double them up around my rod handle. When I’m not using a drop shot rig, I grab the weight and pin it under the hair tie then tighten up the slack like normal. This allows me to have 3 or 4 drop shots on the deck without any of them getting tangled up.
I’ve been successfully drop shotting for 7 years and I learn something new about it every time I fish it. I must admit that I have so much confidence in this rig now that I always have at least one rod in the box with a drop shot tied on. In clear water or tough conditions I’ll have 3 or 4 tied on for different scenarios or just because re-tying one takes awhile.
Good luck and experiment with what works for you. Remember, the best technique is the one you are comfortable with so hopefully this guide gives you some pointers.