The drop shot rig is a very popular rig for a variety of fishing situations. Whether you are fishing deep, shallow, around cover, with live bait, soft plastics, for bass, panfish or huge saltwater fish, the drop shot rig will work in most situations. The main line is tied to the hook and you want to leave some extra line after you tie the knot so you can tie that line to the sinker. If you want to keep your bait 1 foot off the bottom, make sure to leave a little over 12 inches of extra line from when you tie the hook to the line. This way, you’ll have about 12 inches of line left over to tie to the sinker. For most presentations, keep your hook about 10 to 18 inches from the sinker and you’ll do just fine. In clear water though, some anglers will use about 2 to 3 feet of line to separate their hook and sinker.
Freshwater
This is one of the best rigs for freshwater fishing. You have so many options for fishing so many different types of baits.
Drop Shot Rig for Largemouth Bass
The drop shot rig works real well for catching largemouth bass. Many largemouth bass anglers think of the drop shot rig as a finesse rig for deep water smallmouths, but this rig will work well in shallow water, deep water, around cover, with live bait or soft plastics. The drop shot rig will work in most situations. Whether you are fishing around docks, weeds, wood or rocks, it’s one of the most versatile rigs you can use when fishing for largemouth bass.
Learn more about using the different live baits and artificial baits on a drop shot rig for largemouth bass.
Drop Shot Rig for Smallmouth Bass
The drop shot rig is one of the most popular rigs for catching smallmouth bass, especially when the bass are in deep water. Whether you fish shallow or deep, the drop shot rig works well with a variety of live baits and many types soft plastics.
Learn more about using the different live baits and artificial baits on a drop shot rig for smallmouth bass.
Drop Shot Rig for Walleye
The drop shot rig is one of the most effective ways to target walleye, although, most walleye anglers don’t even consider using this rig. This rig works great for fishing just above the bottom. You can cast your line out and hop it along the bottom or fish vertically. Both methods can be very productive. The drop shot rig works well with nightcrawlers, leeches and minnows. There are many soft plastics that will also catch plenty of walleye with a drop shot rig. Finesse worms, grubs and soft plastic minnows will all catch walleye when the bite is going strong.
Learn more about using the different live baits and artificial baits on a drop shot rig for walleye.
Saltwater
In saltwater, this rig is also awesome and can be used very effectively in many different situations with so many different baits. If you are fishing a sandy bottom, many anglers would use a pyramid sinker as their weight since it holds better in the sandy bottom.
