Mastering the art of drop shot fishing is a very important skill that you should develop if you want to be a better angler. Of course, we all want to be able to catch them with topwater, spinnerbaits, and swimbaits but we have to listen to the fish. When those fish won’t commit to those types of offerings you may want to whip out the dreaded drop shot and go to work.
Ryan Coleman won a Bassmaster tournament on Lake Lanier in 2006 on this technique. Aaron Martens (the GOAT of drop-shotting) has won tons of tournaments on this technique.
When Should You Dropshot
Believe it or not, a drop shot is something that you can use year-round and catch fish.
Summer Dropshot Fishing
In the summer you can use the drop shot and fish a vertical presentation over the brush piles. On Lake Lanier, I like to fish my topwater baits over the brush piles. Maybe I will catch a couple of fish and follow up with a swimbait and catch a couple more. After that, I will go over the brush piles and use the drop shot to pick off a couple more bass.
If you are on a lake like Guntersville or Kentucky Lake you can cast the drop shot on the ledges and work it back to the boat slowly. This is best after you have cast your jigs, swimbaits, spoons, big worms and crankbaits. Cast the big presentations first and use the drop shot last to get those fish that didn’t commit.
If you are fishing for smallmouth the drop shot is amazing year-round. The summer is a great time to pull this thing out and catch a lot of smallmouth.
THE DROP SHOT IS GREAT AT GETTING STUBBORN FISH TO REACT!!
Winter Dropshot Fishing
In the Winter the fish may get in some deep timber in the ditches (especially spotted bass). A drop shot is a great way to stay weedless and catch bass.
If you are fishing for largemouth the fishing may be a little tough but again this is a great way to get those stubborn fish to eat.
Spring Dropshot Fishing
Springtime means the bass are going to be in the spawn mode. I love a dropshot for bed fishing. Largemouth bass, Spotted Bass, and smallmouth bass cannot resist a drop shot in their bed. Simply pitch the drop shot past the bed about 2-3 feet and let it sink and work it in the bed. We will talk about the hook set later in this article.
If you are bed fishing with the drop shot try using a color like white. The fish cannot resist it and it is easier for you to see. Sometimes you will not even feel the bite you will just see your whitebait moving or disappear and you will know to set the hook.
Fall Dropshot Fishing
I would say this is the time of the year where the drop shot will not be needed quite as much. Sure you can catch them on it but they are much more aggressive and gorging on baitfish to get ready for the winter. It is always great if you have one tied on if you see a fish underneath your boat or kayak on your electronics.
How to Tie on a Dropshot
When using a dropshot I like to tie a Palomar knot with an extra-long tag end for the weight. I like my weight to be about six inches below the hook. If you do not know how to tie a Palomar knot watch this VIDEO
I like to use braided fishing line with a fluorocarbon leader tied with a double uni knot. If you do not know how to tie that knot check out this VIDEO.
Here is Kevin Van Dam explaining how he ties his dropshot using a Palomar knot.
I like to nose hook my baits with a small Trokar Dropshot Hook paired with a teardrop weight.
All you have to do with these weights is take your tag end and slide them in until it pinches tight. Again start off with your weight six inches below the hook as a general rule.
Rod and Reel Set Up for Dropshot Fishing
I love this set up for my dropshot fishing. I dont use a very expensive reel for this style of fishing. I love this enigma reel because it is a great reel and a great price.
The rod is more important than the reel on this set up. You want a 7 foot rod with a medium action and a fast action tip. Enigma has you covered with this also.
Setting the Hook
We all know how to set the hook!! We reel in the slack and we pull as hard as we can and rip lips, right???!!! Well, when we are dropshot fishing that is not going to work.
Dropshot fishing is a finesse presentation. If I am fishing in clear lakes for smallmouth like Lake St. Clair I am going to use a 6lb test Fluorocarbon leader. If I am on Lake Hartwell I am going to use an 8lb test for my dropshot. And if I am on Chickamauga Lake I am going to use a 10-12lb test. So when you are using light line and small light wire hooks you have to use finesse.
So instead of pulling super hard, we want to reel in our slack until we make contact with the fish and do a very slight yank. A lot of anglers do not even yank they just start reeling. I feel I get a little bit more hook in the fish if I do a slight yank. The key is to get all the slack out first or you will snap your light line easily.
