islandbass

+1 My favorite spinning reel is about $150, and I'm going to get one regardless. I always pack one in my bag during tournaments, and while it makes me feel safe; I haven't ever had to switch it out. That is very wise. That is also perhas the only contingent for which I would have the extra spool filled. Better to have it and not need it vs. to need it and not have it. 8-)

It used to be a major requirement for me. In my five seasons of fishing, I cannot recall a single instance in which I switched out to the extra spool. I realized the extra spool was never used, let alone had line put on them. So now it is no lonver a major requirement. If that were the case, like J Francho said, I would never have bought my casting reels.

Rich Z's article is the best! Drop Shotting Rocks. Here is a piece I wrote about what I've learned from using it: Islandbass' Take on the Drop Shot I am no expert by any stretch of the imagination, but I have grown fond of the Drop Shot technique in my short, four-season fishing journey. I have been using it for just over a season's time. This is a very productive method to catch fish in a variety of states. In my first outing for smallies this season, I hooked and caught 3 smallies on three consecutive casts. It is the only method that has done this for me to date, and from the shore to boot. At the very least, I can share with you what I have learned through trial, error, and experience (which isn't much). Basic Drop Shot Diagram Here is a generic set up. Rod and Reel Type You don't need a Drop Shot specific rod. A medium-light to medium-action rod from 6'6" on up to 7' should work for you for now. If you find drop shotting to your liking, you can then opt to go with a Drop Shot specific rod of your choice. As a rule of thumb, a longer rod will enable you to have more line control and leverage; two big pluses in drop shotting. I prefer spinning reels (a size 20 or 2500 reel is an excellent choice) because they require less work to give the bait a better (IMHO) descent than a baitcast reel. Sorry baitcast reel users, but the way a spinning drops the bait (for ¼ oz weights and less) smokes a baitcast reel any and every day for drop shotting. To those who use baitcast reels exclusively, please note I said for drop shotting in its basic, finesse form (lighter lines, weights, and smaller baits). There will not be a need to strip line off just to make the bait fall. With that said, casting reels can also be used. I just prefer a spinning reel. You may use whatever reel you want. Even a Barbie pole can get it done for drop shotting! However, I would not hesitate to use heavier line, weights, larger baits and a baitcast reel if I were to drop shot heavy cover. Something I call Alpha Shotting! Drop Shot Weight and Type A 3/16 - 1/4 oz weight is a good starting weight. Going any lighter might make it harder for you to read what is going on until you get experience. As for the shape, I like to use either the teardrop or cylindrical shape. I have not experimented with other shapes. Windier conditions and stronger currents might make you want to choose a heavier weight, but let's not worry about that for now. Line Because you are drop shotting, lighter line is preferred if the cover you are fishing allows it. Go up in # strength if the cover dictates this. I like and use 6# fluorocarbon, particularly Seaguar's Invizx. This line kicks fanny. No doubt about it. The plus in going with fluorocarbon in a higher # test if needed is despite having a slightly thicker line diameter; the angler retains the benefit of fluorocarbon's trait of near invisibility as advertisers so claim. Whichever line you choose, I think the fluorocarbon line of your choice will be fine. I know that some also prefer to use braid. I know the benefits of braid and am not against it and maybe someday I'll use it with a fluorocarbon leader. Given the amount of sensitivity my rod and line provide me, I just don't have a need to take it up a notch to braid for the typical depths I fish, which is usually no more than 20'. If you plan to fish greater depths, braid may very well be the ticket. The enhanced sensitivity braid provides can be a plus. Baits Keep an open mind here. Many baits of a variety of shapes can be used. The general rule of thumb is a tendency to use smaller baits since we are "finesse" fishing (translates to downsizing in general). The typical length of a drop shot bait usually ranges from 3" - 4.5" but this is NOT set in stone. Roboworms, Senkos, Sniper Snubs and Bolts (the latter two are locally made baits), Reaction Innovations Flirts, and heck, even Baby Brush Hogs and Tubes can be used. Think out of the box. I have used longer worms too. This season, the 4.5 Roboworm (in Aaron's Magic) and Sniper Snubs in Watermelon and Dark Brown have been so effective that to date I have not seen a need to try something else or other colors. It might be different for bass in other waters. If you wish to know, so far the most effective baits for me have been, the snubs and roboworms. Here is a picture of a smallie I caught on a longer Roboworm hoping for a bigger smallie. The darn Roboworm is nearly as long as the smallie! Hooks/Knot I prefer to use size 1 or 2 (mostly size 2) Owner Mosquito or Gamakatsu Split Shot/Drop Shot hooks. If I am fishing a grassy area in which grass can catch the exposed hook, I opt for the Owner Down Shot hook, which is in essence a mini version of an EWG (extra wide gap) worm hook. Naturally, if you plan to drop shot much larger baits, you might need to go up in hook size. I attach the hook to the line with a Palomar knot and after it is tied, I insert the extra line (tag end) through the hook's eye before attaching the weight. Leader (Tag end) Length (Distance from the hook to the weight) The best way to figure this out is to experiment. I have had success with leaders (tag ends) being as short as 4-6" to nearly but not