The drop-shot technique has now matured after being around since the last 90s. Initially, it was thought of as a light-line West Coast technique for deep, clear water and pressured bass, but it's expanded to all corners of the country. As it evolved, anglers have learned that it works everywhere, not just in ultra-clear water. Now it's seen as something that will catch fish anywhere, and the tackle and bait selection has expanded to heavier lines and a wide variety of different baits that you can use for the technique.
Drop-Shot Baits
One of the best things about the rig is that you could rig any soft plastic bait on a drop-shot, but many go unused by anglers. The standard offerings are finesse worms and small baitfish baits. It's the original way the drop-shot was developed with custom hand-poured baits designed to fool pressured bass in Japan, where the technique originated before moving then the western United States.
These straight worms are still proven to catch fish with a drop-shot rig, as are small minnows and other finesse baitfish imitating plastics. They work well, but there are plenty of alternatives for drop-shot baits that not everyone uses.
Soft Plastic Jerkbaits
The soft jerkbait is an excellent tool for imitating baitfish and works wonders for schooling bass. Most of the time, they are fished solo on weighted or unweighted hooks and fished with plenty of rod movement to imitate baitfish. They also catch fish when rigged on various jigheads, as trailers, and on Carolina rigs. They are also excellent on a drop-shot rig.
The bulkier look of these baits gives the presence of a large baitfish, and when rigged on a drop-shot, you can fish them effectively at just about any depth. You can thread them on straight shank hooks or nose-hook them; they have great action and provide a solid hookup percentage.
Creature Baits
Nothing beats a creature bait like a brush hog or beaver-style bait for flipping and pitching. They excel for fishing around thick cover and are bulky enough to appeal to big bass, but you can also successfully fish creature baits on a drop-shot rig.
One good way to blend both techniques is with a "power shot" or "Bubba shot," where anglers use heavier lines and weights and pitch the drop-shot rig to shallow cover. Anglers benefit from a compact package for pitching to cover but add the lure movement and action of a drop-shot rig by using a shorter-than-usual leader length. It gives the fish a different look and can be a great way to get more bites when things are tough.
Swimbaits
Soft boot tail swimbaits like the Keitech Swing Impact Fat are some of the most popular baits for anglers today, but most fish them on a swimbait head and retrieve them through the water. They are also great on a drop-shot rig.
Fishing them on the drop-shot allows the same effect as a jighead, and the excellent kicking action of the swimbait will do most of the work. The weight will stay near the bottom, and you can effectively swim the swimbait right above the bottom at the same constant length as your leader. Using a heavier drop-shot weight, you can keep the bait right along the bottom, which can improve your success compared to fishing it with a swimbait head, as the bait will rise and fall more depending on your retrieve speed when fished on a jighead.
Stick Baits
Baits like the Yamamoto Senko are fished by just about everyone on a Texas rig, wacky, or Neko Rig, but they also excel on a drop-shot rig. These baits have the right look and shape to catch fish when rigged any way, but adding them to a drop-shot is a great way to get big bites. The soft stick bait comes in various sizes and thicknesses, which are suitable for rigging on a drop-shot rig.
Go Big
Most drop-shot baits are small and lean into the finesse nature of the technique, but there is no limit to the size of the bait that you drop-shot. With great success, anglers can fish giant ten-inch ribbon tail worms, lizards, and big stick baits on a drop-shot rig. Just upsize your hook to match the bait, and there are no size restrictions for the technique. The only drawback with giant ribbon tail worms is more potential line twists from the tails moving during the retrieve.
Change Up Your Rigging
The standard way to rig a soft plastic on a drop-shot rig is to nose hook the bait. It works great for small baits, gives them great action, and helps hook fish easily. Another way to rig your plastics is Texas-rigged on a drop-shot, and this method works great for keeping the bait weedless and fishing around brush and grass.
Wacky-rigging the plastic on a drop-shot is a third alternative way to fish this technique and offers many benefits. For one, it’s a different look than fish are used to and also changes the way the bait moves. It allows for a slower fall and gives the bait a different look when retrieved along the bottom. Rigging a Senko or straight tail worm is a great way to catch more fish with a drop-shot rig.
The drop-shot rig is a fantastic way to fish for bass. It hit the scenes with a fury and hasn't slowed down in over twenty years. It's a versatile way to catch fish, and the more anglers fish, the more they appreciate its ability to get bites in all situations. Expanding the soft plastics, you use for the technique can help you catch even more fish.
