Take a shot with drop-shot rigs
Like any hot tactic that survives flash-in-the-pan status to become a staple method, the application of drop-shot rigging has experienced an evolution. What better place to develop such refinements than in the west, where the under shot first became popular
The drop-shot rig employs a sinker at the end of the line with the hook tied some distance above the sinker, thus keeping the bait up off the bottom.
Though the following refinements were created by western anglers, they work just fine on our waters.
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Lindner’s California Power Shot: California angler Troy Lindner splits his time between competitive bass fishing and an active physical fitness business (www.fit4fishing.com).When the bite gets tough on waters like the California Delta, Lindner often turns to a tactic he calls power shotting.Lindner says California Delta bass can become shy of traditional flippin’ baits from overexposure, a mood he recognizes when the fish just nip at the tail of a jig. A drop-shot bait often will persuade such finicky bass to bite.“It’s a tactic I use most often along the outside edge of the weeds, much of which are tullies,” he explained. “When I’ve worked a section of weedline with a flippin’ bait once or twice and experience those short strikes, I make another pass with the power shot.”The delivery system for Linder’s approach is 30-pound test Suffix 832 superline, a braid that does a great job of cutting through the tough weeds. To this he ties a 4-foot Suffix fluorocarbon leader.A quarter- or three-sixteenth ounce drop-shot weight is used to anchor things down. His bait of choice often is a Trigger X Flutter Worm, as the black-blue fleck pattern has shown to be productive on the Delta.Using a spinning outfit, Lindner makes short pitch casts, hitting likely targets along the outside edge of the vegetation. He uses either a 6-foot, 8-inch or a 7-foot medium heavy-power, fast-tipped spinning rod.“I like the sensitivity of the spinning rod for this tactic, and I like to keep the drag locked down pretty solid,” he said. “After I have the bass out of the heavy cover, I back-reel if I need to give up some line.”•
Ritter’s Inside Out, Early Spring Drop-Shotting: Air Force fighter pilot Larry Ritter is equally at home in the cockpit of his fishing boat and an F-16. When he takes a break from helping to defend our freedom, he’s often on the waters of Arizona’s Lake Pleasant or Alamo Lake.When bass are holding deeper, Ritter often does best by employing a tactic that involves fishing from deep to shallow.“Typically at this time of year (January and February), the water temperature will be around 55 degrees and bass will be holding in deeper water, from 25 down to 40 feet,” he noted. “I like to target such depths along main lake points by running the boat near shore and working a drop-shot rig up along the structure.”Positioning the boat near the bank, Ritter lobs casts out to the depths, moving his position as necessary to hit both sides of the point, as well as the main ridge.Likely due to the difference in presentation appearance, including angles fish aren’t so accustomed to seeing, Ritter has more success than when working the bait from the more traditional shallow-to-deep.Using a St. Croix Mojo Bass drop-shot spinning rod, Ritter fishes either a Roboworm or Yum Ribbontail worm. Weights are Folkestad Special drop-shot weights from three-eighths to one-half of an ounce. A number 2 Owner Mosquito hook nose-hooks the finesse worm; he keeps the hook-to-sinker length from 4 to 18 inches, the goal being to hover the bait just above the rocks.Jeff Knapp is an outdoors columnist for the Butler Eagle.
