J Francho

I like snow, but that couple inches that freezes and creates a minor morning inconvenience grates on my nerves. If it's going to snow, then I want total devastation. Make it a challenge. We're tough. This was a fun afternoon, only a few feet overnight.

I throw them on the same rods I throw spinnerbaits. None are spinning rods.

My root cellar is mostly shelves and floor rod racks for rods. There's a few hooks for PFDs, raingear, waders, etc. as well.

We've only had 11" of snow, and zero ice here.

I fish an area slowly, but I rarely leave my bait lying anywhere for longer than half a minute.

Yes, this is a complicated solution to an issue that is just preference. A spinning reel will be exponentially less expensive, complicated, and require far less skill. Luckily there are plenty of expensive BFS options. You might be able to save a few bucks buying a used setup from another member that has given up this pursuit. There's more than a few here.

I can't imagine there's anything different about fishing them as opposed to a bucktail jig. As with all jig fishing, each of us comes up with our subtleties that can't be developed without actually spending time fishing them. So, fish them, and post up some results.

It's really the reason tubes fell out of favor. Used to be the jam back in 90s. For whatever reason, the changes in the environment caused changes in the way we fish.

I tried it over a decade ago with a small jig or a tube. It wasn't great, lots of hang ups and lost fish, and a bajillion bites from gobies. I don't use braid unless I'm very shallow, and in weeds. Whet ever you use for a weight will always pick up a bunch of slime, which is another reason to keep the bait off the bottom.

How do you know what hookset to use? I mean, you'd have to know what bait it took. It's the same reason I don't tie a trap to dropper off my spinnerbait.

Not really. I don't consider water clarity when fishing it. The Erie fish above was probably 5', the second more like 1'.

This guy came from around 4' on a drop shot, in a kayak. This back when I was using tungsten weights, lol. Now I use lead, and bring a roll of quarters to toss overboard for good luck. It's cheaper!

Maybe it's not the right rig for what you are doing. Using the wrong tool isn't the tool's fault, though.

You mean smaller fish like the ones I caught to win twice and come in second on Erie in my club tournaments, or this one? Catching big fish is more about location and timing than what bait you use. A drop shot rig is just an efficient means to catch them at those depths. Looks exactly like our rigs for panfish back in the 70s, taught to us kids by my grandfather. The main improvement over this rig in what I use now is eliminating the dropper loop, and having a direct connection to the bait, on a reasonably tight line. It's like no other rig, where the weight is usually before the bait, or a a weightless rig where the line isn't taught. You are in complete control and have constant feedback should anything strike that bait. The dropper is a good way to allow natural movement from live bait.

Rope ?

The original drop shot weight

The drop shot itself is really a sort of maverick rig, so it makes sense that there are variants. There's a lot of reasons someone would want the bait fixed above the weight, and I don't think once size must be used for all. In your use case, I like the rig you picked, and have used similar. It's really effective late prespawn, spawn, and just post spawn up here. I have gone to braid on a spinning reel for the shallow (shallow is less than 10' to me ;)), casting some distance from the boat. I bet you could get pretty good pitching that rig with the right rod and reel. All that said, don't call it a Texas rig just because you used a bullet weight and weedless hook! I AM A PURIST in that sense.

No, I don't tie a knot Probably much deeper too.

That's a yuck factor I hadn't thought about.

They're readily available in sizes and shapes I use (1/2 to 3/4 oz. and round or pencil) and have a simple connection. I don't think they're any better, just easier for me.

Pretty sure that was the Eagles, but it's still funny.

It doesn't work.

All of my reels have some movement in the line guide. This is not a really tight connection, or the worm gear and pawl would wear out quickly. Once you go to the store and check out a few reels in the box, you'll see what is normal.

Bobber stops work for lighter weights. I use bullet weights for bubba shot, but tie a small split ring on the end. I rig them point down for better weed penetration. I bet it work fine point up in rocks. You will lose a few weights if you go heavier than say 1/2 oz. when you set the hook.

I have both Helix 5 and 7. I usually end up taking the 5 at a rate 4:1 over the 7. It's just easier, and stays out of the way. I do my fair share of video game fishing, but often I'm not staring at the screen. The only time I feel like it's too small is when I want to see the map, the DI, and the chirp. That's rare, and usually I'm seated and paddling/pedaling, so the size isn't really that bad.