Cutting my teeth on the highly pressured San Diego lakes I was introduced to one of the staples of the Back Deck competitor, the drop shot, over a decade ago.

In that time I feel I have honed the technique to a fine art. I have used it to scratch out a fish or two to make the cut at the Forrest Wood Cup. I have also been lucky enough to catch an 8 pounder, an 11 pounder and a 7 pounder in consecutive days to score a 4th place finish in an FLW Series event on the California Delta. All on 6 pound test.

In the next few articles I am going to give up some of those secrets to this highly effective method of catching bass.

EQUIPMENT

It all starts with the rod. In most cases drop shot is a light finesse technique. Select a rod that will allow you to properly cast a one-eighth to three-eighths ounce weighted bait. For me this means spinning rod. I use a custom made Pryor rod. The Pryor Tournament series is based around a Phenix graphite blank. I use a light or medium light action rod, depending on conditions, in lengths varying from 6’-10” to 7’-6” with a split grip to reduce rod weight. Fishing FLW Tour events I mostly pick up the longer rod to give me additional casting range. Another important attribute of my drop shot rod are the line guides. All of my rods have titanium recoil guides. The titanium guide is necessary to hold up against the braided main line that I will discuss later. The right rod will allow you to feel the slightest tick and set the hook before the fish knows you are there.

The reel is another very important component of your drop shot equipment. You should choose a high quality reel with continuous anti-reverse and a butter smooth drag. There are differing opinions on reel size. Many will say that a larger reel allows the line to come off the spool easier. It also reduces line twist. I believe that I have solved these two issues with the braid main line. Braid is less susceptible to the effects of line slap because it is softer than the former mainstay, Flourocarbon. Each turn coming off the reel is going to slap the rod blank during the cast. Braid will produce a smaller loop coming off the spool and reduce the friction of the cast.

Because braid is softer it will also forgive alot of the twisting caused by drag slippage. A smaller spool means each inch of drag slippage is more pronounced on a 10 size reel than a 20. To clean up the twist from drag slippage I will periodically drop back my line behind a slow moving boat with no terminal tackle attached. A short time in the water allows the line to untwist and readies the reel for another few months of service. So why deal with all of these issues when you could just use a larger reel for the job? Weight. I will have that rod in my hand for 8 to 14 hours a day for numerous days in a row. An extra few ounces saved in your bread and butter rod can keep your mind on fishing instead of muscle pains.

Three years ago I started using braid as a main line with a Flouro leader. It has worked out well. Before changing to the braid main line my routine was to respool my spinning reels with Flourocarbon on the last day of practice. It would allow me the ability to let the line out behind the boat after winding on the new line. This would assure the line was tight and not twisted on the spool. I would fish the three days of the event and the practice period of the next event on that line then it was worn out. At twenty-five dollars per fill for the high-end fluorocarbon that I was using the routine was expensive. With the braid/flouro combination I have found the braid to last for years. I use PowerPro 10 pound test braid because it is easy to find and it has not let me down. The past few years the braid/flouro combo has stormed the mainstream and even found the way to spinning rods of top Pros. Guys that have all the line they can use given to them. My original plan to save money has given way to become the standard for spinning rod use. The Flouro leader, especially the connection is where I leave the crowd. I make the connection between the braid and flouro with a tiny swivel made by Spro. The swivel is so small that it does not change the fall rate of the bait. It also relieves one cause of line twist, bait spin, by allowing the leader portion to twist freely on the main line. I do not try to get the swivel through the rod guides. I just tie a 3 or 4 foot leader and keep it outside the rod tip. I do not think a fish swims 3 feet away from a meal to see the braid connection.

The connection is made with two simple Palomar knots. Very quick to tie, even with the tiny swivel. Others insist on making a leader of twenty plus feet attached to the braid with a complicated connection knot. Personal preference. I don’t like the friction of the connection with the guides. Especially with the high number of casts I will make in a day with that rod. My other problem with the long leader is the time it takes to tie the knot. Two palomars on the swivel take no time. Some of the connection knots are difficult to re-tie during tournament hours. Whichever connection you are comfortable with will be the best. Just try the braid and you will be hooked.

I hope that this article will get you the set-up to start or fine-tune your drop-shot rig. It is a technique that can put that one last fish in the boat or catch you that 11 pounder that wins the big bass award of the event……..unless Justin Lucas drop shots a 13 pounder on the same day.