Drop shotting

[TwinStick]

The drop shot, I'm terrible at it. I've been on lake Lanier all week and have done terrible. I usually do pretty good here, but I stink at the drop shot. I'm curious to what you guys are using for your setup.

I'm looking for input specifically on rod and line. I'm running a cheap 5.5ft micro light rod I use for trout fishing. It's great for trout fishing, terrible for drop shot. I'm also running 10lb p-line mono.

Id like to keep the rod under 100, maybe even under 75. I throw pretty much all g Loomis, but I feel I would never get my money back out of it because of how much I hate to throw a drop shot.

For reel, I'm using a Shimano Sahara 1000. I really like it and don't see a reason to change.

Thanks for all the help guys, trying to get a little better at this, it's pretty frustrating when you're not good at something but trying to get better. Thanks, Clayton.

[Basser100]

I would look for something in a 7 foot rod with med action, smaller reel with 12 pound braid with a good floro leader. I could not imagine trying to drop shot with that short of a rod. Start target drop shotting lay it in besides structure, weed lines and deep points.

[TMG]

I use a St Croix mojo bass dropshot rod with a Daiwa Balistic 2500 with 8 or 10.# yozuri . Really like this set up.
Your micro lite rod isn't helping and the mojo isn't far over your price range.

[coolwhip]

I use the Abu Garcia Ike series drop shot rod...medium light and can feel everything with it....Matched with a 20 series spinning reel....great for perch fishing too. Make sure to use an 8lbs fluorocarbon on it too as very little to no stretch. I like a fairly heavier drop shot sinker...around 1/4 to 3/8 ounce...sometimes even 1/2 ounce if windy/deeper water.

Use whatever drop shot hook you prefer. To gain confidence try using live bait...did this with the wife and she caught on quick. Right now I know the fish are deeper....between 12-22'...you will see the fish stacked up on your graph. Once you find the fish its pretty good time.

[jusmangrum]

Twin stick I would just go see craig at the dugout and tell him what your looking to spend and what your trying to accomplish with the dropshot at Lanier and he will get you fixed up. I've caught fish there on a dropshot but I'm not that good at it. But I use 15 pound smackdown with an 8 pound flouro leader and a bold bluegill or and translucent colored worm there.

[Ben Danbleume]

Might try dropping down to four pound test or 10 lb braid w/leader. Get a #4 Gammy Circle hook and nose hook a shad shape worm or wacky rig a finesse worm. Just lift and reel when they bite, no hookset. You've got to much line and not enough rod now. Might turn into a fun set-up.

[J Risco]

Twin stick I would just go see craig at the dugout and tell him what your looking to spend and what your trying to accomplish with the dropshot at Lanier and he will get you fixed up. I've caught fish there on a dropshot but I'm not that good at it. But I use 15 pound smackdown with an 8 pound flouro leader and a bold bluegill or and translucent colored worm there.

That's good advice there, Craig knows his stuff and is happy to help you out within your budget! Used to ask for his help all the time

[kry29]

Falcon lowrider shakeyhead jig rod and a pflueger president reel. That shimano isnt a bad reel either. Are you using your graph and seeing fish and your bait?

[TwinStick]

I'm using my graph and seeing them now. That's good advice going to see Craig. I know him pretty well, all my Loomis comes from him .

[Thermodude]

I'm new to this technique as well, I really starting using it late last summer. I've asked many questions, read a lot and watched as many videos as I could find. This past weekend I set my rigs up with larger hooks so that I could throw 8" and 10" worms and I really liked this! Carolina rigs rule on my lake in the summer and I absolutely refuse to have one in my boat, the drop shot rig takes its place for me!

[wmitch2]

Here's my set-up: GLoomis IMX 782, Shimano 2000, Power Pro 15 and Yo-zuri Hybrid 8# Fluorocarbon for lakes known for smaller bass up to 10#s, 842, 2500, 20, and 10-12# for lakes with larger Bass. When the bite is really tough, I use the GLoomis Drop Shot rod in 822, Shimano 2000, 12# braid and 4-6# leader. For less money, you could go to the EX6 Loomis rods. The power and length is important. You don't want too "Wimpy" a rod on a big bass. I also Tex-pose ( I can work it in ALL nasty situations and not get hung up all the time ) all but the 822, then I'll nose hook the bait.

