No matter where he is fishing in a tournament throughout the U.S., Jordan Lee will likely have a drop shot rig tied on one of his rods.
“It has been my number one bait over the last three years of fishing professionally,” Lee said. “I have caught just as many fish on it as I have any other lure.”
The Bassmaster Classic Champion believes the drop shot rig shows bass a different look than a Texas-rigged lure, jig, or a shaky head. “It is just something different since your bait is somewhat suspended off the bottom,” he says.
Whereas a Texas rig or shaky head has weight positioned next to the lure, the weight on the drop shot rig sits several inches below the lure, which allows the lure to move more freely. “That is one of the biggest reasons it is such a good bait,” Lee says. “It is just a real natural presentation.”
A drop shot rig can be applied in nearly any situation, but Lee believes the tactic works best on calm sunny days and heavily pressured waters. The Alabama pro suggests the drop shot rig is ideal for inactive bass or as a changeup tactic when bass stop biting moving lures such as crankbaits.
The lures Lee attaches to his drop shot rig depend on the bass species he targets. When fishing for smallmouth, Lee favors a Strike King KVD Drop Shot Half Shell or KVD Dream Shot in green pumpkin sapphire or brown purple. He believes these lures are the ideal size to imitate a goby or other small baitfish smallmouth prefer. Lee opts for a 4-inch Strike King Ocho stickworm in green pumpkin sapphire or dirt hues if he targets largemouth bass.
Lee’s drop shot rig components vary depending on the bass species he targets and cover he fishes. When smallmouth fishing, he impales his lure on a number 1 or 2 Owner drop shot hook, but he switches to a 2/0 Roboworm Rebarb straight shank hook when drop shotting for largemouth. The touring pro favors a Strike King Tour Grade Tungsten Drop Shot Weight for fishing in rocks but changes to a cylinder-style weight for fishing grass because he notices the thinner weight slides through the vegetation better than a teardrop weight.
He tries to use as light weight as possible for his drop shot rig. While vertical fishing and casting around deep water for smallmouth, Lee selects a 3/8-ounce sinker for his drop shot. He scales down to a 1/4-ounce weight when drop-shotting for largemouth in shallow water.
Lee rarely alters the length of his drop line from the hook to the weight. “I usually don’t go too long,” he says. “I usually don’t measure it, but it is usually two lengths of my hand (about 12 inches).”
The versatility of the drop shot allows Lee to fish it as shallow as 1 foot for largemouth or as deep as 50 feet for smallmouth. “It is a bait you can use anywhere at any depth range,” Lee says. That’s what makes it a great bait too.”
While competing on the tournament trail, Lee caught smallmouth by watching his electronics and fishing the drop shot with a vertical presentation. He has also caught largemouth on the drop shot, flipping to reeds on the California Delta and pitching to holes in the grass at Cayuga Lake.
“It is a great bait to fish for bedding fish and pitching around shallow cover,” he says. The drop shot is especially effective for spawning fish because it allows Lee to keep the lure in the nest and front of a fish’s face, whereas a Texas-rigged soft plastic or a shaky head worm sinks to the bottom eventually slides out of the nest when shaken too much.
According to Lee, keeping the weight in constant contact with the bottom is imperative when drop shotting. “I usually try to shake (the rig) on a slack line where my weight is not moving a lot, but my bait is, he says.
Lee notices he coaxes more bites from inactive fish when he imparts less action to the lure. “A real key with a drop shot is not doing much with it; just fish it slow,” he says. “I sometimes think many people — including myself — overfish the bait and will work it more than it needs to be.” When vertical fishing Lee sometimes avoids shaking the rig and allows his boat’s movement to impart a subtle action to the lure.
A Quantum Smoke or Quantum Smoke Inshore spinning reel combined with a Quantum Vapor or Smoke PT 705 spinning rod are Lee’s choices for presenting drop shot rigs. He spools his reels with a main line of 20- to 30-pound Seaguar Smackdown braid and about a 10-foot leader line of 6 -pound Seaguar Tatsu fluorocarbon line.
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