Dropshot Rod

[zelmo]

I really haven't gotten into dropshot fishing and want to add it to my arsenal. I hope someone can answer a few questions so I fully understand what is needed.

Why is it that most use a spinning setup for dropshot? I realize that not all do, but I would bet that if we ran a poll most do. When watching shows I can't remember ever seeing one of the pros using a casting rod for this. Does it have something to do with the guides being on the bottom of the rod? I have some sweet BFS set ups that are baitcasting. Why spinning here?

Also, why the focus on light rods? While the baits used are typically small, theoretically you could put any weight at the bottom and make it work. I do remember on one of the shows (Major League Fishing?) that someone did use a MH spinning setup.

[John G]

The answer that I have read when this question is asked is because it's much easier to open a bail and let your line fall to the bottom than deal with a possible backlash with a baitcaster. Aaron Martens uses spinning and I have seen him cast out and work it back to the boat. I want to get into Dropshotting but I fish from the bank so I will be casting and I am going to use one of my BFS combos.

There is no written rule that I know of that says you have to use a light power rod. There is a form of Dropshot called bubba Dropshot where you are use stronger rods, line and heavier weight.

[dhottle]

The answer that I have read when this question is asked is because it's much easier to open a bail and let your line fall to the bottom than deal with a possible backlash with a baitcaster. Aaron Martens uses spinning and I have seen him cast out and work it back to the boat. I want to get into Dropshotting but I fish from the bank so I will be casting and I am going to use one of my BFS combos.

There is no written rule that I know of that says you have to use a light power rod. There is a form of Dropshot called bubba Dropshot where you are use stronger rods, line and heavier weight.

The drop happens faster with a spinning reel without any drama like suggested by John G. The other consideration regarding the rod is sensitivty of the rod & the ability to feel the bite without the fish dropping the bait before you get a hookset. Since most guys drop shot with lighter weights under a 1/2 ounce lighter rods are the norm.

[toddmc]

You will lose a lot of fish at the boat or at the shore on light wire hooks if your line or rod is too heavy. The light wire hooks will open up enough to lose their grip. This is the main thing to avoid. There are quite a few pros in the West that I have fished with in pro-ams over the last two decades that fish baitcasting gear with the dropshot to avoid line twist.
You have to go with a lighter baitcasting rod to cast the standard 3/16oz. dropshot rig. It is tough to be real accurate with baitcasting gear and longer leaders.
You can also cast farther with today's spinning reels. This really helps when you need to stay away from the fish in clear water. I regularly cast over 40 yards with 10lb. braid, a 3/16 oz. weight, 8" leader, a 2500 size Daiwa spinning reel, and a 6'10 ML rod.

[masterbass]

For deeper water vertical presentations I prefer spinning gear for the ease of opening the bail. I also prefer the combination of light drag and higher ipt spinning reels to keep the fish pinned on light wire hooks and light line.

[Hobie-Wan Kenobi]

Holding the rod at its balancing point is easier on a spinning rod. I can hold the rod with a few fingers at the balance point and it allows me to feel the most subtle bites. I cast my dropshot and work it back to the boat slowly vs just dropping it over the side of the boat.

[darrin]

Bass don't often thump a drop shotted lure (at least for me) in deep water. When I'm shaking the bait, sometimes the only indication of a bite is the rod tip suddenly starts to load up. A heavier rod wouldn't do that and I suspect the fish would drop the bait. Then there is the fact that I like to drop shot with 4lb fluoro...Now if I'm drop shotting shallow water (like in the delta), I do beef up a bit, but the rod still has a softer tip and is still on the medium light side. As for the reel, you can use either one, but with a bait caster, I have to feed out line manually after the sinker hits the water, so that the rig doesn't start to pendulum back towards me. I want the rig to fall straight (hopefully) to the bottom. This lets me cover a lot more of the area, as I often do a lot of drop swimming, too.

