September 10, 2015 Share

Drop Shot Rigging

Drop shot rigging isn’t just for fishing deep cover. From filming episodes of Lake Commandos, it is apparent that a drop shot works from shallow water beds to the deepest cover. We have shown time and time again the versatility of rigs that anglers have pigeon-holed into specific patterns and situations. Maybe it is time to shake up how you think about the drop shot.

There seems to be this mystique about the drop shot and for no good reason. It is incredibly simple to rig, nearly impossible to fish incorrectly, and works across a variety of situations.

Rigging

A medium-heavy spinning rod/reel combo should be a rule of thumb. Depending on the thickness of cover you may want to change to a baitcasting reel to ensure you have the torque needed to quickly pull fish out of the slop. A medium-heavy rod allows you to feel the bottom while giving you enough backbone to set the hook in deep water.

Fluorocarbon is your best friend when fishing a drop shot. It sinks like a rock and has minimal stretch for excellent hook sets in deep water. We recommend six to eight pound test. Tie a 1/0 circle hook with a Palomar Knot, leaving 16 inches for the tag end. Secure a ¼ oz. drop shot weight to the tag end.

As far as bait, Berkley Gulp!® is absolutely deadly when paired with a drop shot rig. Rigging it “wacky” style produces a ton of action with minimal rod movement allowing you to keep the bait in front of the fish.

Berkley Gulp!® Minnow - Firetiger

Berkley Gulp!® Minnow – Firetiger

Berkley Gulp!® Killer Crawler - Breen Orange

Berkley Gulp!® Killer Crawler – Breen Orange

Berkley Gulp!® Sinking Minnow - Green Pumpkin Pearl

Berkley Gulp!® Sinking Minnow – Green Pumpkin Pearl

Targeting

Using a drop shot to target deep cover for suspended fish is common practice. One often overlooked benefit to this rig is its effectiveness on an undefined weedline. In these instances, a drop shot allows you to get your bait above the weeds. Use your electronics to identify these weedlines. A Carolina rig still works well for well-defined weedlines but, in those instances where weeds gradually recede as you move deeper, a drop shot will consistently put more fish in the boat.

One of the best reasons to fish a drop shot is you can target fish other anglers are overlooking. Fishing shoreline cover around pressured lakes can be tough. Fish become conditioned to baits and popular presentations to the point where they become inactive. Moving to deeper water and fishing undefined weedlines, with a rig that many anglers overlook, can be a recipe for success.

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