DROPSHOTTING FOR DUMMIES

DROPSHOTTING FOR DUMMIES (PART I)

Imagine the perfect bass rig. It would, no doubt possess as many of these qualities as is possible:

It would catch bass under a wide range of conditions.
It would catch bass in both shallow & deep water.
It would catch bass on a wide range of tackle.
It would be both easy & inexpensive to fashion.
It would be deadly on inactive as well as active bass.
It couldn't be worked incorrectly, in fact a novice could catch bass on it with ease.
It could be rigged in a wide variety of methods to optimize effectiveness.
It could be rigged with an infinite variety of baits.
It could be rigged to be essentially weedless under any fishing condition.
It could be used as both a search bait as well as a bait with which to fish an area extensively.
It would catch bass wherever they swim (geographically).
It would be equally effective on all species of black bass.
It can be kept & worked in a defined strike zone indefinitely.
What if I told you there was a rig that met all of the above criteria?

Say hello to the dropshot rig. Tie one on, pick it up & throw it. You'll catch bass on it, probably sooner as apposed to later. This one's a killer, and it's spreading like wildfire!

It's amazing to me that only now is dropshotting gaining popularity in bass fishing. Used for decades as a common saltwater rig for numerous fish species, dropshotting as a freshwater bass technique was born out of the West as a remedy for catching pressured bass in deep, clear water fisheries. Western pros like Aaron Martens have been making a living throwing the dropshot rig for years. It's easy to understand why they haven't been quick to spread the praises of the rig.

But like any other hot lure or technique in the bass fishing world, once high profile tournaments are won & big-name pros start adopting the thing, word gets out. While not a magic remedy to cure all our bass fishing woes, dropshotting is a great technique, and if you ignore it & don't add it to your arsenal, you will indeed be selling yourself short. If you fish tournaments like myself, before long you're gonna get your butt kicked by the rig.

Don't wait. Sign up now.

The dropshot rig is essentially a backwards, upside down Carolina rig. It's components consist of a hook, sinker & a soft-plastic bait of your choice. I'll get into specifics shortly, but in its simplest form the hook is tied to your line via a Palomar knot. A long tag line is left that serves as a leader between your hook & sinker. The length of this leader is adjusted to optimize the rig's effectiveness in the specific situation to be fished.

If tied on correctly, the hook's shank should extend out perpendicular to a tight line, with the hook's point turning in an upward direction, towards the rod. The Palomar knot is a simple one to tie, and shortly becomes second-nature with a bit of practice. An experienced dropshotter can tie the rig from beginning to end in less than 30 seconds. Though originally touted as a light-line, deep/clear water finesse technique, the dropshot rig is proving to be so much more versatile. While it is certainly effective in those conditions, it can be equally effective in virtually the opposite conditions as well as nearly every other condition in-between! Simple changes in terminal tackle & the rig itself makes the dropshot one of the most versatile rigs you can throw. Let's break the rig
down by its components...

LINE

As in other techniques the type/weight of the line depends vastly on the water clarity, expected size of fish to be caught in the target locale, as well as the cover being probed with the rig. I suggest using monofilament line, or fluorocarbon if mono doesn't cut it because of extremely clear water. If you must use one of the modern "superlines" as your main line, I suggest tying the rig itself to a mono/fluorocarbon leader attached to the superline via a small swivel or knot.

As far as line strength/thickness, I always recommend using the lightest line you can get away with under the given conditions. If heavy cover isn't present in your target area I suggest using very light line on your dropshot rig. The term "light" can vary from region to region. It might mean 4-8# test in certain places & 10-14# test in others. Though it might not appear so at first glance, the dropshot rig catches big bass as well as big numbers of bass, yet another mark to its credit.
If heavy cover is to be probed with the dropshot rig we then reach the opposite end of the line spectrum; There are guys getting fabulous results by throwing "beefy" dropshot rigs into weed & wood cover. These rigs are fished on flippin' sticks with lines in the 25-50# class, with big hooks/lures & heavy sinkers. Like I said, the dropshot is a very versatile rig.

HOOKS

In regard to hooks used on the dropshot rig, we once again find that there is no standard style/size used. As with line (and sinkers, as we shall soon see), the hook(s) used on the rig are a matter of personal preference, and will vary from dropshotter to dropshotter.
There are two distinctly different methods of attaching a soft-plastic lure to a dropshot rig, and which you choose is dependent once again on the fishing situation at hand. I've found that if the threat of hang-ups is minimal, an open "nose-hooked" bait is very effective.

This is best accomplished with a small, short-shanked hook. My favorites are the Gamakatsu "Octopus" style hooks in sizes 4 & 2, the former for smaller finesse-type plastics & the larger for meatier plastics. We'll touch on bait choices later in this article.

If cover such as wood or thick weeds is to be probed with the dropshot rig, I suggest Texas-style rigging with a more appropriate-sized hook, usually a 1/0 to 4/0 size depending on the lure size to be used. As always, go with the smallest hook you can effectively use given the situation. Several companies are making dropshot-specific hook styles, made to present lures in the proper position on the rig. My personal favorite for Texas-style rigging at present is the dropshot hook made by Owner. Bottom line is that by Texas-style rigging your dropshot lure you have an essentially snagless way of presenting this deadly technique to cover-relating bass.

SINKERS

Just about any type of sinker will work on a dropshot rig. I favor two types. I employ standard bell sinkers (with wire line ties) when the threat of snags is at a minimum. They're hassle-free & simple to tie on, but above all they're dirt cheap. I use them in weeds & on a soft bottom. I go to the commercial "dropshot sinkers" when I encounter rocks & other snags. These sinkers have a wire form built into them that "pinch" your line. They're quick to attach & usually break off when snagged (leaving you with the rest of your rig), but are about the most expensive choice of sinkers you can go with. Other options are large split shot, split shot/bullet combos, spark plugs...you get the idea.

As far as sinker weight is concerned, lean to the heavy side with dropshot weights. Not super-heavy mind you, but heavy enough to where you can keep the rig stationary while still imparting some level of "action" to your lure. Part of the beauty of the rig is its ability to get in a strike zone & stay put. Start with a 1/4 ounce & work your way up to a full ounce or two.

I also believe that the sinker actually attracts fish to this rig as well as the lure itself. This is especially true on hard bottoms, as a big sinker bouncing or crawling along the rocks certainly emits some level of detectable audio.

LURES

The Western pros would have you believe that if you're dropshotting you should be using tiny hooks, light line & 2-4" straight-tailed soft-plastic lures. Nothing could be further from the truth.

While the aforementioned ingredients are indeed effective (& recommended) for skittish, deep/clear water bass, dropshot rigs catch fish when armed with a wide variety of bait types & sizes. Fish your favorite soft-plastic on the rig. What better way to gain confidence in a new technique?

I've been expanding my dropshot lure collection to include things like 8" curly-tail worms, plastic craws & magnum tubes. My favorite all-around dropshot bait is a 4" Mesa Tackle Supply "Belly Shad" dropshot bait ( www.tacklesupply.com ). It looks like a small soft-jerkbait with a short, straight tail. In murky water or at night I add a tiny glass rattle to the lure's "belly". I can't explain it, but these things just kill em on a dropshot rig!

I like subtle colors like watermelon & green pumpkin in clear water, and darker colors like Junebug in stained water. I don't recommend throwing a dropshot rig in muddy water, there's far better things to toss when the visibility becomes nil.