Dropshoting, marketing or real science behind it?

[Roy]

Ok, that's the part I don't understand> What makes the modern way different?

 

Thx for the replies, guys. I thought folks mostly dropshotted with live bait, but it sounds like many, if not most, use plastics(Gulp minnows?)

 

"Drop shotting" was all my brother and I did when we were kids. And yes, we always used live bait but that was only because plastics had not been invented for fishing yet. Rubber worms started to make their appearance in the late 50's and they were dreadful pieces of garbage compared to what we have today.

[Moosebunk]

we use to use live bait and a big hunk of lead and any hook we had

now it's plastic, special hooks and fancy sinkers

 

That's as good an explanation as any right there.

 

But that thar fancy shtuff does a darn tootin' good job of catching fish.

[Fish Farmer]

Some young guy just starting out thought he discovered something, a hook tied to a line with a bell sinker on the bottom.

They have been using that technique for years in the east coast, they used to call it set lining, but with 50 hooks on the line for Cod fish or Tommy's.

Of course you can only use 4 hooks hear on a set line, excuse me "DROP SHOTTING" Try using snelled hooks, it takes the hook out from the main line.

A good example is a Sabiki Bait rig with Hage Skin. Only if we could get them here instead of over the border. They come 6 hooks in tandem, just cut in half and modify , run them upside down with a longer line to the sinker.

One of these days I'm going to try and order some here, maybe Bass Pro?

A good buddy brings them back from Florida for me.

Click below for info

Edited May 29, 2013 by Fish Farmer

[Lape0019]

For the benefit of the Frequently Confused Club(of which I am a charter member) could somebody pls explain what is mean by 'dropshotting' in the modern day context. I understand it's basically having a sinker below the hook, or hooks, but are there any other defining characteristics. I don't understand what would make that a 'finesse' technique. I'm not being sarcastic, just curious.

The easiest way I can describe it is a hook attached to the main line and a tag of whatever length you want with a pencil styled sinker on the bottom. You then attach a plastic of some sort to the hook and fish (for the most part) vertical beside the boat. The finesse name comes into play with how you move the bait. With a tight line you either provide a little movement to the bait by raising and lowering the rod tip very slightly while leaving the sinker on the river bed. You can also move it side to side a little bit to get the bait to dance in one spot.

 

It could also be described as finesse because of the style of baits that are typically used. In bass fishing, this would not be called a power fishing technique ( cranks, jerks, spinnerbaits... I think you get the idea) nor would it be a top water so I don't think it would have anything else to be classified as.

 

Adam

[SirCranksalot]

Thx L19-----I understand what you're saying quite well.----good explanation.

[Rich]

Everything in fishing is a variation of an older tactic.

 

Clothespin spinnerbaits evolved from in-liners.

 

Twitchbaits, jerkbaits, evolved from crankbaits.

 

Texas rigged plastic worms, well thats just a plastic worm on a hook right?

 

"Wacky rigging" .... Did anyone really believe they INVENTED that? I remember when I was a poor kid, we re-hooked the plastic worm in a million different ways, and caught fish, because we couldn't afford more plastic worms.

 

"Flippin jigs" ... Evolved from jigheads.

 

It's an ever changing, ever evolving game.. this does not detract from the effectiveness of the technique.

[Roy]

Everything in fishing is a variation of an older tactic.

 

Clothespin spinnerbaits evolved from in-liners.

 

Twitchbaits, jerkbaits, evolved from crankbaits.

 

Texas rigged plastic worms, well thats just a plastic worm on a hook right?

 

"Wacky rigging" .... Did anyone really believe they INVENTED that? I remember when I was a poor kid, we re-hooked the plastic worm in a million different ways, and caught fish, because we couldn't afford more plastic worms.

 

"Flippin jigs" ... Evolved from jigheads.

 

It's an ever changing, ever evolving game.. this does not detract from the effectiveness of the technique.

 

 

You're absolutely correct Rich BUT, must we buy a flipping rod, a pitching rod, a worm rod, a dropshot rod etc??? That's where the marketing comes in.

[Rich]

 

 

You're absolutely correct Rich BUT, must we buy a flipping rod, a pitching rod, a worm rod, a dropshot rod etc??? That's where the marketing comes in.

I guess we'd have to ask people who bought such products. Did it , in fact, enhance their success with those techniques? If so , yes marketing, but also evolution.

[SirCranksalot]

I assume that some of you have tried this for lakers near the bottom. Does it work well? I intend to try it later in June.

[jbailey]

it works well. If you have a sensitive rod already then no need to buy a specific "dropshot" rod. The marketing involved just makes it easier to find the appropriate rod for the desired fishing techniques.. I mean, I'm not going to be dropshotting with my muskie rod, or throwing an 8" jake with my ultra light. You don't HAVE to do anything, it just simplifies things - and its not like you can't use the "dropshot" rod for casting plastics etc.

[Lape0019]

That is true.

 

I use a dobyns champion 702SF for dropshotting. The rod is recomended to be used for Dartheads, Shaking Worms, Shaky Heads, Tubes & Gitzits. It is a medium light rod with a fast tip and works just fine.

