I wanted to know how everyone here feels about the drop shot (especially being from the Northeast),  when they like to use it,  what baits they like to rig it with,  and any special techniques you may use.

I believe the drop shot is one of THE most important rigs. It's also very VERSATILE,  yep,  versatile. It's time to dispell the rumors and stereotypes of drop shotting. "It's only for pressured/cold-front situations"  and "It's only effective in deep,  clear water" and "It should only be fished on spinning outfits with light line and small baits"---ALL FALSE. These are all true in their own ways. It is very effective in all those ways,  but now it's finally being recognized as more versatile (i.e. article about shallow water/heavy cover "hawg shotting" with big baits in May's Bassmaster magazine). I use the drop shot almost every time I go out. Fishing a "hawgshot" in shallow,  heavy cover water is an amazingly effective technique. It stays above the bottom weeds, you can shake it for painfully long periods of time in front of the fishes face. You can hold it and shake it right next to a good piece of structure for as long as your heart desires. Fish are not used to seeing a craw hovering in front of their face with no weight on it. You can allow the bait to fall and rise as many times as you want without even moving it closer to you. I was skeptical at first but it has really changed my fishing.

Two weeks ago I was fishing a very heavily covered pond here on Cape Cod and I was pitching a t-rigged Strike King Rage tail craw. I was getting some bites but not nearly as many as I wanted. I decided to try the "hawg shot" i had been reading about and it was unbelievable. I saw fish just sit and stare at it while I shook it til they just could NOT stand it anymore and finally they'd inhale it. My buddy stuck w/ the t-rig with the exact same bait as me (Rage tail craw in watermelon/rdflke) and I outfished him 17 to 7. Not to mention the fish I caught were a lot larger. I've fished it almost every day since then and had GREAT luck with it. Needless to say my buddy is now fishing it too.

Dont get me wrong,  I am not trying to say this is THE rig or that it's the only rig you need or anything crazy like that. There is still plenty of situations where there is much better baits to throw than this. But it is highly effective and just shows that you cannot follow the "rules" of bass fishing techniques. Try anything,  no matter how crazy it may seem because that's how techniques get created.

I'd like to hear what people think about this and traditional drop shotting and if anyone has tried it and had as awesome an experience as I've been having.

Love it in the summer open water and cover

in heavy cover I have alot of success with 20lb floro and rig a 3" senko weedless

When fish are active in an area I throw it with 1-2 split shot on it and bass hit it on the fall.  its too easy

Anyone use the wiggle rig?