[jmiller21511]

I use a 7 foot medium light St.Croix premier with a 2500 size Pflueger Supreme Xt. For line I use 15lb braid with an 8-10 lb flourocarbon leader.

[TroyBoy30]

my custom for lanier

Dropshot FX PB731MLF(490) Shiman Exsence C3000MHG 6# Flouro Custom

[Trickyrick]

I have only recently taken up the Drop shot... I use a 7' medium rod. I like the abu Garcia Venetta. Pair that with a Shamano Sahara 2500 and 8 pound braid... If the water is clear then a leader is needed.

The way I taught myself is, I got myself some TRD baits. The larger TRDs and the Hula Sticks. These Float. Use those to practice and feel what is going on. As you get some experience and get the feel add in more traditional finess baits... Use your graphs to see your bait and Practice. Let the Bait float naturally.

Worked for me and I still hate it, but I can catch them.

With Shamano removing the reverse switch the Presidente is another good budget friendly option.

[Basshaker]

I use a 7' St Croix ML Fast with a pflueger president reel, 10# powerpro braid 8# seaguar flouro leader

[DrewFlu33]

I was in a very similar situation with the drop shot not that long ago, so I feel like I can offer some advice that may or may not be relevant to fishing Lanier....

As far as setups, the St Croix rods suggested are excellent. Can have a hell of a reel to go along with it at an extremely reasonable price with either a Pflueger President or Daiwa Revros or RG. I prefer the Daiwa models due to being slightly faster and I feel just as good in every other aspect, but you can' go wrong with either. You're into a great setup for $150-160 there.

For line, 10 lb high vis braid to a fluoro leader is the absolute best setup for it in my opinion. Everyone has their own line preferences, but personally I've had a ton of luck with either a Power Pro Super 8 Slick, Sufix 832, or my latest favorite Fins XS mainline in a color you can see. In the Fins, the Coral Orange is fantastic for me. The main issue with the braid mainline is wanting to sail in the wind when you're casting it. More on that below. I've gone to 7lb Sunline Sniper as my leader this year and don't see how that will ever change. 8 lb always felt too heavy, 6 lb too light, so this fits right in the middle. It doesn't hurt that it's incredibly strong for its rating, and a 220 yard spool will last forever when using it as a leader. (Watch using Berkley line as a leader...their 8 lb is roughly the same diameter as other companies' 12 lb! That was a huge stumbling block for me before I figured it out, and definitely explains why I used to struggle for bites!) Around 10 feet is my standard leader length, and after experimenting with some knots I'm currently settled on the Shin Fukae knot, or as some call it the "lazy Alberto." Good video of it on YouTube. It's compact, much easier to tie than the common alternatives, and very strong.

For all the other benefits of braid(sensitivity, manageability, longevity, castability, and so on), it's worth figuring out how to manage it in the wind. There are a couple ways of solving that, the most obvious of which being to simply use a heavier weight. That's not satisfactory to me, mostly due to the fact that I think it makes a fish more likely to drop the bait once it feels the resistance of that heavy weight. Using a longer leader also helps considerably. The main way to deal with it, however, is to get the line laid down on the water after casting. For me that involves a cast, lifting the rod tip after the bait hits the water to get more line off the spool allowing the bait to fall straight down, closing the bail, then dropping the rod tip to get the line laying on the water. It will slide across the surface as the bait sinks and once it's down and you reel up excess slack, the bow in the line caused by the wind can actually be used to your advantage for seeing bites without having to feel them. This all becomes a fluid motion very quickly.

You can never go wrong with your favorite finesse worm "Gilley rigged.". I like Z-man stuff because it lasts forever and you're not going through bags and bags of worms, but have had a lot of luck with Roboworms, Zoom finesse worms, and many many others.

