Hey guys.  This year I want to start to learn how to use a drop shot rig.  It was suggested to me from a good freind.  I am going to be fishing the near by resivor.  The average depth is about 20' to 50'.

So I picked up a pack of weights. I wanted to hear from you guys till I bougth  more tackle.  

I would like to know.  How far should the weigth be from the bait.  How much action do i give the bait when fishing it?  What baits are best for DS rigs?  I buy at *** so I can get almost anything.   What type of structure and depth is this best effective in?

Sharkbite,

Actually, anything goes with a drop shot rig.

Weights - enough weight to keep it on the bottom.

Hooks - any from as small as a #6 gold, long shank to a 3/0. Weedless hooks if you are fishing cover or structure.

Baits - any plastics.  Worms, lizards, creatures, tubes, Senkos, etc.

Line - 4 pound to 8 pound fluorocarbon

Height of Hook from Weight - Experiment!  Where are the fish holding?  Sometimes you can go 12 inches while other times you need to go 24 inches.

Techniques - Drop it straight down to the bottom; throw it to the shore and reel back; throw into cover or structure.

Knot - Palomar to tie on hook. Be sure to run line back through eye of hook to get hook to stand straight out.

A drop shot rig is a great presentation and you can fish it in many, many ways.

So don't limit yourself to what you read about the technique.  Try it "out of the box" and see what happens.

Now, with all that said, I fish it on 8 pound Yo-Zuri line (Ultra Soft if possible); use a #1 straight hook; add an *** six-inch worm as it has a fantastic wiggle; add MegaStrike to the worm; and a drop shot bell weight to keep bait on the bottom.

The weight of the drop shot bell depends on the depth, current and type of bottom.

If you want a "less costly" weight, use a regular lead bullet head weight and tie it to the bottom of your line with an "O" ring at the tip.  

It will not break off but you will be able to fish it under the majority of situations.

The fun of the drop shot is that you can do all sorts of things so don't be bashful.  The crazier the better.      

Use the search bar on the top part of this page.  We have had numerous threads regarding drops shots in the past month.  A few members have  taken lots of time to right "Short Novels" about drop shotting.  Just my .02 cents

Ok Thanx so much guys I already got alot of info about it.  I am going to read more.  

So do I need to use a spinning set up or will a BC set up do?

I found this to be extremely helpful... you may also:

http://www.bassresource.com/bass_fishing_forums/YaBB.pl?num=1232519669

Ok Thanx so much guys I already got alot of info about it. I am going to read more.

So do I need to use a spinning set up or will a BC set up do?

I would go with a spinning setup as this is more of a "Finesse" Tactic.  Usually small line, small hook, small bait, and small weight is involved therfore a spinning setup can handle this better.

Spinner set up.

Im lerning this tatic as well - I use my Spinning combo for it.

The drop shot is NOT a tactic, its a terminal rig, and can be fished on any gear, with any plastic.  To limit yourself to using light line/spinning gear is a mistake.  Tie up a 5/0 EWG, and a 3/4 oz. weight, put a 10" worm on the hook on 65# braid, and chuck the rig into the pads.  Wait, move tip slightly, set hook, reel in slob.

if u found the bass to be suspended far off the bottom, could you still use this technique? Would you just not let the weight hit the bottom if you did use it?

The drop shot is NOT a tactic, its a terminal rig, and can be fished on any gear, with any plastic. To limit yourself to using light line/spinning gear is a mistake. Tie up a 5/0 EWG, and a 3/4 oz. weight, put a 10" worm on the hook on 65# braid, and chuck the rig into the pads. Wait, move tip slightly, set hook, reel in slob.

Dude that works?  So i can just throw together a rig without buying all the D/S tackle?

The drop shot is NOT a tactic, its a terminal rig, and can be fished on any gear, with any plastic.  To limit yourself to using light line/spinning gear is a mistake.  Tie up a 5/0 EWG, and a 3/4 oz. weight, put a 10" worm on the hook on 65# braid, and chuck the rig into the pads.  Wait, move tip slightly, set hook, reel in slob.

Dude that works?  So i can just throw together a rig without buying all the D/S tackle?

If you want to fish finesse style baits, then I highly recommend a rod in 6'6-7' range, and MED/X-Fast power action.  If you want to experiment with bigger stuff, use a rig appropriate for the cover.  I have a Kistler 6'9" "Dropshot Special" that I use for light DS, flick-shake, light standup and shaky jigs, and split shot/Mojo rigs.

The drop shot rig solves a few problems when fishing.  

Do you hate waiting for a Senko to get down to 15+ FOW water, where the fish are?  Use a DS rig with a 3-4' drop line to speed past the upper unproductive water.  

Tired of your tubes and beavers betting tore up by zebra mussels, and your line getting nicked?  Use a DS rig to keep the business end of your presentation just out of trouble.  

Ever thought that if you could just keep your plastic worm or creature in that weed pocket just a little longer, you could get that big girl?  Use a DS rig to pin it in the hole.

Ever wanted to "suspend" your finesse worm 20' down in 40 FOW on the fringe of a huge baitball with actively feeding bass?  Use a DS rig, and set your electronics to narrow beam to "fish in the cone" like an ice fisherman.

There are lots of applications, not all necessarily require a special rod.