 

I used this rod as well on the long weekend for Perch and it worked fine.

 

I have had some people tell me that the 701SF which is recomended for dropshotting is too light of a rod for the purpose.

 

Personal preference when it comes to fishing is Key. Like JBailey said, you don't have to buy a specific rod for that technique, but if you wanted to the recomendations for that rod really help pick the right one.

[Dave Bailey]

I just make a quick and dirty set-up. Palomar a hook about 2 feet up the line, pinch a good size split shot or rubber core on the bottom, head for a rock fall that continues underwater, and enjoy pulling in smallmouth. Works for me. Anything complex is too much like work.

[The Urban Fisherman]

My opinion is that it depends on who's absorbing the information. When I first shot a dropshot show with Dave for instance, I had never seen anyone fish a "pickeral" rig or any variation of the drop shot rig. If I used live bait it was on a jig head, or below a few split shots. So this was something completely new and interesting to me. To you it's just a small variation of a pickeral rig, to me it's a drop shot. After watching Dave smash smallies all day right infront of my eyes I was pretty well convinced that having the weight below the hook was something I should try. I didn't have any pencil weights or "dropshot" hooks. I also didn't have any bell sinkers and only a few tiny split shots that wouldn't be heavy enough. So I grabbed some "drop shot" weights and used wacky rig hooks that I already owned. Do you have to use specific "drop shot" weights? NO. You could use big giant split shots if you have them, or bell sinkers etc. Do I use specific drop shot weights? Yes, but only because it's pretty well one of three types of finess fishing techniques that I do and I don't have any use for bell sinkers or big split shots etc. Why wouldn't I use them? That's what they're made for, they don't cost any more if you shop around and they work great for me. As mentioned before, I use wacky rig hooks, because I truly believe that wacky rig hooks are better for wacky rigging which is also something I do often. So I buy one kind of hooks and use them for both styles of fishing. I don't see the need to buy specific drop-shot hooks for drop shotting.

 

For somebody who's been using a "pickeral rig" for years and has bell sinkers and hooks they're comfortable with, why would they go out and buy specific drop shot stuff? Maybe said person desides they really love fishing a "dropshot" and when they run out of bell sinkers they pick up dropshot weights instead. Maybe a teenager watches somebody fishing a drop shot on TV and has never heard of the pickerel rig? To them it'd be something completely new to try out. They try it out using whatever hooks and weights they have and BLAM start catching some fish. Now they might want to pick up some drop-shot weights and hooks because that's a style of fishing that they might primarily use?

 

Some people just LOVE having "the best of the best" and if they can afford it why not let them. They've likely worked hard to earn their money and if that's what they want to spend it on then who's to tell them they can't. That's not my style, I'd mix and match hooks and weights depending on what I fish for, and I frequently use the same rod for drop shotting, tube jig fishing and throwing a Senko.

 

I say to each their own - and it should come down to common sense. If you see something on TV or in a magazine, jimmy rig the gear you already have and give it a shot. If this new technique works for you, then you can choose to keep jimmy riggin' your set up, or if you think it's something you're going to do often, you can buys specific weights and hooks.

 

As for my experience - I've seen some pretty finicky bass and walleye caught on a dropshot that wouldn't eat anything else. So I don't think the hook being tied onto the main line is an issue at all. Providing of course that the line isn't 65lb test power pro! lol Aside from throwing crankbaits from time to time, my 6 year old and my 4 year old exclusively throw a drop shot. They catch just as many fish and almost never get snagged because the hook is off the bottom. Any parent who takes their little ones out fishing should learn to rig thier kids up with a dropshot... it'll save them a ton of headaches!!!!!!!

 

anyways that's my rambling!

 

Cheers,

Ryan

[wkimwes]

Also, drop shot works on multi species, works great on Crappie and Perch. If you downsize your bait to 1-2" minnow imitation it works well. Just this saturday caught some nice panfish, of course did get a few OOS bass. They seem to be very aggressive lately (caught 12), I caught 4 crappie and 10 perch.

[jimmer]

The whole fishing industry is about marketing and coming up with new ideas to market old techniques.Have you seen some of the paint jobs on those crankbaits?? That is for us. We give fish way too much credit, their brain is about the size of a dime?

[Dave Bailey]

We give fish way too much credit, their brain is about the size of a dime?

 

Now you're giving them credit! Haven't dissected a bass head, but if its brain is the size of a pea I would be surprised.

Edited June 4, 2013 by Dave Bailey

[Old Ironmaker]

Thanks for all the great feedback folks, what I really couldn't grasp is the method of the hook tied directly to the main drop line. It goes against what I have come to learn. It seems to me that the fish needs to take the hook dead on. If it takes it from the rear the line would spook the fish. I may be way off here and overthinking the whole thing.

 

As for the marketing, I feel it is marketing by naming an old tried and true with a new name. But anything sold on any shelf or at any garage sale is marketing. Heck hideaway headlights were sold on cars in the 30's. When they came back some 30 years later it was something new.

 

Call it what you wish, it works.