Best dropshot rig...in the world?

[joeyblackwood]

I'll admit it here: I hate dropshot fishing with a passion. Just something about the odd rod twitchin' and lack of covering water feels like a waste of time and drives me crazy and the smallish fish I catch using this style make it all not worthwhile to me. But it may be I've never had a proper rig for it. I loathed senko fishing the same but after getting a rod specialized for it, I fish it much more and now it's my go to besides the fluke. So what rig, Rod and reel size, do u find ideal for this technique or What's the best you've ever used personally?

[smalljaw]

The water I fish isn't deep, 20' to 25' is the deepest but most of the time it will be within 15' or less. I say this because those fishing the great lakes and area with clear water that are fishing 35'+ will prefer a different set up. For me a 7' ML-F fills the bill because I want a little more versatility as I don't drop shot enough for a dedicated set up for single use. The thing is it has to be a true medium light, there are a lot that are more medium power feeling, the rod has to have a soft enough tip for drop shot fishing, but not too soft that it can't be used for other finesse tactics.

[goldrod]

I think the question is so subjective that no one can answer it. Casting vs. Spinning etc.. as opposed to the most expensive or the cheapest, both questions will have definitive answers. Some think that you have to use light line and reels but thats not fact and the technique is being modified daily.

The tech excels in my view when its cold and fish are deep or not relating to one particular thing. I would start with a relatively expensive setup, i like casting personally but still have the spinning stand by..

[DavidSA]

I feel so much like the original post it not funny. the only difference being that instead of thinking best rig, maybe I think I just don't like spinning gear which would have to be 9 to 1 preferred equipment. You could give me a steez spinning reel and NRX 852 spinning and I still might not pick it up.

[Bassineric93]

I think it depends on what area of the country we are from. I catch a ton of fish on a drop shot and 6 pound test here in Michigan. I would have zero confidence using a casting rod and a big worm or lizard. I caught my first smallmouth on a NED rig and it went 4-9. Finesse rigs don't always catch little fish. Other than using the Johnny Morris 7'2" drop shot rod any 7' medium fast or extra fast will do.

[Brad in Texas]

A drop shot or down shot simply means a weight on the bottom of the line, a hook somewhere above it. That it is a favorite for finesse applications with light lines and small hooks doesn't mean it can't be fished "upsized."

One of the contributors over on the Texas Fishing Forum recommends a .75 oz. weight with a larger hook that he uses in lieu of penetrating mats with heavy jigs.

The weight leads the way down . . . opening up a path for the hook and plastic to shoot through. He recommended rather vertical drops as the preferred method but short casts up to 10 or so feet, too.

You'll certainly feel the fish a lot sooner on this rig than a really heavy jig.

One other thing. You can rig a drop shot so that the weight is only down a fraction of its normal 6" and up off the weight. You can place it so close that it emulates a T-Rig except, again, you'll feel the fish more directly since there isn't a weight between you and it.

riveratackle.net is a good source for really big drop shot hooks and if you ask him, he'll put a line pinch clip down off the hook for attaching a separate piece of line for the weight. Use a weaker line down from this clip to the weight and if it snags up (that is where it usually does on drop shots), you save the hook and can be back in business in a matter of a minute or less after reattaching a new piece of line and a weight.

Brad

[oops]

I feel so much like the original post it not funny. the only difference being that instead of thinking best rig, maybe I think I just don't like spinning gear which would have to be 9 to 1 preferred equipment. You could give me a steez spinning reel and NRX 852 spinning and I still might not pick it up.

I think there are a lot of us like this. I often think about getting an NRX 852s or the drop shot rod or shaky head rod or whatever, then pretty quickly regain my sanity and remember that I haven't regularly voluntarily used a spinning setup outside of ultralight gear for panfish in probably 5 years. I own respectable spinning setups but I just never want to use any of the techniques that I see as spinning specific, and thus, never use the gear. I made a similar comment in a similar thread somewhat recently...once the fishing gets tough enough that I think dropshot is the best way for me to catch fish...I go home.

I understand the difference between the many spinning rods available as far as sensitivity and power and action required for certain techniques...but I frankly don't understand the difference between a mid end pricewise spinning reel, a Sustain, and a Stella when it comes to performance on the water. With casting reels, I feel like the difference between a $180 reel and a $300+ reel is typically quite clear, but I don't fully understand what I am paying for with spinning equipment. Or maybe since I don't care for spinning gear, I just can't properly appreciate what I am getting as the price of ownership increases.

Sorry to sort of hijack your thread OP, but I just always come into threads like this halfway hoping that I will read something that makes me want to invest into dropshot/spinning gear, but I usually just seem to think "thank god I'm not the only one that feels this way".

[joeyblackwood]

OK, so I'm not alone in loathing dropshot. I do own a NRX 852 spin as my only top of the line spinning setup but I don't like it for dropshot. The tip is too stiff and I end up moving the rig instead of jiggling it. It works awesome for senko and flukes though but those two techniques work on many rod and reel setups.

I also like the 852 for shakyhead which I guess justifies having it as I find that is the most finesse I usually go when the bite is tough and just as u, I'd rather go home than dropshot. The discontinued GLX 852 spin is what helped me appreciate and have the patience for the drop action of a senko.

I upgraded to NRX 852 because the GLX was almost too specific and when senko wasn't working it became a dead weight to carry around. I do miss that classic glx852 hookup rate for senkos though. I honestly don't think I missed a single senko fish on it. Can't say the same for any other rod, even my NRX but I do love it's versatility.

