I am just going to come out right now: I suck at the Drop Shot Rig. I can catch bass on c-rigs and t-rigs but i have had no luck on the drop shot. Ive tried casting it on points on California Resovoirs in deeper water, no luck. Any advice would be appreciated. Ive been using mostly senkos. Should i use something else. Also, right now I have been fishing a small neighborhood kansas pond that is no deeper than 12-20 feet. Would the drop shot work here(from shore only)?

Thanks

I "discovered" drop shotting this year.   Let me tell you, it is dyn-o-mite!!!!

I suppose there are places where it won't work,  but seeing as how I don't fish rivers or huge impoundments, I have yet to find such a place.

I have NOT had good success with senko's on the drop shot.   I do much better with very soft, thin, finesse worms.

typically a 4" or so straight tail, like a roboworm, or zoom finesse worm are my "go to" baits on the drop shot.

Try to keep the weight as light as possible based on conditions, I use 8lb. flouro but my water is stained.  In gin clear situations you may need to go to six lb.  \

A nice sensitive rod with in a light power with a nice responsive tip is what I find ideal (Loomis BSR 852)

I use an owner #1 or 1/0 octopus or mutu light circle hook.   Do not overwork the bait.  The little worm will dance around nicely just from natural water movement.  a little gentle twitching can keep things interesting.  You don't want to move the weight.  Thats why the soft rod tip works so well with this method.   The bait is up off of the bottom, and given adequate visibility the bass will see it.  Let their curiosity and instinct for an easy meal get them to come to you.

If after a reasonable amount of time, there is no action, then of course move on, but this is a true finesse tactic.

Less is more.

Good luck and have fun

avid.

Good advice from Avid.  A Senko is too bulky for this application, you definitely want a smaller, skinnier worm for this.  Only thing I might suggest is to try using a stand-out hook.  Much easier to tie into and you don't have to dork around getting the hook to stand out at a 90 degree angle.  I'm not sure that you need a special dropshot sinker either.  I've started using a medium size split shot instead.  Some drop shotters use a bell sinker.  This method does work so don't give up.  It's especially nice when you're tired of twitch & pause.  Some times it's nice to just chill and dangle fish for a while.  

I really only fish the drop shot vertically... I really think that's the only way to do it IMO. I like to use ZOOM finesse worms, and hand poured minnows. Keep slack in the line and never move the wieght to work the bait. Only move the wieght to move the locations... keeping slack in the line and just moving the slack gives a great presentation.

All of the above advice is good but don't limit yourself.  I don't care what anyone says but there are no rules for fishing a drop shot.  I don't know of any soft baits that don't work when presented in this fashion.  I have caught plenty of fish using worms that are 8"+ and even full sized brushhogs.  I am not saying that the little baits don't work, they work great.  Just don't get stuck in the same box that everyone else is in.  Experiment.  Also, since you are fishing from the shore, you may want to use a longer leader to make up for the angle of your line on a far cast.  You may have your bait 12" above the sinker but when you make a long cast in water that is less then 10ft, your bait will be much closer to the bottom.  I'm not saying that it is a bad thing, but I do know a guy out here that uses a leader that is 3ft+ when fishing shallow water from shore, and he catches fish.

I am telling you this because if you are Drop shotting, more than likely you are already using the text book skinny worms and light line and being that it isn't working, I suggest you mix it up a bit.  Just my advice, take it for what it is worth.  

Good luck.

DDog11

The drop shot is perfect for bank fishing in lakes and ponds.  I caught 5 nice bass late this afternoon at the neighborhood lake using the dropshot.  This technique was developed I guess for deeper water but bank fishermen can use it to their advantage.  What you get is a longer distance cast with the weight on the end of the line.  Also you drag the setup back towards where you are standing on the bank and the weight kicks up some stuff on the bottom and can attract fish. You will want to experiment with the distance your hook is from the weight as the angle is totally different than if you were sitting in a boat and drop shoting straight down as most do. Since you are on the bank, the angle of your line from the water to you is very severe and if you attach the hook to close to the weight, the worm will be digging in the bottom and can cause hangups and such.  The hook can be farther up to get the worm off the bottom a bit if you like, or if you prefer the worm right on the bottom so be it.   You really need to tie the hook on so it stands out.  Try hooking the worm on wacky style. Works just as well as the other way for me.

I have found that 99% of my daytime strikes are coming between the time the the worm hits the water and settles to the bottom.  During the day I get virtually no strikes on retreive.  At night I am getting better action on the retreive.

