Drop Shot frustration.......gggggrrrrrrrrrrrrr

[motomania]

I must be doing something wrong here!
-
There are several spots throughout the lake I regularly fish, that always hold
fish. Water clarity is usually 6-8 feet.
-My fishfinder showed the fish suspended there last weekend. And I've learned
to trust my electronics in these locations, as I've pulled many a fish off
these spots before, when I couldn't find them elsewhere. Water temp is about 55-58, air temp about 35 in the morning, and got about 55 by noon.
-So I go and check one of my spots, to confirm the fish are stacked in
there. I take my marker buoys and drop 3 of them down, forming what I
call, the 'Triangle of Doom' (although it was not even remotely deadly
yesterday ) This triangle I make surrounds the 'stack' of fish, as not to spook them by dropping the marker right on them.
-I procede to drop shot the snot out of them (in a vertical, sort of jigging up and down manner). In about 30 foot of water, electronics showing the fish about 10-15 feet off the bottom. I run my tag line out about 10-15 feet, using 6 pound flourocarbon, and put on a small hook. I tried small roboworms, creatures, Gulp Alive leeches, minnows........everything I had.............for hours on this spot, and several like it.
-I tried giving the bait a lot of action at times, and other times, just barely twitching it. Nothing!
-
I've searched the boards and the net, read every article I can about drop shotting. I've tried it on these promising spots multiple times, under different conditions, even when I catch fish elsewhere........no luck.
-
I always experiment everytime I go on the water, trying new tactics, techniques, etc, etc. I really want to be well rounded, when it comes to catching fish But this drop-shot thing, has me on the ropes.
-
Any thoughts/suggestions would be greatly appreciated....................*sigh*


Modified by motoman at 6:00 PM 11/8/2007

[BILLY]

Suspended fish are tough for me to get also, I just leave them alone.
NOW fish on or near a hump that are on the bottom(fish) those are the ones that will bite.

[chefxian]

Try 4lb Flouro, we have to use that a lot out here also maybe scale down your bait.
4 inch Robo's is what I would try but sometimes the bastards are just tough. Good Luck

[Popeye]

Not sure the legality but I'm guessing that if you used 1/2oz of Tritonal a few feet below the suspended fish, you would be able to get some.

[teelman]

Never heard of a tag end 10-15ft before though it sounds like it should work. What about a spoon on suspended fish?

BTW, I've heard suspended bass are the hardest to catch. If you CAN figure out how to catch them you will be the man !!

[motomania]

Thanks for the responses.
-
Stepping down to 4 lb fluoro is a great thought, I'm using 6 lb now. And I did try the 4.5 inch Roboworm in multiple colors......nuttin'.
-
Tritonal? HHHhhhmmmmmm? Effective, yet............messy.
-
teelman, I thought the tag end 10-15' is a bit nutty too, but if the fish are suspended at those depths, I'm not sure what the best length tag end would be? If the goal of drop shotting is to get it right in their face. (I clarified in my original post that I was over the fish, drop shotting vertically on top of them. )
-But the spoon thought is also next on my list of things to try this weekend.
-
Keep those thoughts coming! Those suspended fish are quickly becoming my arch-nemesis!




Modified by motoman at 6:01 PM 11/8/2007

[SUPERCHUGBUG]

have to agree with teelman, sounds like a spoon situation to me. also try wacky rigged senkos. drop shot is more effective on fish on or near the bottom. suspended fish can be tough.

[Hardhead1]

why not run a medium running crankbait through them. one that dive's to around 10 ft.

[motomania]

Yah, the senko is my standby, I did try that too..........nuttin'. I had some luck with the senko on fish that were suspended, but not so stacked up. Those ones stacked on these several locations are up to no good. Must be like when a bunch of teenagers get together and hang out at one location; smokin', cussin', drinkin', etc., etc. (Although I was doing most of the cussing.)
-
Also tried several medium running crankbaits......nuttin'. Those crafty fish had lock jaw. I could have sworn when I was running that crankbait through, I felt my bait bump a few of those fish. Or maybe it was wishful thinking.
-
Maybe as mentioned earlier, those suspended fish are just tough to catch. But I'm glad to hear all the suggestions, and that I was on the right track with most things I tried.
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Keep thinking out loud everyone, post away your thoughts. I really appreciate it.

[20_lb_sack]

Actually, I seldom find bass stacked tightly together unless they are actively feeding. The "stacked" fish I normally find are either whites and crappie, they tend to school tighter than bass when suspended. JMO.

[teelman]

kinda what I was thinking. I'm not so sure it's LM you are looking at on the screen. Also, if you see streaking across the screen, those are feeding fish and possible to catch (so sayeth the Quinn on "The Bass Pros")

I think I'd just move to a different place and say screw those that dont bite!

