so the drop-shot is the way to go?

[bigjim]

not having tried it personally.. hopefully later today/tomarrow for sure. for the first time.. went and got the correct hooks to use for rigging it

but from what i can gather after reading all the posts here and everywhere else across the net. seems like the sure fire rig for a variety of conditions especially when the bass aren't hitting much else on the water?
thats the impression im under. and since the bass havent been hitting much in my area due to drastic weather changes, im up to try anything to land more fish at this point..
is there a downside to this rig? cause if theres is, i havent read anything

[CMorg]

Originally Posted by bigjim

not having tried it personally.. hopefully later today/tomarrow for sure. for the first time.. went and got the correct hooks to use for rigging it

but from what i can gather after reading all the posts here and everywhere else across the net. seems like the sure fire rig for a variety of conditions especially when the bass aren't hitting much else on the water?
thats the impression im under. and since the bass havent been hitting much in my area due to drastic weather changes, im up to try anything to land more fish at this point..
is there a downside to this rig? cause if theres is, i havent read anything

I cant help ya here , but your right about the weather !

[BigBassin144]

I haven't found a downside yet. I've only been fishing it since this spring though. with some dark clouds and a cold front moving in last night, I went fishing for about an hour. The fish hit the DS on about every other cast. Good luck.

BB

[bigjim]

cool cant wait... if i was trying a new lake or large pond like this 1 i found near my house and not really sure what it holds as far as fish, this rig will find 'em? from what i know of this pond, nobodys really fished it seriously in probably over 5 yrs. so ive heard. and by the looks of it i could imagine some really nice large bass living in there, ive kind of been on a mission to work this pond & hoping the dropshot will be the key...

[BigBassin144]

The dropshot isn't the best lure for covering water to find fish. It's better for picking the off once you've found them. Since you're supposed to fish it in place and not move it a lot, it's innefective for covering lots of water. but then again, you could drag it across the bottom, it's not the "correct" way to do it, but I do it, and it works.

BB

[JerseyFisher]

The only downside could be if that your lake has a lot of structure like rocks and fallen trees you could potentially get hung up a lot.

X2 on dragging it BigBassin, It can be effective a times when you want to cover more water.

I wouldnt start out with it on a new body of water though, try a crank or spinner to locate them then toss in the DS, but if there not active (because of the weather you mentioned) and going after the cranks and spinners stick with the DS the whole time.

[bigjim]

i tried it tonite with ZERO luck! not even so much as a hit. somewhat disappointing but now im even more determined..i need to get in the habit of changing colors and worms when one style isnt working for me. i throw spinners alot too, but this summer i was getting more into the plastic worms more than yrs past, because i have been having ok luck recently throwin a T-rigged worm weightless.. gonna have to get more into throwin crankbaits as well.
I have to get some deeper divers though cause all i have are 2 ft runners

[cassidyta]

Like any other technique, there are times when the DS is very effective and times when it is not the best choice. I personally do not throw it as much as some, but I do use it in cases where other baits just are not working. I will use it on ledges or the edges of heavy grasses when I know that the bass are there. I think DS takes a patience that I have not mastered.

[islandbass]

The only downside is not using it. You are just going to have to find out for yourself. We can tell you this and that until the cows come home and it still won't make nothing to you until you give it a go. You will then wonder why you ever waited to so long to try it. I am going to be posting something here really soon that will give you an idea of its effectiveness, but to paraphrase cass's post, drop shotting, as good as it is, is not a panacea. No technique is.

[Mac2]

I tried several plastic worms for DS and have found the following to work the best concerning action when twitched. The Zoom C tail worm outperforms all that I tried for total body action. It's a small diameter finesse worm, not very long, and is very flexible.
It literally dances on the twitch. It's motion is outstanding. I use black and green pumpkin so far with good results.

Also, the pencil shaped weights hang less than the round dropshot weights. If you want a great read about dropshotting, go to nybass.com and find the thread about being a DS "Newbe"....then scroll down to the post by Rich Z and click on the first line of print, it's a link....after reading, be sure to click on the last link in the article for more information. Rich Zaleski is an avid outdoor fisherman and writer. Excellent article. When you are done there, go to Lunkerville.com, click on "shows" and watch the two videos called "Chico and the Man, Parts one and two..." These feature Rich fishing the DS.

You may not want to do the following, but something I do to save money. I ordered a hundred of the drop shot clips from Barlows.com and instead of using drop shot weights, I use plain splitshot. I tie the clip to the end of my line using the round eye for the knot. I let the elongated clip hang downward. I then put a piece of line through the clip and draw it down tight....on the other end of this line I clamp on a splitshot really tight. Now, if the weight hangs, the line slips out of the clip and I lose a splitshot, not a more expensive DS weight. If I run across some of the quarter ounce pencil weights I will buy a few to try out, but for the meantime, mine work very well.

Hope this helps, Mac

[bigjim]

thanks for the info Mac2: ive checked out the links & videos you mentioned. good stuff..
I'll have much more faith in it once i catch something, and more confident im doing everything right

[kennsandy]

my 2 cents. my fishing partner and i just started drop shotting about 3 weeks ago. it does take some time to get the feel of what the hits are like, and which ones are the line draggin up weeds, or bumping structure. it has definitely fit in with our arsenal though. i am very glad to now know how to use this technique.

far as equipment we have used, the pencil weights have been great and not given us a reason to try anything else. 4 inch robo-worms have been the best results for us also, typically in red. just started getting a few with blue and smoke.

this is definitely the place to get some insite on whatever you want to try. we have quite the array of fishing geniuses in their own way. any questions we have ever had have been solved thru the friends we have made on this site. big props out to all those helpful fishing pals, and you know who you are.

