Anytime I ask someone, "how do you fish a dropshot" I get a different answer, technique, or method.  Very few I think are wrong, they all have application and that persons works it that way for a reason, so I am curious to how you work the DS.

Since I bank fish, and I am very rarely vertical jigging with it,  I am a big believer in fish like the falling bait.  So Ill cast out, reel in just enough that I have a bow in the line and just wait.  After about 3-15sec I will pop the rod up, reel in slack and do it all over again.  The point being to allow that bait to slowly sink to the bottom.  I also like to mix up my hooks, I really like using a neko hook, and threading my bait on like a plastic swim bait, the weight of the larger hook causes the bait to sink even, and I think that presents better because of the slower sink.  

Gim can attest to it being a killer technique for rock bass 

Just kidding, I can't help you with this as I use it mostly on a reservoir that is clear.

Vertically in over 20' of water in a kayak.

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Sometimes I basically drag it like a Texas rig, other times I give it some significant pops as with a free rig, sometimes I cast it out and shake it in place. I will start with dragging it and adjust from there. 
 

On open flats and really clear water, I will cast it out into the wind, then just hold slack and let the boat drift. With a 3” reaper or small minnow this is deadly. You can simulate this off the bank by just slowly reeling it in with your rod tip around 10:00. 

Slow drag and pause, sometimes a little pop if I encounter a rock or grass. I feel like less is more with the dropshot and I've noticed a roboworm really goes ballistic with even the slightest input.

Very slow drag.

1/8 weight 12" below bait.

I use a slow drag. If you let it sit on my lakes, it will eventually get snagged. So for me, a tungsten cylinder weight is a must usually 1/4oz. I also use left over fluorocarbon to tie on my weights and I like braid to leader.  Down side to this technique is getting hung up or breaking off. Even though I pre-tie my weights, I hate setting up a new hook and weight. My favorite bait is still a Berkley Max Scent Flat Worm.

 

It is effective though.  I caught three on it while kayak fishing yesterday. 

I have had great success finding a bank that is not very shallow, only about 8 feet deep, and using my trolling motor to gain some speed, then just coasting out to deeper water with the dropshot behind. Caught 4 in a row one time with this method.

The first really nice rod I purchased was for drop shotting.

 

I was a big fan of Aaron Martens and I enjoyed watching him drop shot for smallmouth on Lake St Claire.

 

However, I've never drop shotted in my life.

 

Never got around to it and it became my ned rig rod.

 

It's definitely something I need to try.

Cast or drop next to boat. Let sink to bottom. Let it sit. Shake it here and there. Drag it a little. Reel up and repeat. 

6'8 Medium/Fast rod

8lb fireline to 8lb flouro leader

1/4 oz tungsten teardrop

size 1 vmc redline finesse neko hook or size 1 vmc redline dropshot hook 

 

If throwing a robo worm I use the neko if throwing a minnow style or GLF drop worm I throw the small hook

 

I cast it out and let it fall to the bottom and slowly drag the bait forward using the rod while reeling up slack line

 

If I suspect a bite I reel down and lift up for a hookset

 

 

It really depends on how I'm fishing one.  I've been dropshotting a lot this year due to the gin clear lake I've been fishing alot.   

 

1.  Cast out and let it sink to the bottom.  Engage reel and tighten line.  Then I will let it sit there for a little bit.(varries on time).  Then drag it a little and let it sit.  repeat.

 

2.  Drop striaght down to the bottom right in the fishes face and let sit and maybe twitch just a little.  

 

I have found less movement with the rod is better.  I dont seem to catch fish on it when I add action.

 

 

 

 

I am primarily a bank fisherman currently. I cast it out there, let it set, dance the rod tip a bit, drag it 3-6 feet and repeat.

Bank fishing - cast it out, make the line semi-taunt. Your natural inability to remain perfectly still gives it enough action. Wait a bit, drag or hop it a foot or so....rinse and repeat back to shore.

I'll shake and hop a straight tail or drag and swim a curly tail.

