KENTUCKY – Typically, when you hear of the fishing technique “drop shotting” you might think of placing your boat out in 30 feet of water on a clear lake and dropping the bait straight down to a fish you see on your graph. While that is a true assessment, the rig is also extremely good to use in conditions that are the polar opposite.
Some of my best fishing days this past season came while throwing a drop shot rig in shallow stained water, about eight feet or less – just shallow enough that fishing beneath the boat will warrant you an empty livewell and lots of wasted time. In this amount of water, you simply can’t see fish on your depth finder and just drop down to them. In fact, it’s better to just turn your depth sounder off to reduce all the noise beneath the surface as possible. Drop shotting in these conditions means you have to fish it just a little different.
The first thing you’ll want to do is tie on your rig. For this, I fish straight fluorocarbon line but I’m seriously considering switching to braid with a fluorocarbon leader. Line twist is a monster with this technique. With the hooks, I use a Lazer Trokar TK150 1/0 hook. When placing your sinker in the muddy shallow water, I try to keep my leader length around four to five feet long, though you could go shorter or longer depending on the layout of the lake beneath the surface. I also use finesse style drop shot weights in lieu of the round ball weights because they tend to stay cleaner.
For the plastic bait, there are several to choose from. These options may be a touch overwhelming for a newcomer, but remember, it’s just a bass and it’s very easy to over-think a fishing situation. For the most part, I just keep it simple. I typically throw a zoom trick work, nose-hooked. They give off plenty of vibration for the bass to pick up on and the bass tend to like them really well. There are plenty of other baits on the market that do the job, the key is just to find one that works for you.
With the stained water, I will always use a darker color with June Bug being one of my favorites. This will allow the bait to stand out more in the water. Bass can feel for them, but they also use their eyes to hunt. Having something to hone in on visually helps. I use the rule of “multiply by 3″ for how far a bass can see. If I can see one foot beneath the surface, the bass can see three feet away.
Lastly, the presentation. I’ll cast my drop shot much like I would a shaky head, jig or a Texas-rigged plastic. Find a target and throw to it. The best part about this rig is the fact that you can place it near your target and keep it there while giving it action. With this method, the water doesn’t give the bait as much action so a little must be implied. Also, with it being presented laterally rather than vertically, it’s important to keep the bait off the bottom. Give your rod tip some minor twitches on slack line and then lift up until you get tension, move the bait ever so slightly and twitch a little more. You’ll feel the bite when they hit or simply see your line take off.
Next time you are out in some shallow water, don’t be afraid to throw a drop shot. It may just create an exciting day for you.
Filed under: Fishing, Kentucky Country, Outdoors, Uncategorized