May I reccommend that you use a 1/2oz bullet weight on the end with a plastic round bead on the bottom.  The line goes through the small end of the bullet weight, then through the bead then bring the line back up and insert it though again and bring that back up and use a good cinch knot at the small end. That way the small end of the bullet weight pulls through the trash and stuff on the bottom and hangs up much less. The round bead on the bottom keeps the line from making contact with the rim of the large end of the weight and prevents cuts.  I also use a swivel on the end of the rig to help with line twist.  I will make up maybe 5 or 6 rigs before I go so that I can change one out  fast if I lose a weight or lose the entire rig.  You need a good heavy spinning reel and a med/hvy action rod.  A lighter weight surf casting set up is just fine. I have seen some of these setups at the big box stores for as low as $20.  The lighter your line, the further you can cast, but the harder it is to set the hook with so much line out. Guys here have recommended braided line.  The heavier the line, the less distance you get, but you will get better hook sets.  If you let the fish have the worm as long as you can, you will get more gut/gullet hooksets. Fine if you are keeping the fish, but tough on the fish if you are releasing. If releasing, I would bend the barb back to make getting the hook out of the gullet area easier.

I have found that the feel of the fish biting is a couple of short tugs. Drop the rod tip fast and start reeling in and THEN strike sideways.  Don't have any drag on the reel that could cause line to release on the strike. If you don't reel in, you will never get enough of the slack in to set the hook good. Been there and done that too many times.  The drop shot from the bank has worked well for me and is a great technique to add to your fishing arsenal.

Good advice from Avid. A Senko is too bulky for this application, you definitely want a smaller, skinnier worm for this. Only thing I might suggest is to try using a stand-out hook. Much easier to tie into and you don't have to dork around getting the hook to stand out at a 90 degree angle. I'm not sure that you need a special dropshot sinker either. I've started using a medium size split shot instead. Some drop shotters use a bell sinker. This method does work so don't give up. It's especially nice when you're tired of twitch & pause. Some times it's nice to just chill and dangle fish for a while.

The senkos in the 3" size (thinner than the fatter 5 inchers) kick fanny for the drop shot. to the contrary.  I know because I have caught a lot of bass with them when my typical finesse type worms as descirbed by Avid aren't t working for me.

In addition, Avid's tip on how to work the bait has been the major source of my success this year. Drop shotting is not exclusive to a wiggle and jiggle it to death action. I think that this is where newbies perceive to be the main way to work it and hence a probable cause to limited success. While the latter can work, I can say that the vast majority of hook ups have come from the former mixed in with a little bit of bead sticking.

Don't get me wrong because I love fishing with baits that float such as the roboworm and my awesome sniper snubs. However, with that said, one big plus of the smaller senkos vs. the baits that float is that they sink. Because they sink it is much easier to work my slack line and seems to be more enticing to more active bass. The floating worm while also excellent will suspend even on the slack line and it doesn't sink too much if at all.  With a sinking bait I know it is falling and a slight move to the side or raise of the tip is all I need to do.

I love to experiment with drop shotting. I have added a rattle to the weight to fish it in murkier, less clear water at times and I won't hestiate to try any plastic that has a chance.  Baby brush hogs, tubes, and senkos have all worked for me in addition to the typical drop shot worm.

A good sensitive rod does help and so does using the lightest line you can get away with based on the cover faced.  A Lamiglas Certified Pro Rod, 6# Seaguar Invizx mated to a Size 20 Rapala 6Sxi spinning reel is a Bass Nailin', Drop Shot machine.  

Just don't give up.  Take it  from an angler who can attribute to over 40 bass caught on the drop shot in a number of outings that can be counted with two hands, and from the shore to boot. Largemotuh and Smallmouth have succumbed the most, but so have trout, squaw, (a local trout looking fish), trout, and even perch! This is not to brag on my part, but to illustrate the effectiveness of the Drop Shot technique, even from the bank and for a variety of fish. Now go get 'em!

 

The senkos in the 3" size (thinner than the fatter 5 inchers) kick fanny for the drop shot. to the contrary.  I know because I have caught a lot of bass with them when my typical finesse type worms as descirbed by Avid aren't t working for me.

 

I like the 4 or 5 inch thins. They work great for me about 18 inches above the weight.

Denn,

I'll have to give those pups a try. I also like the 18" placement as my starting length when working it via a long cast.

love the info guys!

im definetly gonna try a lot of this stuff out and try the drop shot a little more

I'm the exact opposite of Avid. The only time I use a dropshot is in heavy vegitation or in excessivly deep water. For both applications, I'm using big weights, big line, and big tackle. The bait selection stays small and slender, but I do beef up everything else. I'm not much on small weighted presentations.

Nothing wrong with that style. I do it too. There is one person I know who calls it "alpha male" drop shotting and we've heard the term power shotting. The latter seems to cliche to me so I dubbed the term Alpha Shot to denote non-finessing drop shot fishing (ie, heavier weights and possibly bigger baits).  ;D

The only problem with the thin senko is, bluegills and perch take the tails off. >