Progressive Drop-shotting
By Scott Bonnema
Tuning and tinkering is as much for the angler as the fish.
There’s satisfaction in fashioning the perfect presentation and pattern for a
particular place. You file through fifty versions of essentially the same
plastic, looking for just the right amalgamation of tones, size, and shape.
This attention to detail, in part, spawned the drop-shot rig, a brainchild of
the 70’s. The ultra-finesse tactic earned some ink and
employment, too, but essentially flew under the bass fishing radar. That
was until a motivated crowd of Japanese anglers resurrected
this the American
invention and used it stateside, winning crowns and cash in major tournaments.
Years later, drop-shotting remains a must-have arrow in the quiver. Nothing is
more realistic in look and performance. Nothing out-fishes a drop-shot in
cold-front conditions, either.
I do have a contention, though. It’s the pigeonholing. Drop-shot rigs have
become stereotyped, used only in restricted conditions; worse yet, rigged
without imagination – carbon copies of one another.
The stigma is lifted, however, when related tactics are brought into the barn –
and, if all goes well, fused into a hybrid. For example, back in the early 80’s,
while residing in California, I inadvertently flirted with drop-shotting.
Reservoirs were on the menu – clear water with limited vegetation and
fluctuating water levels. There were spotted bass and smallies, both plentiful,
but highly suspicious of gaudy baits and clumsy presentations.
My answer was a small plastic worm – 3 or 4 inches
long – presented on a modest #1 worm hook. In pursuit of slyness, I weighted the
rig with single split-shot pinched approximately 20 inches up the main line, 8
to 10 pound monofilament.
It was deadly. Despite its outward innocence and primitiveness, the split-shot
rig was a bass slayer. I’d cast, let it hit the bottom on a semi-taut line, drag
it on a straight line, and pause every so often letting the worm lie motionless.
Respites, however, were often interrupted by the line going tight-wire, spraying
water, and hightailing off to the left or right. Even eagle-eyed reservoir bass
have a blind spot when it comes to supple and fragile worms.
My Pacific Coast-grown technique plays in today’s ponds, too, regardless of
geography. I use it with equal success in my present home-range, the Midwest.
The split-shot rig is on bat or deck when the water’s glassy or cold, fish are
fussy, protective cover is scarce, and or climatic fronts weigh heavy.
Actually, the split-shot rig is a cousin, perhaps a distant ancestor of the
drop-shot rig. The assertions and applications are largely similar: light and
lifelike plastics presented in a fluid and natural way.
The current crop of baits are the driving force in my drop-shot and split-shot
cache. Today’s plastics are better than ever. Lures like Storm’s WildEye Split
Tail Minnow ooze with realism in both shape and coloration. The Bluegill and
Shad patterns are edible on sight.
Choosing between a split-shot and drop-shot rig isn’t a puzzling endeavor,
either. In my west coast example the fish were fairly shallow and hunkered over
clean sand, not to mention super edgy – prime ingredients for split-shotting.
But, as spots deepen and or the terrain gets nasty, it’s wiser to drop-shot.
I fish a lot of smallmouth bass on northern natural lakes. Oftentimes, the fish
hold on deep rock coated bars and humps. Such conditions demand enough weight to
stay in commerce with the bottom, but a sinker that doesn’t find every snag.
The Lindy No-Snagg Slip Sinker is designed for skipping and evading, not hanging
and confounding. I tie directly to the eye of the No-Snagg with 8 to 10 pound
monofilament, spooled on a new Rapala RAP SX10i, the crème de la crème of
spinning reels.
Before the sinker is attached, though, I tie in a #2 or #4 Rapala/VMC Premium
wide gap worm hook via a Palomar knot. I set aside enough extra line to tie-on
the No-Snagg and end up with 18 inches between the hook and sinker. To finish, I
nose hook a Storm Rattle Finesse Worm. The end result is one of the surest
presentations you’ll ever throw to bass on the rocks.
The actual motion begins with a launch toward the top of the structure. Once the
rig settles, it’s a simple lift, reel, and set. No jerks. No drags. You’ll feel
the tension on each rise, and when that occurs, just crank up and lower it back
down. It’s not unusual to feel more than tightness, too. Downright resistance
ensues, perhaps a jolt. And in my neighborhood, the source is likely a bass, put
possibly a muskie, northern pike, or walleye.
Modified drop-shot rigs can be raked through vegetation, too. Consider a weed
flat. It’s midsummer and the weeds are scathing the surface in 6 feet of water.
The greenery is thicker than tapioca from their trunks to two-thirds the ways
up. But at the surface it’s spindly stalks and frail buds.
Again, with spinning equipment in service, I operate with a customized drop-shot
rig. The reel is wound with a grass-cutting 6/30 Spiderwire or 17 pound braid. I
tie in the same hook and Rattle Finesse Worm as before, but this time expand the
distance between the hook and sinker. In 6 feet of water, I’ll position the hook
at 4 or 5 feet, hanging the bait right where the thicker weeds fade. This
spacing, of course, can be modified to match assorted depths and weed densities.
For example, if the weeds are touching the surface in 8 feet of water, yet the
heavy foliage wanes at about 5 feet, I’ll locate the plastic at or just below
the 5 foot mark.
Operationally speaking, I flip or pitch the setup, permit it to come to rest,
and begin a leisurely lift and reel retrieve, pausing in pockets and giving the
rod a snap whenever the sinker stalls in the bushes.
Progressive drop-shotting techniques aren’t intended for out and out searches.
It’s more methodical, but patently accurate, and highly effective for times when
fish are congregated on structure, picky, or when conventional warfare isn’t
getting the job done.
Scott Bonnema
classicbass.com Pro Staff
Editor’s note: Scott Bonnema is a touring bass professional who fishes
tournaments and offers instructional seminars throughout the Midwest. He’s a
member of the Rapala Team, and Pro Staffs of Fuji Film,
Northland Fishing Tackle, Ranger
Boats and Mercury.