I'm considering getting an older (more affordable and easy to resell) glx dropshot rod first and see if it sells me on the technique the way the classic GLX 852 did for the senko. Then maybe upgrade to NRX down the line if I suddenly find the technique something I enjoy.

[DavidSA]

My BSR852 glx does indeed have a Senko on it when I go to fishing in Kentucky. My boat is in Florida right now and I fish the same senko on 4power baitcasting rod in Florida. At one time when I first tried the DS, I used this rod. For as rare as I fished the DS, was likely fine. For a purest, tip too stiff.

Along the way I found a rod I felt was very good for the DS. It is a Fenwick Smallmouth series 6'9 ML Fast action rod. Though it rarely comes out of the rod locker, it is a great action and sensitivity and the rod delivered was a whopping $100. I have Fuego reels on both my spinning rods. I'm sure I could have spent $500 on this DS rod, but I don't think I would have gotten a materially better rod for this technique. Sometimes rods were just built for a purpose regardless of cost.

I'd also like to note the comment from Michigan. My view of the DS would be completely different if I fished big Smallie lakes and lots of Open water.

[jmb27]

I'll admit it here: I hate dropshot fishing with a passion. Just something about the odd rod twitchin' and lack of covering water feels like a waste of time and drives me crazy and the smallish fish I catch using this style make it all not worthwhile to me. But it may be I've never had a proper rig for it. I loathed senko fishing the same but after getting a rod specialized for it, I fish it much more and now it's my go to besides the fluke. So what rig, Rod and reel size, do u find ideal for this technique or What's the best you've ever used personally?

The best is obviously subjective. I use an NRX 822s DSR with a Stella FE 2500, usually spooled with 7 lb. test. The sensitivity of the NRX really comes into play when you can feel the different contours of the lake bottom. In addition, the hook up rate is fantastic and 98% of the fish are hooked in the top of the mouth. I've also used the rod for other finesse techniques like flick shake worms and the NED rig with success. I always have a finesse combo with me.

Yep, it's an expensive combo. However, I don't miss the gear that was sitting on the shelf that I sold to buy it.

[cndbasshunter]

As much as I like my new HH Id say my nrx 852 and Stella Fi is the best I've used.

[Brad in Texas]

Part of the spinning versus casting gear issue is what our basic fishing preferences lead us to using.

I along with several of my friends prefer finesse fishing, this over, say, endless casting out of spinnerbaits or crankbaits.

So, anyway, I see spinning tackle as advantageous for: drop shots, split shots, T-rigs at least up to modest sizes, smaller C-Rigs, Ned Rigs, shooting docks, accuracy casting, spybaits, smaller and lighter jigs/crankbaits, etc.

And fishing into a head wind or a quartering wind, too, with no backlashes.

And, there is absolutely no doubt that spinning tackle has had a great resurgence of interest on the professional bass fishing circuits. I suppose Aaron Martens and a few others have had a lot to do with this . . . just as KVD had everyone really interested in power fishing techniques . . . making endless casts all day long, power fishing.

Agreed, for sure, that there is a little bit more tightness of range from good to great on spinning reels. I'd just say that if you have never used a Stella Ci4+ in a 2500 or higher size, that you likely haven't experienced about 99% of all a spinning reel can offer, at least in 2016. We'll see innovations occur moving forward over the years.

I,too, wonder if spinning tackle popularity is diminished a bit by bad habits on proper usage we picked up as kids. There is a "best" technique to using this tackle; and, once these elements are learned, it sure makes for a fun day on the water.

Speaking again about "going large" with spinning tackle, here is a good article to read.

Brad


http://www.flwfishing.com/tips/2014-04- ... inning-rod

[joeyblackwood]

Very interesting article.

[darrin]

Where do you intend to fish you drop shot? No where in the rule book says you have to fish light rods and light line Drop shot is also not limited to shaking in one spot. I often shake it in one spot then "swim" it a few feet, shake again and repeat. I've caught lots of fish doing this (on the shake and on the swim) and I cover lots of water. When I fish in the Delta, I like to use my DX 763 and 12lb fluoro to drop shot a zoom trick worm and 6' lizards (I also sometimes will upgrade to a DX 744 with 15lb line in heavier cover). I've caught quite a few 3lb and 4lbers on it. IMHO, its just a different way to present a lure. You can use it anywhere. If I remember, before the 22.5 fish was caught at Lake Biwa, the Japan record for LMB was caught on a drop shot (it was an Optimum twin tail plastic). You just have to build confidence in it. As for tackle, spinning or casting is all the same to me. If you use casting, just remember to peel out more line after you cast, otherwise the weight will pendulum back towards you instead of falling straight (at least straightish) to the bottom. Good luck and happy drop shotting!

[wiel0059]

This is great thread - great question darrin!

I'm a Northern Angler, so w/ the Drop Shot I target smallmouth 99% of the time in very clear water. For this reason, I'm a spinning rod guy. For this application, I've found the reel to be less important, so long as the drag works well. My current reel is a Pflueger Supreme (an older version) - been using it for 3 years and have never had a problem. I use 10 lb braid mainline with 6-8 lb fluoro leader depending on water clarity.

I've tried 5 or 6 different rods for drop shotting over the past 3 years to try and find something I really liked. Last summer I switched to a Muse Gold from 13 and I'm set now. I use the 7'2 ML Moderation Action. I personally prefer a moderate action for my drop shot rod after trying a bunch. This rod is darn near perfect IMO and after 3 months of use toward the second half of last year I'm finally done looking for a drop shot rod. I think they designed these with Walleye anglers in mind, but they are very good finesse bass rods as well.