Drop Shot Rig



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.


Curly Tail Grubs


Curly tail grubs do look good on a drop shot rig.  Hop them along the bottom or swim them just off the bottom with a drop shot rig.


Twin Tailed Grubs (Spider Jigs)


Twin tailed grubs and skirted twin tail grubs do look pretty good on a drop shot rig.  They look better on other rigs, however, you can fish them this way too.


Creature Baits


Many creature baits will look good on a drop shot rig.  Some don’t look as good as other rigs, but some look great, so you have to test it out to see for yourself.  As a general rule, the longer and/or skinnier creature baits will usually look better with the drop shot rig.


Lizards


A drop shot rig is another effective rig for fishing with lizards.  Hop it along and give it a chance to fall towards the bottom.  Most of your bites will come on the fall.


Soft Plastic Leeches


A drop shot rig is a great way to rig a soft plastic leech.  Hop it along and then pause it.  Most of your bites will come on the pause.


Soft Plastic Minnows & Jerkbaits


Some minnows and soft jerkbaits will look great on a drop shot rig.  As a general rule, the smaller, skinnier minnows tend to have better action on this rig and the bigger, thicker minnows.


Crayfish Baits


There are better rigs for crayfish baits, however, at times, a well placed crayfish bait on a drop shot rig can out fish some of the other more popular rigs that anglers use with these baits.


Tubes


Some tubes look great on a drop shot rig.  The smaller, skinnier tubes will have better action, but don’t rule out the bigger tubes as well.


Curly Tail Worms


The drop shot rig isn’t used enough with curly tail worms by most largemouth bass anglers.  If you take a look at the bait in the tank, the action is better than many other rigs.  The downside is that it won’t be weedless, so it is more of an open water presentation for largemouth bass or you just have to be extra careful when fishing around cover to make sure you don’t get hung up.  If you want this to be a weedless presentation, you can use a Texas rig setup or one of those screw-in hooks that are setup weedless and drop shot it.  You will still have some issues getting the drop shot rig into certain areas, but it can be fished snagless for the most part around wood, docks and some vegetation.


Finesse Worms


The drop shot rig is probably the best rig for fishing with finesse worms.  Twitch them pause them, repeat and then hang on.


Floating Worms


Floating worms also look great on a drop shot rig.  The worm will actually float up which gives it a unique action for sure.


Paddle Tail Worms


A drop shot rig can be very effective with a paddle tail worm, especially the more finesse sized ones.  Hop it along and then pause it for the best results.


Ringworms


The drop shot rig is one of the better ways to rig a ringworm.  Hop it, twitch it, swim it. They all work.


Wacky Worms


Wacky worms on a drop shot rig fished wacky style can be super effective when fishing deeper water or when fish are relating close to the bottom.

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