quite 24. Because drop shotting is not limited to a purely vertical presentation, a longer leader is a good idea if you wish to work it somewhat like a Texas or Carolina rig. The longer leader length or tag end (which I define here as the distance between the weight and your hook, perhaps 18" as a ballpark figure) will enable you to keep the bait off the ground with the shallow angle that will result from a long cast. For a more vertical presentation, a shorter distance from the hook to the bait can work. Another influencing factor is the depth at which the fish are staying. You might need to adjust your tag end accordingly. Imparting Life to the Lure Despite the initial perception of working this lure, it is not all about jiggling and wiggling the bait to death. An angler can indeed work the bait this way, but I can tell you from personal experience, that wiggling and jiggling the bait to death (continuously) has accounted for the fewest number of catches. By no means am I saying to not wiggle and jiggle it to death. That is only one method. So what should one do in addition to the wiggling/jiggling tactic? Keep the weight on the bottom for the most part and leave enough slack to let the bait sink on its own weight. Then, when you think the bait is near the bottom lift/twitch the rod just enough to move the bait a little (without moving or minimizing the movement of the weight on the bottom) and repeat. In effect, what you are doing is working a semi-slack line and this is what is imparting action to the bait. No hits? Repeat if you wish, or add a little dead sticking to the mix or, drag your bait to the next spot. All are good choices. The dragging of the weight from one spot to the next also imparts life and action to the lure and can help to draw a strike. In addition, working with the slack and dead sticking have been far more effective for me compared to wiggling and jiggling the bait to death. Not sure what the bait will do? Find some shallow water and drop your bait down. The depth should be one where you can see all the way to the bottom. Once the weight is on the bottom, let your bait fall by lowering your rod. Before the lure hits the bottom, raise the rod's tip enough to bring the lure up, and do your best to keep the weight in place. Watching this will give you an idea of what will likely be happening when you are not able to see the bait with your own eyes. Visualizing what the bait is doing when I can't see it helps me to focus on what I am trying to do, and that is catching fish. Concerned about not being able to feel the bite on this semi-slack line if you are using fluorocarbon or braid? Let me put you at ease. It is not an issue. Either of those lines combined with a sensitive rod is more than adequate to feel the bite when the line has a bit of slack. The Strike or Hit The strike or hit can vary depending on the activity level of the fish, the quality of your set up to a certain extent, and the line you are using. More sensitive rods do a better job of transmitting what is going on to you. I have had the blessing of drop shotting with my Berkley Cherrywood Rod, which is decent and not too shabby, but comparing it to my Lamiglas Certified Pro Drop Shot rod is something else. Here is my analogy: If the Cherrywood rod provides stereo sound to me while watching a DVD movie, the Lamiglas rod gives me the sound in THX, for the full cinema experience. The latter rod is not necessary to enjoy drop shotting, but it makes it a lot easier to feel and detect the subtle strikes. The line you use can also influence the feel of the strike. My experience working with both mono and fluorocarbon is that the latter always seemed to give me a better picture. We all know now that although FC line can have as much or more stretch than a comparable monofilament line, it is likely that its density still enables it to beautifully transmit information from the end of our line, to the rod and to our hands. We all know how well braid transmits data back to the angler too so I don't think I need to elaborate further. The hit or strike can feel like: 1) A mushy tug or tick, which could translate to a complete inhalation of your bait or the fish attacking the lure from the hook's side. 2) A nibble or nibbling, that transmits vibrations through the line to you. Sometimes you can see or feel the line vibrate through your semi-slack line. More sensitive rods tell you this much better and more clearly. I believe when the hit is like this (my best guess anyway as I visualize the strike), it is possible that the fish might have taken the lure from the side opposite the hook and the nibbling/vibrations you feel is the fish taking in the bait into its mouth, eventually getting to the hook. 3) Bam! An aggressive hit and it's on! The Hook Set For one and three, just reeling up the slack and adding enough tension to make the line taut is sufficient for most cases to drive the light wire hook home. For case two, you have to wait until the fish gets to the hook and then do as mentioned above. If you don't, you will pull the lure from the fish's mouth. Since it didn't get to the hook, there is no way the fish can get hooked. I have written this based on the experience I gained from drop shotting. Take it for what it's worth, an opinion at best. I will close by giving you a final warning: WARNING: Drop Shotting is as addictive as it is effective. Good luck and go get'em! -ib (Alexander Arceo) Review of the 2007 Season The Drop Shot technique has been so effective for me even though it is my first season learning and using it. It has accounted for 100% of the smallmouth bass and about 70% of the largemouth bass I have caught this season, and I caught a lot, the most ever!!! And here is the thing that makes this even sweeter. They were all caught from the shore. No, this is not a testament to my skills, but a testament to the effectiveness of the Drop Shot technique.

