Dropshot 101

I have been asked several times after events how I seemed to catch fish when everything else seemed to "shut down" on the lake. Now granted I might not have had the biggest limit of the day but when fishing multi-day events catching a limit each day means staying in the race. Well I am about to let you guys in on one of the best tactics I use to catch a limit and stay in the game, dropshotting.



One of the biggest mistakes most anglers make is thinking a dropshot is only for clear, deep, open water. I have fished it in water in less than 3 feet deep all the way to water as deep as 65 feet. One other thing some anglers think is its only a light line tactic using small baits. While this is mostly true, I have used a dropshot type rig with 50 pound braid and 6 inch swimbaits. In this article I am going to let you guys in on a few tactics, equipment, and conditions I have used a dropshot and put fish in the boat when weather systems, fishing pressure, and other things that "kill" a bite seem to hurt alot of anglers.

First off let’s make sure you understand the right equipment for the job. If you’re going to fish clear deep water with a dropshot you need to make sure you have a very good understanding of what your sonar is telling you when you see things on the screen. Now, it does help to have the new "high dollar" units on your boat but it can be done right even with the older black/white screen sonar’s. I do use a big screen unit on the front deck to help me but it's just that a bigger screen and helps a little with detail and these "old eyes" don’t have to strain as much to see it. I feel knowing how to read your sonar is the biggest thing to being successful with the dropshot in deeper water. If you only have $500-$1000 to spend on new stuff for the season don't waste in on the new rods if the ones you have worked, upgrade your sonar. The cash you will win during the year will buy you new rods and reels.

Once you know how to read the electronics you need the right equipment in your hands for the job. When fishing deeper clear water and the fishing pressure is tough get a solid, very sensitive 6'6"-7'0" rod with alot of tip. I personally use a 6'8" Jackall Poison Power Inch Wacky Rod. This rod has a great feel, fits my hands well, and the tip puts an action on the bait that almost begs a fish to eat it. Also having the softer tip helps get a solid hook set and keep the fish on with lighter line in deeper water. One of the biggest mistakes I made when first fishing this tactic was a rod that was too stiff. That caused alot of line breaking and loosing fish. Also if you can use a light reel. This will help with fatigue in your hands and arm if fishing it all day. The line I use is anything from 4-10 pound Lake Fork Fluorocarbon line. I never use anything more than 10 in deep, clear, open water. On Lake Erie I was downsizing to 4 pound line to get more bites off a rock pile in 58 feet of water. Another thing I learned while fishing this up north was from a good friend and great angler, Brian McCarter of Nemesis Bait Company, you don’t need little tiny hooks to catch fish. I had a big problem loosing big smallmouth when they would jump on the dropshot. Brian told me to change to a bigger hook and I cut loosing fish by 80% atleast. I never saw a difference in the amount of bites I would get by upgrading either. I now use 1/0 or 2/0 EWG hooks that are very sharp not the little tiny dropshot hooks you see in the store. Now there are times I will use that tiny hook but it’s not very often.



One of the questions I get almost everyday about a dropshot is the knot I use. I show it on video but I will try to explain it here. Take your line and double it leaving as much as you want for your leader, let’s say 3 feet. Pull out 3 feet of extra and double your line to tie a Palomar knot. Once you have your line then with the hook point facing up take the loop and go from the underside up thru the hook eye. Tie your knot and secure it. Once you have that take the 3 feet of tag line you have left over and place the end from the top of the hook eye down. You then "roll" the knot into the hook eye (this will also help protect it). Now here is the tricky part, depending on the type of structure your fishing either tie an overhand knot in the end and slip on a dropshot weight or use my other trick. That is if you’re fishing stuff like grass or just hard bottoms, I use a bullet style sinker. Take a weight like the Lake Fork Tungsten bullet and slide it up the line letting it go free. Then take an old swivel and tie it on the end. That will keep the weight on but will allow the weight to slide. This will help alot in preventing line twist. Trust me this works well but if your fishing rocks it does get stuck alot.



As far as baits go for deep, clear water stuff I use mainly small stuff. This is something that is very regional though. If I am fishing Southern lakes (Guntersville, Logan Martin, Smith) I will use alot of baits that look like shad or small bottom feeding worms. Baits like the Jackall Crosstail Shad, Flick Shake (4.8), Lake Fork Live Magic Shad in 3.5 or hand pour small worms (3-4 inch). I also will nose hook them depending on cover I am fishing. If I’m in heavy grass I will sometimes Texas rig and skin hook the bait to make it more weedless. If I am fishing northern area lakes I use baits like Craws, Goby, and shad type baits. Some of my best baits up North are baits like the Jackall Crosstail Shad, Nemesis Goby hand pour, Lake Fork 3.5 Live Magic Slug and Zipper hand pour worms.



As for fishing lakes with more cover(grass, rocks, wood, ect) I will sometimes upgrade my equipment. For example I have used a 7'6" heavy Jackall Delta Spec rod with 50 pound braid and a 5/0 EWG hook to catch big spawning Largemouth from trees in Lake Fork. I have also used the same set up with a huge 1oz. weight and a 6 inch Live Magic Shad swimbait to punch matted grass in Fla lakes and Guntersville. One of the first times I ever used a dropshot was in an event on Lake West Point. I had found several bedding fish in practice and on day one of the event boated 3 of them. On day 2 of the event I went to one I need to catch to make the cut and found she was being pounded on by another angler. To be honest I knew I had to have a fish of that size to make it and when he was pulling off the area I asked if he was fishing a bedding fish. He told me he was but she wouldn’t bite and he wasn’t coming back, I could have it. I really think he thought the fish wasn't catchable. Well I went into the fish and soon saw he had set his boat up all wrong to throw at it right. I set up and after 45 mins of nothing I was at a loss. I then tied on my first dropshot, I used a 7'0" med action worm rod and 12 pound test and used old split weighs for a sinker. I placed them about 8 inches below the hook and used a hand pour worm on a 3/0 hook. The bait hit the water a few feet past the bed and as I slowly pulled it into the bed it lasted about 2 seconds. I boated the fish and ended up not only making the cit but making the top ten and later winning the event. The reason I am telling this is to show you to think out of the box and use what each situation calls for. Good friend and touring Pro, Mark Pack of Lake Fork Trophy Lures, taught me the shallow water dropshot with braid. He is one of the best guides on Lake Fork and boated a huge 54+ pound sack using the same tactic with a Lake Fork Live Magic Shad in trees that were submerged.



After you practice some of these and get confidence in using a dropshot it will be a "go-to" tactic for any years to come. I will warn you though; this tactic is very additive when you catch fish on it. Always remember this is only a way to catch fish not the only way to catch them. Use this as a tool, become good at it, and you too will be bringing fish to the scales when alot of other anglers are not. If you have any questions or would like to see these tactics in action give us a call and we will get you on the water to master it. Remember take a kid fishing, have a good time, practice CPR (Catch, Photo, and Release) and stay safe. See you on the water.



God Bless,
Capt. Chris Jackson
Fins-N-Grins
Freshwater Adventures