Drop-Shot Fishing - It's Not Just For "Finessers" Anymore
By Mike Whitten
Southern Staff Writer
June 25, 2009
The neat thing about this crazy sport of fishing is that there is always something new to try; someone is always figuring out a new way to “catch ‘em”. And, given that I don’t get to fish every day like I really should (Hank Parker said something about a day job ruining your fishing), it often takes me a little while to figure out when something is a really effective technique. Such is the world of drop shot fishing.
Now don’t get me wrong—like Brad Paisley said in his great country song, “Honey-I’m Still a Guy!” I’m basically a power fisherman. I like Senkos and big worms and big swimbaits. Of course size matters. But durn, I like to feel some tugging on the line, so I had to give this technique a shot.
Yeah, I know it’s been around for a few years, and that it was developed and evolved in Japan, by anglers forced to fish lakes so pressured and crowded that they look like Hooters Restaurant next to a college frat house on Friday night. That doesn’t mean it won’t catch American bass, and do a darn fine job of it.
Rigging the Drop-Shot
First thing I had to figure out was the weight deal. Drop shot rigging, by its very nature will twist your line. Fellow GYCB staffer and consummate angler of brown fish, Marc Marcantonio, solved this one for me. His “QuickDrop” weights are the answer. Their swivel system virtually eliminates line twist and they just work well. ‘Nuff said here, keep it simple, stupid. The only two sizes I need: ¼ and 3/8. Done.
On to the hooks. Again, GYCB comes to the rescue. The 53-series Split Shot hook, (which they really should rename “Drop Shot Hook”), is simply the sharpest, baddest, fish grabbinest hook on the planet. This neat little near circle hook really was the catalyst for me in drop shot fishing. It is so simple, it almost evaded me. Tie a size 3, 4 or 5 drop shot hook on fluorocarbon line (the new Paralleum Flourohybrid by Lake Fork Tackle, or the Vicious Flouro are good choices) in 8- to 10-pound test with a Palomar knot and about a 20” dropper tag end and you are ready.
This hook is so sharp that it grabs and imbeds into whatever it touches; you really don’t need to do much hook setting. When the rod tip loads up, just reel tight, keep reeling, and lift the rod tip. If you want to teach a kid to fish soft plastics and have a ball doing it, this is your deal. Want to take your special lady friend structure fishing and still have some hope of a romantic interlude back at the cabin? Here you go!
I’m telling you, this rig will catch fish on ledges and humps and drops and places that you didn’t know there were places, and it will do it behind your power cranking, bubba bait slinging buddies all day long, producing three to six-pound fish. Oh, and did I mention it was fun to do?
Lures
Drop-shot lures can be basically any soft plastic you like, but a straight tailed worm, like the four-, five- or even 5 ¾-inch KutTails are awfully hard to beat. Simply nose hook the worm on the little magic hook, and you are set to go. Keep in mind that you do not want to Texas-rig with this hook, it just won’t work. Nose hook or wacky rig the bait and you are good to go. Other lures worth giving a try include the Shad Shaped worm, the Big Ika (bad dude around grasslines), and the Flat Tail worm. Outside the GYCB brand, the California Phenom Robo worms are very deadly on this rig. Keep colors natural, and don’t carry too many. Presentation here is the key.
Many anglers believe that a drop-shot rig is limited to vertical fishing, in conjunction with fish they see on the bow mounted graph. Don’t get me wrong, this certainly works and it’s a deadly technique, but I’ve caught more bass over the past month casting the drop-shot rig in the same places that most folks would fish a Carolina-rig, or a Texas-rig in open water.
I make a long cast to the top of the structure then gently drag the rig down the slope, gently shaking the rod tip every few feet. The subtle shaking makes the worm dance in place about 20-inches above the bottom, in the zone where fish actively feed. It’s kind of like shaking a T-bone in front of a pit bull—something is going to get eaten!
Don’t be afraid to turn and fish the drop-shot rig up the slope of the structure as well. I’ve seen situations where fish would suspend just off the slope of the drop and would only bite presentations coming uphill. The DS is a great search technique on structure, and is superb for fishing behind a boater in a co-angler situation.
Equipment
My tackle selection is pretty basic. I use the 7’ Falcon Lowrider Shaky Head spinning rod. Actually, I bought this rod to fish shaky head jigs, and while I feel it is too soft in the tip for my tastes to handle that task, it is perfect, and I mean perfect, for drop-shotting. The softer tip lets the fish eat the bait and load up on the hook, and the longer rod provides plenty of casting distance and leverage on big fish. Plus, it is light and easy on your wrist during a long day of fishing.
My reel selection is a 2500 Series Shimano Saros, but any medium spinning reel that will handle 8- to 10-pound line will work here. I just like the Shimano reels. If I were rich, it would be a Stella—but my sweet spousal unit would kill me if I spent over 600 taters on a reel. I stick with 10-pound line, simply because I can’t tell that eight gets me any more bites. I know that ten will handle a big fish, and I’m fishing where 10-pound largemouths and 9-pound smallmouth live. I’m no Boy Scout, but I do like to be prepared. I guess maybe my southern fishing heritage just feels better with line that has two numbers in the pound test box.
So, there you have it—the Tennessee River, good ol’ southern boy approach to Far East Zen fishing. I’m sure there is a lot that I’ve yet to discover, but what I’ve described above will work on any Tennessee River lake, from Kentucky Lake to Guntersville, and probably a bunch I’ve not yet seen. Grab some Kut Tail worms, some of Marc’s QuickDrop weights and some of Gary’s funny little bad-to-the-bone hooks and Drop a Shot!