Dropshotting by Craig B. Nels


Over time there are many new techniques that hit the fishing scene.
While some of these techniques fade away, others endure, and they
endure because they catch fish, often in a way that is easy to learn. One
such technique is dropshotting. While some say that this method of
fishing is hardly new - it has been in use for years as a cat fishing
technique -- it was the Japanese that adapted it for bass fishing. Japan
has relatively few lakes for the number of bass fishermen in that country,
and because of the great fishing pressure, the fish have become very lure
shy. Dropshotting is a great way to present lures to fish that are lure shy,
however, it is also a great way to catch fish that aren't skittish at all.
Danny Correia, a Marlboro, Massachusetts Pro on the Citgo Bassmaster
tour utilizes dropshots often in his fishing ventures.

"Dropshotting is an underutilized technique out there today, granted it
is relatively new on the scene, all fishermen should make a strong effort to
learn this technique so they can catch more fish."

Dropshotting is unique in that it puts the lure above the weight. All
other presentations of soft plastics, the weight is always ahead of the bait,
such as in Carolina rigging, split shotting, and even Texas rigging. When
the weight hits the bottom, the lure becomes suspended on the taught
line at the depth that one chooses above the bottom. Generally speaking,
between 8 and 24 inches in variance. When the weight hits the bottom
after the cast, the angler is in direct contact with the structure. And as
compared to other techniques, the lure is in the same strike zone that you
feel through the weight. The Skeeter Pro Correia states it as such,

"When Carolina rigging, the weight (your contact point with the bottom)
passes over structure, alerting the angler to the prime area for a bass to
be living. But too often anglers begin to search for the next piece of
structure with their weight before the trailing plastic makes it through the
strike zone that you just felt with your sinker. With dropshotting, the
weight is in the same area as the lure. What you feel happening through
your rod, is in the same strike zone as the lure and hook"

Dropshotting can be done two ways, a finesse method, and a power
method. The finesse method, the way in which the technique was
pioneered is the most prevalent. Anglers should rig up with a spinning
outfit carrying line from 6-10lb test line. Small wire hooks also prove to be
the most effective, for their ease of entry into the fish's mouth. The 2001
Lake Martin B.A.S.S Invitational champion says,

"I prefer to use a #2 Gamakatsu hook. Generally, I nose hook the
plastic and the ultra sharp wire hook penetrates into the fish with barely a
hook set at all."

The weight at the end of the line in the finesse method of fishing a
drop shot is anywhere in the quarter to three-eights ounce range. Correia
prefers the new tungsten weights compared to lead weight due to their
hardness. The harder the weight, the easier it is to feel the bottom.

The type of soft plastic Correia prefers depends on the type of cover he is
fishing.

"I prefer a straight tail worm if I am around rocks and docks in more
open water situations. In heavier cover, like wood, or weeds, I like to use a
bait with a curlier tail, or a creature bait. I also like to start with a small
bait, and then keep increasing the size until the fish decide they don't
want it. I will often start with a 3 or 4 inch bait by biting off the tip of the
lure. Make sure that you use a type of soft plastic that is neutrally
buoyant, if it has too much salt in it, it will cause the lure to sink down. If
the bait is too light, it will rise up. Megabass manufactures fine soft
plastics for dropshotting, they are soft, and have the proper buoyancy for
dropshotting. I also like to add a bit of color to the tail of the lure, to mimic
the bright tail of a sunfish and other baitfish. But like anything else,
experiment until you find the right combination."

The final, and often most important part of the rig that give many
anglers a little trouble, is the knot. In order to properly present a dropshot,
you must use a polymer not. This way, the hook is held in a horizontal
position, with the bend of the hook opening towards the surface of the
water. The 1986 Bass Master Classic runner up states that there is an
important trick to properly presenting your dropshot,

"It is important that after you tie your polymer knot, always with the
hook up, that you run the line back down through the hook eye. When the
line is run back down through the eye, the tension from the rod down to
the weight keeps the hook perfectly horizontal."

Once the rigging is complete, the working of the lure is simple. You
toss it out, let the sinker hit the bottom or structure, and you gently shake
your rod tip a couple inches up and down, pulling your line just tight
enough to make a straight line between you and the sinker, but not pulling
the sinker off the bottom. Hold it in that straight position for a bit, then
start shaking again. You want to make sure to pay attention to when you
get your bites. Are the bites coming when I put slack in the line? Are
they hitting it when I and shaking it, or are they hitting it when I am
holding the line taught? The fish will tell you what to do; you just have to
pay attention.

Dropshotting is a great technique to catch bass all across the country.
Through practice and experimentation, dropshotting can make it a lot
easier to fill your livewell with big limits of bass.

Correia's sponsors include Skeeter Boats, Megabass, Yamaha Outboards
and Luck-E-Strike.