Drop shot basics

[BassAkwards]

Thought maybe it would be good to review the basics of drop shotting... line, knots, lure and presentation techniques. Thanks all!

[JP Z]

BassAkwards,

This was covered a few pages back

http://www.fishingminnesota.com/forum/showflat.php?Cat=&Number=1101346&page=2&view=collapsed&sb=5&o=&fpart=1

[BassAkwards]

thanks

[Deitz Dittrich]

yeppers, that post about covers it... hit em again today on the drop shot. The key is, not to set the hook like normal.. just more of a reel realy fast to get that hook to catch.. being in the right kind of water is key as well. As its a painfully slow technique!

Throw it where you know they are, shake it like you just dont care.. and wait for it to start to swim away.

[Juan Grande]

My problem is I never know where they are...

[bassNspear]

i second that.

[ocf1]

3rd'd

[Central Bassman]

Yea ill 4th that one... I can find them shallow but deep i need some work!!!

[Deitz Dittrich]

2 words for you all.... AQUA-VU

I was the same way as you, no confidence at all deep.. Its amazing how much more confidnce you have when you KNOW there are fish there, rather than THINK its a good spot. After a while you can pick the areas out without the need fo rthe Aqua -vu... But its still great to have.

[bassNspear]

I used my Marcum today dietz, on the lake we were talking about on the phone. I found alot of fish, and your right, it makes a big difference to know that the fish are there.

Found alot of fish, but just need to find a few more monster fish.

[Trucker Jim]

I am brand new to drop shotting, but have found it to be a very productive way to fish. What I do is search for fish with a search bait-spinner bait, once I find one, I assume there are more around. I then use a texas rig to get a feel for the weed situation, and then throw the drop shot to the edge of the weeds. I really like this way of fishing, but am in a painful learning curve on getting hooks in em.

[bassNspear]

Let me ask you all this, When your drop shoting, what bait do you use while your fishing it?

[Pherris]

DS is one of my primary methods. I use a Shimano Crucial DS rod 7'2" and a stradic 2500. I use a swivel to attach my DS to the tag line. I have never had a knot give many people do like to add an extra knot but the swivel virtually eliminates line twist. As far as baits I primarily throw a curly tail robo worm 4" or 5" in Arron's Magic color t-rigged. I use the gamagatsu #2 g-lock which is just a really small version of a ewg worm hook, it does have the off set collar so my baits are t-rigged. This last week my brother in law and I went to some metro waters and primarily DS'ed the results were fantastic for him he pulled in a 5-10 oz a 4-7 and a 4-0. I pulled a 4-3 and a 3-11. Also may small fish. The biggest deterrent I have found for many people is the amount of small fish that you will also catch and getting used to NOT setting the hook. On a side not one of the lakes we fished one of traditional spots and started getting walleyes instead of bass. Kinda cool. DS is a must in any arsenal. 90% of the time I do not fish it vertically unless I am targeting fish and using the electronics in the same fashion as a vexlar. Other wise I am casting it to structure and pulling it back. Great way to work breaks and also works in shallow water. Good Fishing!!

[Deitz Dittrich]

I am really really fond of that newish standout hook...

as far as lures.. 4" straight tail, small creature baits, and tubes is pretty much all I use. I have a buddie who wacky rigs senkos on a drop shot and hits em pretty good.

[Bullwinkle]

Deitz,

What type of knot do you tie on that standout hook?

[Deitz Dittrich]

Mike, to be honest.. I dont think it really matters.. Palomar or an improved clinch for me most of the time. Most all other drop shot hooks I use the palomar... but since finding this hook I havent used the other kinds...

[ocf1]

Robo worms! Hand poured in the USA by robot!

lol.

[RK]

Hiya -

Lotsa good posts so far... Just a couple thoughts to add.

As far as finding places to drop-shot, as Deitz said, a camera is a great way to get some confidence in deep spots. I've never had much use for cameras during open water (too much dorking around dropping it down, hauling it up, cord laying all over the deck, etc,...) but I installed an Aqua-Vu MAV on my boat this year... Very cool units, and they make using a camera in a boat practical finally. I use it a lot.

