Once considered a niche technique, the drop shot has proven to be one of the most versatile ways to catch largemouth and smallmouth bass.
It really shines in the late summer and early fall, when you can use it to give bass multiple presentations with different baits.
When stream fishing, I catch a lot of big smallmouths in September and October with a drop shot off gravel bars, and above and below riffles and shoals.
The beauty of the drop shot in rivers and streams is that it keeps a soft plastic bait near the bottom where fish feed, but it suspends the bait so that the current animates the bait.
If fish are slamming shad against gravel bars, I throw a small fluke on a drop shot. If I'm looking for a big bite, I use Zoom Tiny Lizards or Tiny Brush Hawgs.
Rigging a drop shot is easy. With a drop shot knot, loop knot or a three-way swivel, attach a secondary -- or dropper -- line to your main line at the depth you want the bait to suspend.
Anchor the main line with a bell sinker or a couple of split shots. Split shots are better if you snag because they'll pull off without breaking the dropper line. Snagging a bell sinker almost always breaks the line.
I often use Rocky Brook sinkers. It's an actual rock with a swivel embedded. It slides over obstructions that will snag split shot and bell sinkers.
They work great in trout streams, too.
Sports on 09/11/2016