First, I want to say thanks for the compliments and second, the advice given in this thread is spot on. T-bone, I built mine before I saw them. It would have saved me some time, but at least it was fun to build. 8-) One neat thing about it I found is that during transport in the car, the quiver also prevents the rods from banging against each other.

This is IMHO an excellent bait. It sinks about a foot a second. Cast well past your intended target and count down until it is at the depth you desire. Begin your retrieve. You can crank it back idiot style (ie, retreive it back just by cranking) or mix up your retrieve. This is a great bait to use especially if you know the depth the fish are. It will also work on many species, not just bass. The 9 I believe means it is 9 cm. There are size 5s and 7s that you can also use. Choose colors you know work on the fish in your lake. If not, it doesn't hurt to experiment.

They are a good rod. I also have a compre and a crucial and can tell you things get better as you go up the line, but the Clarus is more than adequate.

You initial thought about spinning gears having lower gear ratios is usually true, but what you do not realize is that you cannot equate this supposed low gear ratio to those from casting reels. Spools on spinning reels can be big and as a result, they can recover more line than a typical casting reel despite their "lower" gear ratio. Take a look at the 2500 Symetre FJ. It a gear ratio of 6.2:1 which is lower that the typical "burner" casting reel, yet it recovers 35" of line, which is more than a burner reel. I like to use both setups for cranks. If the casting reel can toss it, I'd probably use it because of the lower line recovery rate, but on the other side of the coin, spinning rigs cast lighter cranks more easily. Bottom line I think it boils down to personal preference. Cranking with a spinning rig feels more comfortable to me, but I do use both.

I too am shorebound as you, but I have come to learn that carrying more than 4 rods is not worth it. You will also come to learn that maybe two will be used and the others during your stint might never even be touched. I think it was RW that recommends that 3 rods can pretty much cover the gamut for most bass fishing. I agree with his assessment, especially for those who are stuck on the bank like us. All you need to do is figure out which 3-4 presentations are most productive for you on your waters and choose those rods that meet those needs. That is all you have to do. For example: Rigs 1) Spinning rig - to handle finesse and lighter things/topwater 2) Casting reel - jigs and soft plastics 3) Casting, cranks and jerkbaits This is what I would typically carry with me and sometimes a 4th rig. As you can see, there is no flippin' stick. Why?? Because I don't ever face that scenario in my area. This is also to say that you can't have other rods. I do, but I will usually bring only 3-4 depending on which rigs I think might give me my best chances that particular day. You are so right about it being a pain carrying 3 let alone 4 rods. I finally did something about that awhile ago. I created what I call a Rod Quiver. With it, I can easily hold 3 rods in hand and with no trouble to boot. Depending on the shape, you can configure one to hold even more rods. I chose a triangle to hold 3 rods. Other shapes like a hexagon or octagon can be used to hold more. Prop it up on your fishing bag, and your other rods will never touch the ground to ever get dirty or scratched. Here it is in application. I get to hold the 4th rod in the other hand. As I mentioned, depending on the configuration you choose, you can hold more rods. We shorebound folk don't always have to be limited to all in one fo sho'. ;D

x2 x3

You're exactly right. And this is why to me the IPT inches per turn or line recovery rate is more important to me that the gear ratio will ever be. To the subject, I fall in the class that feels more comfortable speeding up since I seem to crank faster more often than not out of habit. With that said, I think it would be better for me to go slower with a higher IPT reel than to speed up with a lower IPT reel. If you think about it, it probably takes more effort and energy to reel quickly than slowly and as a result could incrementally bring on fatigue faster potentially. Just some thinking and I still don't like to reel slowly.