Even without a camera though, you can still do pretty well with a graph and a few marker buoys. Find a likely looking-spot (point, inside turn, or just a good weed edge breaking into deep water), or locate an area that's holding fish with a crank or jig. Pick a section - the end of the point, for example, or the cup of an inside turn - then go over it with the graph, and drop a marker on any fingers, dips, or irregularities in the weedline like little fingers, thicker clumps, or spots where the weeds grow a little deeper. Even if you have a GPS, markers still work better for this sort of thing - a GPS isn't precise enough. Pick a fairly small section of breakline, then just fish the edges and around the markers. With largemouths, unless it's a brutal front, they usually don't park right IN the weeds, but rather within 3-4 feet of the edge, usually facing in towards the weeds. So you sort of want to fish that zone. If you're pitching the DS rig, it can sometimes work better to put your boat on the flat and cast out, then hop the rig back to the weed edge and let it sit there. The same thing works when you're marking rock piles or gravel beds.

As far as lures go, I have a bunch of stuff I picked up when I was first starting to experiment with drop-shotting - Robo Worm leeches and alive shads, tiny Flukes - all sorts of stuff. Really though most days I'm down to a couple lures, and as I burn through the other stuff I'm not replacing it. For largemouths, I use 4" straight-tailed worms like 4" Power Bait Finesse Worms, tubes, or 4" Jerk Shads. For smallies, I'm basically down to two: 3" Yum Dingers, and Persuader Paddle Tail Grubs. I could probably narrow that down to just the Dingers, but by wife likes the Persuader grubs better, and she has kicked my butt with them more than once (she's becoming a drop shot addict), so I should probably pay attention to that...heh.

For terminal tackle, I rarely fined a Texas-rig necessary. If I do, I usually use an Owner Down Shot Offset worm hook, or a Gamakatsu EWG. The rest of the time I use Owner Mosquito hooks and nose hook the plastics. Those Mosquito hooks are nasty. If you get hooks into a fish, they're coming to the boat. I've caught a lot of smallies drop-shotting this year, and I bet I could count the number of fish I've lost on one hand. They get so stitched into a fish's jaw you need to take them out with a pliers sometimes.

About setting the hook...it takes some practice. If you snap set like you normally would you miss a lot of fish. I'm not sure what the physics are behind that, but it's how it is. I set the hook almost like I'm setting the hook with a live bait rig walleye fishing. Drop the tip a little, and a long sweep off to the side parallel to the water. Get most of them that way.

Here's a twist on DS-ing that's pretty far out... A very good friend of mine is a former BASS tournament angler from Arizona. Out there, they drop shot in 60' of water (I asked him how they can even tell if they have a bite in 60' of water with 6# mono... He said "well, it's just sort of a feeling, like 'I might have something?'") He said one of the most popular ways to fish a DS there is for these big giant fish (like 10-13 lb largemouths) that they find near beds in the spring. He said the water's so clear any lure that gets dragged past them will spook them. So they go to hobby stores and buy 100% pure rubber cord that stretches like mad. They put that below the hook, and use a fairly heavy DS weight, cast it past the fish, then stretch the rubber out (the weight stays put) until the lure - usually a little Yamamoto Kut Tail worm - is in front of the fish. Then they just dead stick it until the fish bites. He said sometimes the bait will sit there for 45 minutes before the fish hits... Pretty wild... Glad it's not that complicated here

Have fun with drop shotting. It's not magic, but it's certainly effective at times, and it's a neat way to fish. Amazing how many fish you can catch directly below the boat, even in shallow, clear water.

Cheers,

Rob Kimm

[fishman40]

Where do you get those stand out hooks from Deitz? I didn't see them at gander in Forest Lake.

Thanks

Fishman40

[Central Bassman]

They will be hard to find in Minnesota. I have tryed but cant find them so i just got them online... It easyer that way!!!

[RickyBobby]

They have them at Joe's Sporting Goods (the one that you see from Hwy 36 just west of 35E).

[ocf1]

Ive seen them at joes also. The people there are great also, I got 120ft of assorted line in individual bags for 1 dollar, very helpful.

[Deitz Dittrich]

I got mine at Thorne Bbrothers.