Aright, so I have a few questions to ask about this drop shot method.  I have my second ever tournament on the Ohio river next Saturday.  I just purchased a new Premier spinning reel and Villain rod, and I am really wanting to take it with me, but I haven't really seen too many videos on this technique on a river.  Maybe I'm looking at the wrong videos?? We stay very close to the bank and mainly behind parked barges.  What length do I put the weight from the bait and the bait from the small swivel above? Being that I am going to be in less than 10ft of water 90% of the time, would I make the line shorter to the weight? 6 inches?  Any advice would help and I thank you in advance!

 

 

 

because of current heard dropshotting not very effective in rivers...try in back creeks and embayments

Fishing in rivers look for still water on the edge of moving water like back washes. This edge of the slower current and the faster current is where the bass will sit there ambushing anything that comes by. There are also slow current areas too away from the main moving channels. Fish this slower moving water. Cast under or along the parked barges too they make good cover. I would set the drop shot 8" to 12" off the bottom.

find current seams or areas of slack water behind riffle areas river bends. work them slow through there. it is very easy to over work casting a DS bait in a river. the smallest amount of current will do most of the work for you. moving the bait along the bottom  and barely twitching it in place is all that is needed. you just need to find active fish and they will bite it. it is a "dink" magnet though from what i've found in rivers but can still catch some nice ones. a twelve inch leader is a good starting place.

It's mostly something I do in the winter and I'm usually chasing walleyes and pike when I do it but drop shotting on a river can be very effective for bass.  For me the challenge is staying in touch with the bottom when there is wind and current.  In slack water you can get by with a 3/8 ounce weight but out in the main channel in deeper water you'll need double that or more.  I just try to equalize the boat with the current speed and drift down with it, lifting and dropping my rod to ensure bottom contact.  In slack water I might drop anchor if I know I'm on fish.  12" is a good starter for distance between weight and hook.  One thing is for sure, when you hook a fish on your third lift in the middle of January on the Nebraska/South Dakota border, you will always have a spinning rod rigged with a drop shot in the boat!

Drop shotting in a river system is very effective. The key to that (or any other) presentation, becomes an issue of boat control. You've heard me espouse this many times before, but if you do not know how to "slip" a river current, you are missing out on some great jig and drop shot action. This method of boat control allows your presentation to stay in the stike zone, regardless of the speed of the current. And it also allows that presention to be made without excessive sinker/jig weight. Learned this from Dan Gapan's books many, many years ago. It flat works!

I just try to equalize the boat with the current speed and drift down with it, lifting and dropping my rod to ensure bottom contact.

 

 

That's EXACTLY what I do in heavy current, such as the Niagara River or the St. Lawrence.   Lift and drop, lift and drop.   It's almost a vertical drag because you can feel the weight thumping along the bottom in the rockier sections, even though it is straight down.

Thanks a lot for the advice.  We were on the river last month and I guess it was the barges breaking the current, but there didn't seem to be much of one (from the looks on top).  From the results I saw, a two pounder is doing great.  I need five 12 or 13 inchers and I will be doing awesome!!