Make sure that your drag is set much looser than normal so you do not break your line on the hookup.
Take your time with these dropshot fish. Wait until they give up and then land them. Do not swing the fish on a drop shot either. That is a sure-fire way to have some heartbreak when you are on the water.
How to Present your Bait
This may be the most important tip so pay close attention. When working a drop shot you want to work it very slowly. Whether you are casting or vertical dropping you want to move your rod tip very slowly. The best way I can explain is to shake your rod tip like you are shivering in the cold. Do not move it around like you would a texas rig worm. Simply shake it with a shivering motion. The rod tip should not move more than a quarter of an inch. Shake and pause is the cadence I use. A lot of times the bass will bite the bait on the pause.
The bite can be very subtle. Sometimes all you will feel is the weight. When you feel that weight you want to lightly and delicately set the hook. Keep constant tension on the line. These hooks are usually going to be skin hooked right at the top of the fish’s mouth. If you let any slack in the line at all you will lose the fish 9 times out of 10.
Vertical Dropshotting
This means you have found the fish on your electronics. You may see a school of fish, timber with fish, or a brush pile with fish. We call this “Video Game Fishing” because it is like playing a video game.
If you see the fish suspended you can drop the bait down and watch them follow your bait down to the bottom.
Pro Tip: Sometimes the fish are right in the brush. You can catch a couple of fish and you move on. But it is important to ride around the brush pile and look. Go past it and when it ends you will usually see some fish hanging out on the edges of the brush pile. A lot of times these are some of the bigger bass. Make sure you drop on those fish. You’re Welcome!!!
Use Scent
I cannot stress enough how important it is to use scent. If your drop shot presentation is a baitfish then spray it with Bang Shad Spray. If it is a worm or grub of some kind than Bang Garlic Scent is absolutely lights out.
Using scent is the difference between catching and not catching a fish.
Retie Often
Your line is light. Check your line after every catch. You are dropping your bait in thick brush which can mess your line up quickly especially if you drag a fish out of it. If you feel your line with your hand and feel that it is compromised at all then retie. That next bass could be the big one you have been waiting on and you don’t want your line to fail you.
If you get a fish Stuck in the Brush or Timber.
This happens often when you are fishing in the thick stuff. So if you hook up and and get stuck and the fish is still on then Free spool your line. A lot of time when that line is completely slack the fish will swim themselves out of the brush and you can catch the fish. Try this a couple times for like 20-30 seconds at a time before snapping your line off.
If you are getting bites but not hooking up!
Ok so they like what you have to offer and you are getting bites. However, every time you go to set the hook you come up empty handed. DOWNSIZE!! Bite off some of your worm or use the same color but something smaller and try again. Again, You’re Welcome!!
Alright here is the moment you have all been waiting for!!
Hook’d on Bassin’s TOP 5 Drop Shot Baits
1. Morning Dawn
I do not care where you go in the country Morning Dawn (pink) is a summer time favorite for Bass. This is all I use in the summer when I am using the drop shot.
2. Green Pumpkin
A dream shot in Green pumpkin is an excellent choice all year for the drop shot. I personally caught a ton of smallmouth in Lake St. Clair this year on this bait. One of them was over Five Pounds. Check it out right Here.
3. Yum Kill Shot
Remember earlier when I talked about downsizing. This is a great option for that.
4. White Fluke
When the fish are keyed in on baitfish this is an excellent option. I personally love to use this in the winter time on my home lake of Lake Lanier. Another great option is to use this for bed fishing (because it is white).
5. Zman Trick Shot
I first started to use this bait for smallmouth. I started to use it on my home lake also and they absolutely love it.
This Green pumpkin Goby is also one of the best possible colors you can use for smallmouth.
In Conclusion
Alright guys and gals there you have it. When the time comes you are ready to dropshot. When fishing is tough this may be the only way you can catch them. This is something that you should always have tied on no matter what time of the year it is.
Make sure to Follow us on Instagram, Like us on Facebook, and go to our website and get our FREE PDF on Ten Tips for Catching Bass when Fishing is Tough!!
