The last couple years there has been a lot of buzz about the bass fishing technique called drop shotting. Drop shot fishing started in Japan and was brought to the United States to be used on the crystal clear lakes of California where it was critical to be able to catch bass that relate to steep bluff drop-offs.
What started as taking an old bass casting sinker, tying it on the end of the line, and then securing the hook a foot higher, has since been refined and changed. No longer are we using only bass casting sinkers. We have also switched to using specific drop shot weights that come with swivel locks that allow you to pinch the line in the keeper to hold it securely in place.
One of the reasons for the swivel is to prevent line twists that occur with other types of weights. With the swivel incorporated into the weight, that problem has been solved. The pinch swivel also allows for faster line changes and easy replacement of the sinker if it gets broken by the rocks or brush.
I recommend using smaller size but very sharp hooks. Size #2 to 1/0 hooks are all the bigger you really need. When hooking plastics for a drop shot presentation, lightly hook your offering by the tip.
Plastic 3-inch to 4-inch baits are recommended when drop shotting for bass. Small minnow imitation baits, worms and twister tails are used most often in this application. However, don’t restrict yourself to using only plastics, live bait is a good option as well.
Bass are not the only fish that you can target with the drop shot presentation. I have used a drop shot rig on walleyes and panfish with great success. By changing a few parts of the system you can make a drop shot fishing presentation for multi-species. You can change your offering to a leech or piece of crawler to target walleyes, or downsize the bait to target panfish.
Bullet Weights® offers Drop Shot Kits with all the basics to get you started. This kit comes with 12 lead drop shot weights in sizes of 1/8 oz to ½ oz, 6 super sharp Gamakatsu hooks and 12 Culprit drop shot worms in four fish-catching colors. Everything you will need to get you started in drop shot fishing.
Bullet Weights also offers the widest selection of sinker shapes in a variety of materials that you will want to experiment with as you become a more sophisticated drop shotter. Different shapes and sizes of sinkers work better than others in certain applications depending on the type of bottom (sand, rock, mud, weeds) you are dealing with.
Remember not limit yourself to just using this presentation for bass and just fishing with plastics. You will be surprised at how many different species of fish you can catch and the variety of baits that you can use to be successful.