[bigjim]

thanks Kennsandy,, i hear what your saying as far as getting a feel for it. quite different , im also going to have to try those robo-worms, your not the 1st person i heard say those work really well for this type rig..

[EastTexas]

After Church I went kayak fishing with a DS Rig...

Just wait till it wraps around your rod tip & guides and you have to cut it out like I did today!!!

I just made a cast & everything was fine untill the next cast... Another reason why I love 2-piece rods 8(

Landed only one small bass & lost several others. Since it has be around 100 in East Texas, I work very hard for every fish I catch...

[islandbass]

Originally Posted by bigjim

thanks Kennsandy,, i hear what your saying as far as getting a feel for it. quite different , im also going to have to try those robo-worms, your not the 1st person i heard say those work really well for this type rig..

oh boy, robo worms. Place your bets right now! Step right up, that's right step right up. I will wager a floating rapala minnow that with big jim sees the amazing action of a robo worm, he will want to bite it.

big jim,

the action of a robo worm is that good. it would make you want to bite on it. Use any of the 4.5" worms as a starting point size wise for your bait.

[Stew]

Originally Posted by bigjim

from what i know of this pond, nobodys really fished it seriously in probably over 5 yrs. so ive heard. and by the looks of it i could imagine some really nice large bass living in there...

If it were me, bigjim, I'd start out throwing my confidence lure (for me, spinnerbaits) in a situation like that; then, venture from it afterward.

[bigjim]

AHHHH ! Finally! nabbed me a decent 2lb LMB using this technique.. i was starting to worry a bit.LOL but now the pressure is off and i can focus on mastering this technique. getting that first one is the hardest..
Q: so is having a fish on, but feeling like your snagged the deal here? cause that's what it felt like, didnt feel like the typical strike im used too, cause i didnt feel it at all ! thought i was freeing it from a snag and the S.O.B took off. took me by surprise thats for sure

[BigBassin144]

Not always, but that is sometimes the case. The last time I fished it at a local revervoir, I'd cast it out, let it sink to the bottom, and as soon as I started to bring in the slack, thump-thump. Hooked into two on my first to casts, but lost the second one. But that's how all my bites where that night.

I guess it's like a jig, sometimes, they'll hit it hard, and others you won't even know you got a fish.

The only other thing I could think of is that you're not fishing with sensitive enough gear to detect those light bites. What rod/reel/line setup you fishing it with?

BB

[cassidyta]

I think that drop shot strikes are often the most subtle of hits. I have heard it described like snagging a sponge. DS is one technique where I always have my fingertip touching the line to feel for light bites.

[bigjim]

spinning set-up. w/ 8lb flurocarbon line on 6-1/2 ft rod... i think im having too much slack in the line possibly, but im trying to keep the line as tight as possible w/ moving the weight too much, so im still working on getting a feel for this.

[JerseyFisher]

I have found the bites on the DS to be different between largemouth and smallmouth. At my lake house in NY most of the fish I catch are smallmouth and they tend to give the DS bait a "tap tap" that you can definitely feel. When I fish at home it is mostly for largemouth and all the largies I've caught I could barely feel the hit, sometimes its just the slightest of tension in the line. Idk it could just be me but I've found the difference interesting.

[BigBassin144]

What brand an model rod is it? Since you're using fluoro, I doubt you're missing the bites, so they're probably just really light. Can you feel the bottom as you drag the weight along? The differences in bottom composition?

I use a 7'2" M Shimano Crucial DS rod, with 10lb braid and a 6-8lb fluoro leader. I can feel when I'm in gravel, weeds, rocks, etc and tell the difference pretty good.

BB

[bigjim]

[QUOTE=bigjim;259238]hey BigBassin. the rod is an uglystick med. action. i can def. feel the bottom when im draggin,
ive always done faster type baits, spinners & buzzbaits ect. so doing this slower presentation type stuff and using weights and leaders is a big change, at least for me..
OR.(and this is a big OR) im doing everything right, but since the fishing in general in my area has been so bad lately.( for alot of people besides just me. from what ive been hearing) and not catching as many, makes me think im doing something wrong..HMM, whataya Think!? i gotta put the blame somewhere dont I? it cant be me!!.LOL

def. appreciate all the help though from you and everyone else who have probably discussed this same topic umpteen times till your blue in the face..LOL

[BigBassin144]

I think the rod may have a lot to do with not feeling light bights so well. Cause ugly sticks ain't the most sensitive rods. If you can, try to upgrage to better rod.

If you're on a small budget, I'd recommend a Shimano Clarus rod. If you're like me and save your money to buy one or two more expensive rods/reels per year, then check out the Shimano Crucial DS rods. Like I said, it's what I use and with braid or fluorocarbon, they're extremely sensitive.

BB

[bigjim]

thanks for the tip Buddy, unfortunately a new rod will have to wait till next yr, i just bought this rod about 2 weeks ago to replace a broken rod and when i bought it didnt plan on getting into DS. but ill look around and if the price is right ill just get another 1 specifically for DS'ing