I recently fished a private lake that had a muck bottom. Anything TX rigged was a waste of time. I had never thrown a drop shot before but it made sense for this lake. So I tied it up and immediately started catching fish. The problem was the mess I got back after every fish. My leader end (around 8 in) would be wrapped around everything, and in some cases I had to cut it off and start over. I see there are drop shot hooks with swivels. Are they the answer to this problem?

19 minutes ago, Big Swimbait said:

I recently fished a private lake that had a muck bottom. Anything TX rigged was a waste of time. I had never thrown a drop shot before but it made sense for this lake. So I tied it up and immediately started catching fish. The problem was the mess I got back after every fish. My leader end (around 8 in) would be wrapped around everything, and in some cases I had to cut it off and start over. I see there are drop shot hooks with swivels. Are they the answer to this problem?

They are what I use and I rarely bring back a twisted mess after fighting a fish. It happens on occasion but very rare for me.

I use the VMC spin shot #2 hook most often.

Try this. Run your main line the a black micro barrel swivel. Tie your hook to your leader material of choice leaving ample length above and below the hook. Tie your rigged leader to the swivel and add your cylinder style weight at 12 to 18 inches below the hook. Your hook choice will depend on the bottom composition. A nose hook may work but you might want to rig a Robo Rebarb straight shank hook Texas rigged. Just be aware that your swivel doesn’t pass through the tip. This works well for me.

Owner Cover Shot is The Hook.

The keeper on the Rebarb is a conspiracy by Roboworm to sell more Roboworms.

I've got a better idea.

Scrap the approach altogether and try something that won't bore you to death.

1 hour ago, stk44 said:

I use the VMC spin shot #2 hook most often.

Either this or the Gamakatsu Swivel Shot....

1 hour ago, gim said:

Scrap the approach altogether and try something that won't bore you do death.

Don't listen to the nay-sayer....he just doesn't have any patience for true finesse fishing.

11 hours ago, gim said:

I've got a better idea.

Scrap the approach altogether and try something that won't bore you to death.

I bet your nightmare scenario would be someone drop shotting rockbass lol

The swivel hooks help with line twist, especially with the longer “Texas rig” type hooks. But generally speaking fish will still effectively mangle your dropper during the fight and have it twisted every which way. It also seems like the smaller the fish, the more of a mess it makes.

I’ve started using a little heavier fluoro for a leader (12 lb Blue Label), and it is pretty easy to get undone. Unclip the weight and pull it straight from the knot end. I’ve also found that a shorter/fatter weight like the Owner down shot or the old cannonballs won’t get quite as tied up as the cylindrical type.

12 hours ago, gim said:

I've got a better idea.

Scrap the approach altogether and try something that won't bore you to death.

Try as I may I cannot get into drop shotting. I feel like I'm sitting there with a cane pole again. My brother can tear 'em up with a DS. My hats off to anyone that has the patience for it. JMHO.

11 hours ago, MN Fisher said:

Either this or the Gamakatsu Swivel Shot....

Don't listen to the nay-sayer....he just doesn't have any patience for true finesse fishing.

I'll be the first to admit I do not have the patience for it. It's a fault of mine and my hats off to those that can. I know it's a tried and proven method.

1 hour ago, JonB2 said:

I bet your nightmare scenario would be someone drop shotting rockbass lol

1 hour ago, VTFan said:

Try as I may I cannot get into drop shotting. I feel like I'm sitting there with a cane pole again. My brother can tear 'em up with a DS. My hats off to anyone that has the patience for it. JMHO.

I'll be the first to admit I do not have the patience for it. It's a fault of mine and my hats off to those that can. I know it's a tried and proven method.

I'm sure you could do Drop Swimming without too much hardship.

It's just like fishing a swimbait...except with a drop shot to keep the bait at a specific level above the bottom.

@RRocket I've wacky rigged a 4" senko on a drop shot and twitch-twitch drop fished it and had success. You can also just drag it along like a c rig and it'll work. I think a lot see it as the initial method which was light-line vertical fishing. You can ALWAYS go against the grain on any method, that's for sure.

Thanks for the tips.

One of my favorite tricks is rigging a small swimbait (Basstrix 2.5 is my preferred) on a dropshot with a 10”-12” dropper, and casting it out over sandy flats then just winding it in like a crankbait.

The bites are absolutely brutal doing this. Picked up a lot of smallmouths on the Parker Strip doing this.

7 hours ago, JonB2 said:

@RRocket I've wacky rigged a 4" senko on a drop shot and twitch-twitch drop fished it and had success. You can also just drag it along like a c rig and it'll work. I think a lot see it as the initial method which was light-line vertical fishing. You can ALWAYS go against the grain on any method, that's for sure.

One of my best producers was a Flick Shake worm in Cola wacky rigged on dropshot.