what length and type of action do you all like for a Drop Shot.
four our lakes here that are really deep and clear the Drop Shot is a big player. But for me it is one of those things I am horrible at and I really need to work on it. so with the fall and winter coming on I am planning on trying to work on them so I can at least get used to them and try and get comfortable with them.
my thinking is for a rod something in the 7'-7'2" range and a ML action. does this sound correct?
The big question is are you going to be casting out and retrieving or fishing vertical.
If vertical, sometimes a shorter rod like our ZOLO Diplomat is a better option. You can easily work the bait straight down thanks to the shorter rod - keeping the bait in the transducer cone to watch what it's doing. The overall design of the rod is to focus on protecting light line - something really important if you are in the 4 and 6# line classes. You want a rod that loads well and is going to work with you - so yes - lighter in overall power and a softer tip. Not a rod that is going to power down and cause you to pop your line on a fish that decides to dive and run.
If you need something that does both (Casting and Vertical), a rod like our ZOLO Trickster or IKOS Shake 7 are going to work very well. The nice thing about a rod like these is you wouldn't be limited to drop shot - you can throw NED Rigs, light shakey rigs, etc. They have more backbone but still have nice soft tips. They don't protect lighter line as well - but typically we see casting drop shot using a little heavier line - 8# and up.
I use a 6'6" MMF spinning rod with braid/leader setup. Has a parabolic bend to keep them buttoned.
I use a 6’10” Tatula that has an extra fast action and it’s worked very well for me. Though I will use a 7’ medium power/fast action for T rigged drop shot worms
Luke - just to be sure, are you looking for a spinning or casting rod?
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Spinning rod for light line
Alex is right on about the differences between dedicated vertical drop shot fishing vs cast and drag. Some of the ML/XF rods out there excel at vertical, but don't feel right with cast and drag. The Daiwa Kage 711MLFS is a nice all around option - it meets the length requirement, and is nice for cast and drag, but can still handle some vertical applications. The ALX ZOLO Diplomat is another nice option that's versatile. If you wanted two rods, you certainly have more options.
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Luke dont overlook the Alx McSmalls! 7'6 and i drop shot with it as well. If your fishing deeper water and are around structure it helps turn them fish easier. Good luck.
I have the alx Trickster, Diplomat and the Maestro. The Maestro is by far my favorite. She will do just about anything I want a spinning rod to do.
For me
its a 7’ med x-fast tip
if you vertical, a shorter rob will work better
I definitely agree that casting and dragging a drop shot needs a little bit different rod than if you were fishing it vertically, or close to the boat. Admittedly I don't cast and drag a drop shot very often. I'll usually go to a shaky head or a Ned rig if I'm looking to do something like that. The times that I do cast and drag a drop shot, I use a rod that I built on the same blank that the ALX Zolo Maestro is built on. It's a 7' fast action blank whose tip isn't as soft as what a rod that is labeled as a drop shot rod, would have. I like it because it has more power in the tip and lower half of the blank. The extra power comes in handy when you're trying to set the hook at the end of a longish cast, and with the little bit heavier weights that I use when casting a drop shot. It's actually my shaky head rod, but it does nicely dragging a drop shot as well.
Most of my drop shot fishing involves either video game fishing, (vertical) or making short 15 - 20' pitches out from the boat. For that I use 2 rods that I built on blanks that are designed specifically for fishing a drop shot. One is built on an NFC DS6107 blank from the IM series, the other is built on a Rainshadow Eternity2 ETES 610MXF blank. Both of those rods are very similar in that they both are extra fast action blanks with soft tips, and moderate back bones. I like the soft tip because it helps feel those nothing but pressure type bites that you get on a drop shot. They aren't powerful rods by any description, with both having nice parabolic bends when under the load of a fish. The rod built on the Rainshadow blank has a bit more power to it so the rod built on the NFC blank has pretty much become my Ned rig rod.
I like the Croix Avid X 6'9"MLXF. it has a nice tip, and plenty of backbone. It fishes like a 7'0 rod because of it's short rear handle length. I like that!
Super drop shot rod.Originally Posted by PolarKraft195
that's why I own 2 of'em! Matched with Shimano Stradic CI4+ reels.
I have used a couple different size rods for dropshotting. I have a 7’6 dropshot medium light fast that I have used only a few times but I can say it is definitely the best between the bunch. So much more control over the fish. Haven’t lost one yet. The others were shorter 6’8 to 7ft.
I would highly suggest the longer rod as long as it has good sensitivity.
I use Cashion rods because I think I feel more than the St croix legend bass or the Dobyns champion extreme I had previous.
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