Drop Shots: #1 for Numbers of Bass in Summer & Fall
By Tom Redington
October, 2011

After bass are bombarded all summer with jigs, Texas rigs, and Carolina rigs, they will often struggle to produce like a drop shot does later in the season. And on days when the bite is tough, the drop shot often saves the day with some nice catches while more conventional methods come up totally empty. Furthermore, drop shots aren’t just for dinks. In addition to the countless 4 to 8 lb bass I’ve caught on it, it has produced double digit bass too. Although some of you have already mastered this technique, I’m still surprised by the anglers that have never encountered a drop shot rig and by the number of anglers who refuse to fish with this “sissy technique”. Often pigeonholed as a finesse technique that is only used on very light line and fished vertically, drop shotting is actually just as versatile as the traditional Texas rig, but a whole lot more effective when the fishing’s tough.

A drop shot rig is very simple to tie up. There are many variations and specialty tackle items for the rig, but here are the basics. First, tie a small hook, leaving about a 6”-18” long tag end on your knot. At the end of the tag end, connect an 1/8 to ½ oz weight. I use a smaller 1/8 to 1/4 oz weight when fishing around grass or wood cover in shallow water, while a 3/8 or ½ oz weight works best when you’re fishing in 15’ or deeper and in more open water. I rig all of this on fluorocarbon line because fluorocarbon delivers much better feel than mono, while providing great abrasion resistance and extremely low visibility. I rig 10-15 lb test for most of my drop shots on Lake Fork with its thick cover and big bass, while 6 to 8 lb test works really well on extremely clear lakes without a lot of cover, especially for pressured bass that are inactive. Finally, spinning reels will allow you to cast the light rigs better but baitcasters do fine on the drop shots with ¼ oz or bigger weights. For lightweight dropshot rigs I use a 7’ Dobyns Champion 702SF rod, upgrading to the stronger 703SF when I’m fishing around cover with 10 to 15 lb line. Sensitive, fast action rods like these Dobyns sticks help you feel what your worm is doing at all times while the rod is very balanced so it won’t fatigue you while fishing it all day.

Once you have your drop shot tied up, it’s time to select a bait. While just about any soft plastic lure can be fished on a drop shot, I go with a Lake Fork Trophy Lures’ Hyper Finesse Worm most of the time. Whatever color works well on regular TX rig worms on your lake will work well for these smaller drop shot worms too. If there isn’t much cover to snag in, your best bet is to either nose hook the worm or hook it through the middle “wacky style”, leaving the hook point exposed either way. This exposed hook results in a very high hooking percentage. If you’re fishing around a lot of wood cover, I’ll rig the Hyper Finesse Worm weedless on the hook Texas Style, with the hook point protected inside the worm. Virtually any lure that you’d rig on a Texas rig will work on a drop shot too. Some of my other favorites are Baby Ring Frys, Swim’n Slugs, and 3.5” Live Magic Shads. In general, straight tail baits work better than ribbon tail lures because they have better action with subtle movements.

Depending on the mood of the fish, you can either continuously shake the worm in place or you can dead-stick it and let it slowly fall to the bottom. I normally go with the former, continuously shaking my bait on a semi-slack line so the bait is constantly dancing, but keeping enough slack in the line so the sinker stays on the bottom. Practice this in a swimming pool or in cove with clear water and you’ll quickly get the hang of it. Bites are rarely hard hits—normally your bait will just get heavy. If you’re hook point is exposed, you’ll only need a small wrist snap to set the hook, while you’ll need a slightly stronger hookset if you bait is rigged weedless.

The other retrieve element to consider on your drop shot is whether to pitch, cast, or vertically jig it. Around shallow cover like docks, laydowns, brush piles, and isolated weed clumps, pitch a wacky rig just like you would a TX rig. Out deeper, casting the drop shot over points, roadbeds, and humps works well. Even better, when a school of bass is located in a specific area, a drop shot is a deadly weapon. Simply get directly over the fish with your boat and keep them on your screen with your depth finder, then drop the drop shot over the side of the boat and wiggle it in the bass’ faces until they bite. Basically it’s like sight fishing, only in much deeper water. This vertical presentation also works great for suspended fish. By watching your bait on the fish finder, you can keep your lure right in front of suspended bass and even watch them bite on the screen!

Next time you’re looking to fill your limit quickly or find the bite slow on Texas and Carolina rigs, give the drop shot a try and I think you’ll like the results. Here’s hoping you catch the lunker of your dreams. If I can be of assistance, please contact me at 214-683-9572 or e-mail me through my website, www.LakeForkGuideTrips.com.