[Dink Dawg]

Drop shot is just a technique where the weight is positioned below the hook. It can be a little as two inches and as much as three feet. The spectrum of weights, line sizes , hook sizes and bait sizes is generally dictated by each situation. I have fished for bottom fish such as ling cod in the ocean and used a drop shot with a one ounce weight, 4/0 hook and eight inch grub on a casting rod. I have also fished in 40 feet of water that was extremely clear with four pound test line a size 2 fine wire hook and a a small three inch bait, 3/16 weight for smallmouth. This was on a 2 power spinning rod.

When you assess what the conditions you will be fishing are, bait size, hook size, line size and weight size, the selection of rod will make more sense. Drop shotting is most effective in clear water with smaller baits and where fish feed by sight so light line is most often used. That translates to spinning gear as the set up found to be most effective. Spinning, as others mentioned, has a number of positives when you drop shot. It's the most comfortable and effective set up for me. Hope this helps with your questions.

There's a saying for smallmouth anglers in my region, " find them with crankbaits and catch them with plastics." The drop shot can be the ticket.

[DavidSA]

I don't get an opportunity to DS much and when I do I normally don't do it I'm not sure why but I think it has to do with me not liking spinning gear; which is best for this application. Over the fall, I fixed up a DS rig using baitcasting. I still need to put line on the rig which will be 6#fc.

One of the things I worked on is perfect balance of the rig. A DS rig requires almost perfect balance because you are sensing the lightest of weight change on the end of your line.

[falcon]

If you want to take it serious you need a spinning setup. Its the most effective and consistant way of fishing the drop shot. I prefer a ML rod 7'6 for casting and 7' or less for vertical fishing. Braid to a fluoro leader.

[21farms]

to me, it's all about ease of use and balance. believe me, i hate spinning gear but, for dropshotting, i feel it is a must-have. i find that i can't impart fine wiggles while palming a baitcaster nor as rapidly as with spinning rod/reel. also, i'm always fighting the torque of the reel and guides on top of the rod wanting to rotate downward due to gravity whereas a spinning reel is already hanging naturally below the rod.

[toobinator]

I do take it seriously and I use a baitcaster. Have tried spinning set-ups and the baitcaster just feels better in my hand. I use a Loomis NRX 852C (my favorite blank) with a Shimano Aldebaron, spooled with 20 lb Super Slick and a fluoro leader. It simply boils down to personal preference. I agree that most use spinning, but this setup works for me.

[Fishing4Fun]

I am no "expert" on dropshotting but I would say I do it more than 99% of the guys that I know. It is a top 3 technique for me along with jigs and weightless plastics. Having fished dropshots on both casting and spinning gear I prefer spinning 99% of the time.

With casting gear you eliminate line twist and add in the "fun factor" of using finesse oriented casting gear. That is it IMO. What you lose is the ability to present a dropshot vertically. What I am referring to is when you just literally drop the bait right off the front of the boat and your watching your electronics rather than casting the rig. Try doing this with a casting reel and basically you are pulling line out until you feel like your bait hits the bottom. Using a spinning setup simply release the bail and wait for the line to stop spooling off. Also I don't care for the drags of casting reels in this application. Spinning reels like Stradics have such smooth drags that it keep adequate pressure on the fish without ripping the hook out.

The power of the rod should be picked according to several factors. Take into account the drop shot weight, the cover present if any, and also the size of the fish encountered. I use anything from a light powered K2 spinning rod to a Medium XF original Cumara 7'2 spinning rod and several rods in between.

If you plan on getting into dropshotting more and want a dedicated outfit there a lot of nice technique specific rods that will be great as well as many reel and line options. If you need help with how to set this rig up, baits to use, leaders, etc. I would be happy to help in whatever way I can.

[saoulons]

I use both spinning and baitcasting for drop shotting.

My pros for spinning:

• Use very light line (e.g., 5 or 6 lbs test) and I trust the drag on my spinning gear better
  I like holding my DS rod forward of the reel with a finger on the line to detect faint bites
  I like opening the bail to let out line

With that being said, I can accomplish similar effects / feel with a baitcast set up but it feels much more natural to me with a spinning set up.

[MaxZmus]

Spinning gear allows the lure to drop down more efficiently. With casting reels, you have to constantly strip line off your reel manually in order for the lure to go straight down. Also you don't have to have super expensive bfs casting gear to cast the lighter weights.