For me the way I was able to finally get some confidence in it was to wait until a day where they were really biting, convince myself to stop power fishing, and start throwing the drop shot. Watch some Aaron Martens and Brent Ehrler videos where they talk about drop shot fishing. The things they say and do (watch them carefully - if you have recordings of MLF they can be very valuable!) can make a world of difference. Another guy who does a great job explaining it is a fellow who used to post here all the time who makes YouTube videos...his YouTube handle is something like "YouTubeFishinVids." The hookset is something to get used to, and if you don't catch some fish on a drop shot you'll have a hard time executing when it really matters. Another thing that I have to constantly remind myself is that less is more!

I'm still far from good at it, but I'e become serviceable at least. As more time passes, it's continuously proving itself as an invaluable tool to have in the repertoire. Don't give up on it!

[Milehibird]

I'm a dropshotting fool. I don't like to throw it because it's slow, and I like to power fish, but I'm good at it.

Here's my setup, and I have 2 of them. It works great for ned rigs and spybaits too.
St Croix Mojo Bass drop shot rod (6' 10" ML X-Fast) $129
Pflueger Supreme 30 size reel (6.2:1 ratio, very light weight) $99
Berkley NanoFil 12lb main line and a 12-15' leader of 8lb fluoro (currently using Berkley 100% fluoro, have used Seaguar in the past).

Here's why for each of those.
The rod - Spending more on the rod will make you enjoy it more because you can feel every little bite and have the backbone to set the hook. I'm considering trying an iRod Air in the same specs soon.
The reel - I like the bigger arbor, means less line twist. Coupled with the fast speed means you can keep up with a fish that's rising fast or running at you (if you cast a dropshot like I do).
The main line - Nanofil doesn't get affected by twist. It takes some getting used to tying knots, and that's why I use such a long leader. I can retie a few times before needing to waste time tying a new leader on.
Leader - I prefer a heavier leader just because I horse the fish more. I used to use 12lb leader, but I've downgraded and haven't seen any increase in bites.

A couple differences between me and some people.
1. I don't use true "drop shot" hooks. They are too thin for me and tend to skin hook fish. I use a 1/0 Gamakatsu finesse wide gap (or similar hook from Eagle Claw). I rarely lose fish with this hook.
2. I use very light weights, and always a pencil style weight. I never use round or teardrop weights. The way I work it, I want a thin profile. Most people want the bait to get down as quick as possible, I use light weight to force myself to focus on feeling the bottom. It also makes a slower drop, and sometimes they eat it on the drop.

Baits I use 2 main baits, 3 colors max.
Bait 1 - 5" finesse worm (PTL Finicky Tickler worm). Colors are Oxblood red flake, kitchen sink and green pumpkin.
Bait 2 - A small goby style bait (PTL 3.6" hammer shad). Primary color is no longer made, but it's a gold color.

I nose hook them, but I keep the point of the hook in the plastic. The plastic does not swing on the hook, it's almost threaded onto the hook. This lets you move the bait with very little motion of the rod, and every movement of the rod twitches the worm. Also, if you fish through grass or sticks, this is much more weedless as the plastic pushes the weeds aside instead of burying the point in a stick.

Setting the hook with the finesse wide gape is a matter of just pulling. It's not the reel set that other people are used to with the light wire drop shot hooks, you can actually set the hook because the point is facing upwards instead of in line with the eyelet.

I won big bass in my tournament last weekend with this exact setup.

[bdubz0r]

I use a MegaBass Orrichi XX Aaron Martens signature dropshot rod with a Daiwa Tatula spinning reel. Line is high-viz green Daiwa J-Braid 30lb to a 10lb Seaugar Red Label leader with a double uni knot. I try to make the leader about 1.5 times the length from the reel to the top of the rod, so +\- 10’. I tie on a roboworm 1/0 finesse hook and Texas rig a 4 or 6” roboworm in Aaron martens morning dawn. Practice days see a 1/4oz cylinder lead dropshot weight; and during tournaments I use the same style weight except it’s a Woo Tungsten. I probably drag it more than I should instead of dead sticking it, but I’m impatient lol.

[jml]

Lots of good advise. I use 6 or 8 lb flourocarbon. Never seen the need for braid.

[Bob G.]

Lots of info describing a technique also used for catfish!

I dropshot a lot when smallies camp out on offshore structure. Going to rig an Ugly Stik with a Zebco 33 and see how it compares to my regular dropshot rig!!