The drop-shot rig, which incorporates a hook tied above the sinker, has realized great success in bass fishing circles. But the rig also is effective on walleyes, both on lakes that contain green submergent weeds and on major rivers.

Frank Scalish makes his living bass fishing, but the Cleveland-based pro angler pursues a variety of species. When he's targeting walleyes on lakes that contain beds of submerged vegetation, he commonly relies on the drop-shot rig. He looks for rock ledges that extend off the outside edge of the weeds to drop his bait.

Scalish's lure choices are simple: a 3-inch Yum Dinger or a 4-inch Yum Houdini Worm. Color preferences are watermelon, green pumpkin purple, or Mardi Gras.

He prefers a round sinker to a mojo style, admitting that though the round shot might gather more weeds, it transmits bottom feel better. For the same reason, he uses the harder tungsten weights.

In Scalish's mind, the key ingredient in the drop-shot presentation is the ability to show walleyes a bait off the bottom. Being flexible in regards to the spacing issue is critical.

"Sometimes they want the bait 6 to 10 inches away from the sinker," he said. "At other times they want it 3 feet away. I've found that walleyes feed up, so it's better to have a bait just above them than just below.

He added that if you can see fish on your locator and you're not getting a bite it's time to begin lengthening hook-to-sinker distance.

Pro walleye angler Keith Eshbaugh of Washington, Pa., plies the impounded rivers of Western Pennsylvania with a variety of presentations, including drop shots. In a watery world where jigs reign, Eshbaugh has found a niche for the drop-shot rig.

According to Eshbaugh, when baitfish stack up on man-made structures, such as bridge piers and barge pilings, drop shots can be the best way to catch the walleyes keying in on the forage.

Since bait tends to suspend along the sides of these structures, a jig fished along the bottom will miss the walleyes feeding there, unless the fish happens to take the jig on the fall. A drop shot is ideal for presenting the bait at or just above walleye level.

Jeff Knapp is an outdoors columnist for the Butler Eagle.