Glenn and Crumb, Thanks! I cannot wait to see this episode. I recall when that was posted last year. It was a brutal front. Unfotrunately, I have only fished from a bass boat for bass once in my life and I am normally shorebound. I have heard of certain spots that produce, but they require a boat. I can tell you where to get them from the shore though in Lake Union.

Use them at your own risk with more expensive lures and if you're fishing from the shore.. After some time, they can pop open when they hit the water (after the cast), and cheaper snap swivels do so for sure. I am speaking from experience. Some baits the action will be affected and others not. One case I might use them is with inline spinners when I'm too lazy or field tesing newly made inline spinners. The loss of an inline spinner is far easier to swallow than a lucky craft.

I like this show too. I am waiting for the one where he came to my back yard, Seattle. I think he had a tough time when he was here and I am not certain he caught any, but it showed how tough it can be here, even with a boat. I hope he caught a few. He should have tried Lake Union fo sho, just a canal away and still in the city.

It might be hard to find in your area, but the Lamiglas Certified Pro Drop Shot Special I or II. It is a spinning rod. Lamiglas is probably among the most underrated rods out there. Give it a shot, or a drop shot. ;D

I use my own homemade inlines. 8-) The catch is definitely sweeter.

Ahh, decisions, decisions, decisions. ;D The used rod does sound enticing, but just one thing you might want to research is whether or not the warranty will be transferrable to you. I think some warranties out there are only good for the original owner. Just a thought. I too have not spent that much on a rod, but when I do, I want to know that I will have a valid warranty. I realize my need to cover all bases can get a bit anal at times.

Work they do, definitely. I bought it when I was a newbie and caught fish. I lost many of the jigs that came with it so they can't be used and I haven't used them since then about 4 seasons back. Raul is right about those other lures that can mimic the swimming away motion.

When tying a palomar is going to be a pain in the fanny to tie and a waste of line for bulky lures, I usually opt for the improved clinch knot or the trilene knot. If it's braid, trilene over the clinch. These are my top 3 knots. Others I know or memorize at home seem to be forgotten once I'm fishing. :-[

I say angler. Jeepers, even an ugly stick is sensitive in my hands.

Absolutely. I too wrote an article on my take on the drop shot and I mention this. As one who is permanently shorebound, I sometimes have to make fairly long casts. I take that factor into account. I also prefer the teardrop shaped weights when possible closely followed by the cylindrical ones. I have ball ones that I haven't gotten around to. Drop shotting is so effective, it's almost not fair. Great job, Fourbizz! 8-)

Lamiglas, one of my favorite rod companies actually has a line of kayak fishing specific rods. Check them out. Good luck! Their Competitor CC664 is a great all around rod with a medium action. Here are the specs: Weight: 3/8 - 1 oz Line: 8-20# Length: 6'6" Action: Fast Ideal for:Senkos, Jigs, Wormin', Cranks, Rippin', Spinnerbaits,Buzzbaits, and Topwater. I have successfully caught with ease and without issue might I add bass and trout with treble based lures as well as single hook lures. Update: Darn. I typed all of that up and forgot about your weight range. I can tell you that it handles 1/4 oz. lures with ease and no problems at all. But 1/8 oz lures, you'll be finaggling your casts to make it work. ;D

Very interesting subject. I too have a soft spot for cranks and the highest price to date for me are a couple of lucky crafts. However, hold on to your wallets folks. Just when you and I thought $25 was steep for crank, the gate is wide open: http://www.tackletour.com/reviewise2009.html Feast and drool, or feast and weep. ;D

You sure are right about the stretch, but ironically that is what I like about it. You get the give of mono at the same time you get much of the data sent to you through the line, even when it is semi-slack. The fc sniper line has caught my eye too. I wouldn't mind trying it on a casting reel.

The fact that it stretches does not mean that it is less sensitive. As I mentioned, the line's density (or specific gravity) is perhaps more of an influence in the sensitivity department vs. how much a line stretches. I have used both lines enough to know that Invizx, despite its mono like characteristics is superior (at least in my hands, and in my hands even an ugly stick is sensitive) to fluoroclear in the sensitivity department. This does not mean that Fluoroclear sucks, because it doesn't. But Invizx is better. Based on my experience and findings I concur 100% with Randall. Given that someone else's hands will differ in the sensitivity department, they might find the converse to be true.

x2 with Raul and Bassnleo. The angler influences accuracy more than the reel. Deadly with either also. Case in point. If I raced Lance Armstrong in a bike race with me on the lightest carbon fiber bicycle out there and he on a 30# huffy, he'd still kick my tail. It wasn't the bike but the engine.