POWER dropshotting

[tditox4]

Has anyone tried it yet? If so , what line, hook and bait are you using? I rigged one 7'6" heavy bc rod , 50 pound braid , a 4/0 VMC powershot spinshot hook with a RI sweet beaver, 12 inch 10 pound cheapie line mono dropper line tied to a 1/4 ounce pencil type dropshot weight. This is my starter rig......have not had a chance to throw it yet. I will be fishing it in water maximum 12 feet deep for starters.

[tditox4]

W O W !!!..... nobody power dropshots !.... hard to believe.

[TFOUR]

I think a lot of guys that use it call it Bubba Shotting at least in FL, I haven't tried it but I know guys that are successful at. If you search Bubba Shot you will find more articles on the inter webs.

[toddmc]

We do a lot of dropshotting using 6" and 7" straight tail Roboworms with casting tackle in the West. Aaron Martens won the Elite on the CA Delta a few years ago doing this. There was some footage of Chris Zaldain doing it on one of the Elite stops this year. Both were spring events. The heavier line is better in cover and dirty water.
I just got back from Clearlake and the CA Delta where this technique is popular. I throw the Roboworms on 10lb. fluoro with a shorter leader because the bigger worms cast better on the shorter leaders. Unlike the spring, I look for bait balls in the summer. I think the slightly bigger worm stands out in the small shad. This seems like it produces more and bigger fish. The water this summer on Clearlake has been really green and stained with algae. This gives you no reason to throw 6lb. line and spinning tackle unless you can't fish casting tackle.
I am a skirted bait specialist and I would break out the heavier dropshot in the afternoon once my skirted reaction bait bite would slow. I could find a ball of shad the size of a house on some main lake points and wear them out on the power dropshot. My first six casts on a fresh ball of bait would often never reach the bottom the fishing was so fast and furious.
I was on the CA Delta the last two days and I threw the power dropshot on hydrilla lines. I caught about 40 fish a day with no problem, but the quality wasn't there with the straight tail worms. A little bulkier creature bait or craw worked better for the quality on the Delta. I step the line up to 15 to 20lb. fluoro with the creature baits. This works great with a short 4" leader.

[RB 77]

I do it all the time out here on the West Coast in salt water. The primary local 1/2 day charter uses a variation of it called "Dropper Looping" which is the same principal with a "dropper Loop' Knot that let the "live" bait "swim" more freely. I use what a proper "power" or "Bubba" shot rig is in our salt water bays all the time. Mostly because I need the extra weight 1/2-1 oz weight with 20 lb. test. The heavier weight helps with the current and tidal fluctuation. A go to setup at times. In our reservoirs it would be overkill quite a bit of the time although I certainly have fished it effectively when called for.

[hoohoorjoo]

I do this regularly. 30# braid with 15# mono drop leader, 4/0 offset worm hook and usually a 6" Zoom lizard or 4" beaver-type bait. I just tie a normal bullet weight on with a double overhand knot. It slips with steady pressure when the weight snags and it's cheaper than drop shot weights. Works great here, since there's a lot of stained to dirty water.

[BassTrap316]

I do this regularly. 30# braid with 15# mono drop leader, 4/0 offset worm hook and usually a 6" Zoom lizard 4" beaver-type bait. I just tie a normal bullet weight on with a double overhand knot. It slips with steady pressure when the weight snags and it's cheaper than drop shot weights. Works great here, since there's a lot of stained to dirty water.

Sounds like an interesting tactic. What kind of area do you fish the rig? Deep, shallow, rocks, weeds?

[hoohoorjoo]

I do this regularly. 30# braid with 15# mono drop leader, 4/0 offset worm hook and usually a 6" Zoom lizard 4" beaver-type bait. I just tie a normal bullet weight on with a double overhand knot. It slips with steady pressure when the weight snags and it's cheaper than drop shot weights. Works great here, since there's a lot of stained to dirty water.

Sounds like an interesting tactic. What kind of area do you fish the rig? Deep, shallow, rocks, weeds?

Yes to all of the above. At times, it is all I do. Laydowns, riprap, grass lines. The only place it is impractical is heavy weeds. And I've even pitched it into holes in hydrilla with a short 4-6" leader.

[mark poulson]

I moved up to the CA Delta in 2015, and joined a bass club. The guys there turned me onto this technique.
I power drop shot with 20 lb fluoro, a 4" drop, and a 1/2 to 1 oz. sinker. I pitch it into tulles and weeds, so I actually tie the sinker on with a clinch knot, because, with 20 lb fluoro, I can rip it out if need be, and the 4" drop cuts way down on both line wrapping around stuff, and fish hitting the sinker instead of the bait on the drop.
I use anything from a 4" senko to a 7" fat Robo worm.

[Brad in Texas]

The rigging Mark mentions is a killer alternative to the more normal approach to punching mats where a large pegged nose weight leads the plastic bait down. With the drop shot version, the weight clears the hole out, drags the plastic down shortly after it.

Ideally, but not always very likely, one would be best to fish this on a large 4000 spinning reel, not a baitcaster. The reason is the spinning reel will allow the angler to penetrate the mats with as little sinker weight as possible. Less sinker weight = more bites.

The 'why' behind this is owing to a spinning reel dropping the rig on a totally loose line. A baitcast operator has to feather line off the reel after it hits the mat top (else line management issues could occur) and this just isn't fast enough . . . so the line hangs up and delays the drop a bit rubbing down the side of the hole opening it has penetrated. An analogy: dropping rope straight down to lower someone off the side of a cliff versus backing away a dozen feet and and throwing the rope over the edge (friction). So, you need a heavier sinker for baitcasters to make sure you penetrate.

At least a few anglers drop shot vertically in open water once they spot suspended bass at certain times of the year. I have never done this but it seems a really good way to shake something in their faces if you have good electronics and can sit on top of them.

Lots of versions of a fine technique!

Brad