[motomania]

I've caught largemouth off these spots of stacked fish in the past, but maybe they are just lurkers around some other species.
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The fact that it may be other species, did cross my mind, but I want to believe they're loads of ole' bucketmouth!
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But a buddy of mine has one of those fish-vu camera things, so in the next week or so, I hope to find out if they're largemouth with lockjaw, or something else.
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Thanks again, and keep any thoughts comin'!

[leckbass]

silverbuddy...

[teelman]

If all else fails, TNT

[SUPERCHUGBUG]

if you ever get into them, let us know, we may all learn something. i have had similar situations before and spent tons of time chasing the blips on the screen. as david mentioned, may be crappie. try a crappie jig and see what happens. or a live minnow is a good equalizer. very rare to see a bass turn that down. good luck!

[Mickstix]

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by leckbass &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">silverbuddy...</TD></TR></TABLE>

+1

[Timbeck]

I would say that if you have some good clarity with the water I would try to stay away from them. Try the triangle of death but leave the spot for awhile, then come back,and keep your distance, try a float and fly you can set the depth and use small baits(tubes, etc) just let it sit there. Definately try the camera, nothing like the camera to validate what you are seeing on the depth finders. I would also try swimming a grub on a light jig you can count them down and retrieve, works great up here in the great lakes....

[captken]

When you just gotta know---

If you see them on your electronics and are not catching them you might ask what "THEM" are. You might not be marking Bass or other species that will eat your offering. Are you sure your lure is at the proper depth? Sometimes fish won't move up or down far, especially on "Bluebird days after a front."

Catch a few 2-3" crawfish, a few salamanders, and a minnow or two and offer them to the fish you are seeing. If you don't get a bite, chances are, you aren't looking at Bass on your DR.

Unless water is air clear, I'd rather not use fluorocarbon. Have you ever used anything other than lead for your drop shot?

[motomania]

SUPERCHUGBUG, I'll certainly keep everyone posted if I make any progress. I didn't think of it at the time, but I'll certainly throw on a Crappie jig or a minnow, and see if that does anything. (I hope not, I'd feel like a fool. ) You're right on the minnow thing, thay certainly are a good equalizer.
-
Re: the silver buddy's....Are there any online retailers that still may have some stock left of silver buddy's? I'd be willing to try them, but I can only find them on Ebay, and they sell for an arm and a leg.
I've also noticed imitation silver buddy's, but I'm always a little apprehensive of knockoffs. (unless some people can vouch for them?)
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Timbeck, When I throw down the marker buoys, I've also tried leaving for a bit, then coming back. Since the water is relatively clear, I throw the marker buoys quite a ways out and away from the spot, I don't want the fish to see the line from the marker buoy and have it spook 'em.
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captken, The water is pretty darn clear, and I've tried using mono and I'm a fan of Berkley Fireline smoke in very small diameter. I keep several spools of differnt lines on the ready. And regarding using something besides lead, I typically use 1/8 oz. tungsten drop shot weight. It's enough weight to get it down where I can still feel the bottom. And the tungsten has a smaller profile.
Just out of curiosity, why do you ask if I use something different than lead on a drop shot? (in case there's something I'm missing)
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Thanks again everyone! Good info!

[captken]

I'm working on an article for Bass Master Mag right now. For lack of a better name, I am calling it "Advanced Drop Shotting."

There is no limit on what you can do with a Drop Shot Rig. What you use for a shot can make one heck of a difference in your catch. Ever use a piece of bead chain, length of solder, nail, brass rod, glass rod, etc? Each of these items make a different noise when they hit bottom or slide through brush. Long, skinny sinkers don't get hung.

Do you rig a monofilament weed/snag guard on your dropshot hooks? I save a lot of re-rigging because I seldom get hung.

Generally, Drop Shotting is a subtle technique. Subtle diferences in rigging can make huge differences in your catch rate.

Re: Berkley Vanish Fluorocarbon. I was Co-Manager of the Florida Berkley Strike Team last year. The stuff is phenomenally clear but it lacks in knot strength as does all other Fluorocarbon lines. Believe me, I personally tested thousands of knots and at least a hundred different lines both for abrasion resistance and knot strength. I have no connection with Berkley any more nor do I expect to ever have again so I can pretty well tell it like it is (IMHO.)

The only monos I use are Stren Dura-Tuff and Trilene XT. They are the most abrasion resistant of all the monofilaments we tested and they both have super knot strenght. Yeah, they don't cast as well as some other monos. (Just ask Bill Dance.)

I use Fluorocarbon only when I absolutely have to. Generally, I get bit as well with 8# XT as I do with 12# Fluorocarbon and have a stronger and more abrasion resistant line.

I live within a few miles of Rainbow River and several super clear phospate pits that receive darn near 0 fishing pressure. I can watch fish from my boat or from the bank about as well as you see them on under water videos on TV.
Kinda neat to see how fish respond to different approaches.

Just for kicks and giggles, try a bright red grub or worm. Bubblegum too.

Capt Ken
fishcatching101