Is there any body of water that you have fished where dropshotting didn't work? If so, describe it. I'm not sure it works where I fish.

Jay-

Doesn't work very well in lots of the lakes around here. Some of them have lots of snot moss that fouls your bait and sinker, some are really shallow and extremely muddy, some have zebra mussels so bad your sinker gets cut off almost every drop. 

I've found that color selection is more important while ds'ing than most other presentations. There are exceptions of course. Some days they will slam any color, but other days bass can be very picky. Just last weekend I fished Burke Lake down in your neck of the woods and the patterns were nothing like the Potomac only 2 miles away, despite similar water color and temp (fish were also deeper and oriented more to depth/structure than cover.) I had to upsize the offering and go to a darker color. Fish started to nail it then. The distance between the bait and weight can also be a factor, though not as important. Are you 100% sure there are fish in the area you're fishing?

 

I should also mention that if you're not using a tungsten ds weight you might be missing more fish than you know. Lead weights are so soft that a strike often feels the same as when the weight is hitting the bottom. A tungsten weight will allow you to feel the difference between when the weight is hitting a rock/log and when a fish is inhaling the bait.

I agree. It probably has to do with the fact that by the very nature and style of the presentation itself, the bass are forced to look at it for a while before they commit to eat it. For this reason, I think you are 100% correct and color really matters a lot. I typically only carry three or four broad colors for any bait. As long as I have a green, a brown/red, and a black/blue/purple for any given color, I'm usually good to go. 

For dropshot worms, I almost always carry at least 6 or 7 colors. As you can imagine, I have never really been one of these guys that asks about what "color" they are hitting. Most of the time, I just try to match it to water clarity or forage and I have done pretty well over the last couple of years. 

With drop shots though, I have gotten into situations where I have thrown a brown and glitter color, only to throw a plain brown with no glitter and have not gotten any bites. I have then thrown a black or blue with no success. I will follow that up with that same original brown and glitter and instantly get a hook up. 

Pretty crazy

I agree. It probably has to do with the fact that by the very nature and style of the presentation itself, the bass are forced to look at it for a while before they commit to eat it. For this reason, I think you are 100% correct and color really matters a lot. I typically only carry three or four broad colors for any bait. As long as I have a green, a brown/red, and a black/blue/purple for any given color, I'm usually good to go. 

For dropshot worms, I almost always carry at least 6 or 7 colors. As you can imagine, I have never really been one of these guys that asks about what "color" they are hitting. Most of the time, I just try to match it to water clarity or forage and I have done pretty well over the last couple of years. 

With drop shots though, I have gotten into situations where I have thrown a brown and glitter color, only to throw a plain brown with no glitter and have not gotten any bites. I have then thrown a black or blue with no success. I will follow that up with that same original brown and glitter and instantly get a hook up. 

Pretty crazy

This pretty much sums it up. I carry at least a dozen colors of dropshot worms, and that is not including flukes or other soft plastics that I will occasionally fish on a ds rig. What you say about the subtle differences in color is spot on. I can't count how many times I've run into this situation.

So I take it that most people think that a drop shot will work at everybody of water?

 

Jay

J, it works.

The only time the Drop shot will not work is, if there are no fish in the lake,pond!

J, it works.

 

LOVE IT!! Too funny.  If ever I get a chance to pre fish I am going to throw only the ds rig all day!

 

Thanks Quanjig!

It's a better option any other time than now (now that they are nice and shallow) not to say you can't make it work shallow, you just have better baits to catch fish with than the droppy!

That's what Carl is throwing.

Jay

I've found that color selection is more important while ds'ing than most other presentations. There are exceptions of course. Some days they will slam any color, but other days bass can be very picky. Just last weekend I fished Burke Lake down in your neck of the woods and the patterns were nothing like the Potomac only 2 miles away, despite similar water color and temp (fish were also deeper and oriented more to depth/structure than cover.) I had to upsize the offering and go to a darker color. Fish started to nail it then. The distance between the bait and weight can also be a factor, though not as important. Are you 100% sure there are fish in the area you're fishing?

I should also mention that if you're not using a tungsten ds weight you might be missing more fish than you know. Lead weights are so soft that a strike often feels the same as when the weight is hitting the bottom. A tungsten weight will allow you to feel the difference between when the weight is hitting a rock/log and when a fish is inhaling the bait.

I'm not sure where your getting the thought that tungsten weights help with bite detection on a dropshot? I understand that theory on a texas rig or other techniques that the weight is infront of the hook, but you have a direct connection to your hook, a bite feels obvious on dropshot. Tungsten may help with identifying bottom structure, but tungsten does not change bite detection on ds.

The only time the Drop shot will not work is, if there are no fish in the lake,pond!

Exactly. I have caught fish on every body of water I have ever fished (at least in the last 10 years) on a drop-shot.

Exactly. I have caught fish on every body of water I have ever fished (at least in the last 10 years) on a drop-shot.

Thanks Ww2Farmer, that is great to know.

Jay

I'm not sure where your getting the thought that tungsten weights help with bite detection on a dropshot? I understand that theory on a texas rig or other techniques that the weight is infront of the hook, but you have a direct connection to your hook, a bite feels obvious on dropshot. Tungsten may help with identifying bottom structure, but tungsten does not change bite detection on ds.

I get it from experience. For lethargic fish who strike softly, tungsten weights have made a huge difference. They are also really useful for identifying bottom structure like you mentioned.

Carl is not throwing a ds

When I saw him he was. A tiny little watermelon straight tail worm!

 

J-

Wasn't a ds, might have been split shot rig.

ds means Drop Shot.

ds means Drop Shot.

Quanjig said it was not a ds. He was not asking. Lol

Jay-

Ok,then! It is all cool!