I do what MN Fisher mentioned above. 

 

I tend to texas rig and throw it around and through grass a lot where I live. I like a light weight when fishing from shore, usually a 1/8 oz weight (I use heavier when fishing in a boat/kayak, depending on the depth), then I will use a 1/0 Cover Shot hook with a 4.5" fat roboworm 90% of the time. Usually an 8" - 20" leader, depending on the time of year and height of the weeds I'm fishing in.

 

I'll cast it out and let it sink to the bottom, then slowly drag it back in on a semi-taut line so I can maintain constant contact with the weight. After a drag, I'll pause it for a few seconds, then drag it again. If the water is really hot, I'll jerk it after the pause every once in a while during the retrieve to try to get a reaction strike out of it.

 

Some people really don't like throwing a dropshot because it's boring to them, but catching fish is never boring to me, and it HAMMERS 'em, especially when scoping offshore grass and structure. 

12 hours ago, TheBaitMonkey said:

I do what MN Fisher mentioned above. 

 

I tend to texas rig and throw it around and through grass a lot where I live. I like a light weight when fishing from shore, usually a 1/8 oz weight (I use heavier when fishing in a boat/kayak, depending on the depth), then I will use a 1/0 Cover Shot hook with a 4.5" fat roboworm 90% of the time. Usually an 8" - 20" leader, depending on the time of year and height of the weeds I'm fishing in.

 

I'll cast it out and let it sink to the bottom, then slowly drag it back in on a semi-taut line so I can maintain constant contact with the weight. After a drag, I'll pause it for a few seconds, then drag it again. If the water is really hot, I'll jerk it after the pause every once in a while during the retrieve to try to get a reaction strike out of it.

 

Some people really don't like throwing a dropshot because it's boring to them, but catching fish is never boring to me, and it HAMMERS 'em, especially when scoping offshore grass and structure. 

I feel like this is a somewhat under used technique . i like the option of having that worm hover up near the top of the grass just above their head.

Pretty much my favorite technique. Ok it's not and I like frogs, magdrafts and walking baits BUT there are some days when I want to like actually catch fish and none of those seem to work...so here goes the current drop shot setup...everything from the rod down to how to retrieve it:

 

Rod

St Croix Legend Xtreme 610mlxf

 

Reel 

2500 vanford fa

 

Line

15-20lb sufix 832 braid...tried the high viz stuff and honestly not much of a difference for me...suppose this is where an expensive rod that is sensitive comes in

 

Leader

Sunline FC leader...have tried a bunch and I like this one

 

OH NO A LEADER What About the Leader Knot??

improved alberto straight from a thread in this forum

 

Knot For the Hook

Palomar (although I prefer a uni for most everything else)

 

Hook

2/0 Gamakatsu G-Finesse Hybrid Worm Hook...maybe a cover shot from owner but I like this one better just trust me

 

Plastics

6" roboworm (no fat ones just the regular roboworm in margarita mutilator, tequila sunrise or oxblood red flake)

Yamamoto Sensei (og junebug or redbug)

4" NetBait BaitFuel Twitch (pick a color)

^ the netbait is for when they don't want a worm but usually a worm works.

 

Weight

1/4 or 3/8oz depending on the depth and either a cylinder or a tear drop...if I'm around grass (which I almost always am) it's going to be a cylinder.

 

Retrieve

Literally the smallest hops you can do instead of dragging for me since the bottom usually sucks around here and reel it back as slow as you can while keeping tension on the line. If you look at your lures underwater and actually understand how they look when you retrieve them a certain way and prefer a different way fine but this is what has worked best for me.

 

One note on the line / leader...I'm in central Texas...there's usually a bunch of crap in the water and the fish can get pretty big so I go with larger line out of necessity...having said that the only thing I'd do differently out of everything I just said would be the line diameter if I could and basically the idea is you want as small as you can get away with without breaking off (and it takes some trial and error to figure this out nobody can really tell you unless you fish the same gear and tackle at the same spot then maybe that might actually line up).