Hank's Quick Tips: Lighten Up On That Drop-Shot Rig

My experiences over the few years have taught me just how deadly - and versatile - the drop-shot method can be. The rig consists of tying on a small hook with a long tag end of line onto which a sinker is attached. With the bait above the sinker, you can present finesse lures to fish that are off the bottom and taunt them into striking by shaking the bait in their faces.

I've caught fish on everything from a small finesse worm to a big stick worm on a drop-shot rig. I've even attached more than one hook/lure to the line and caught multiple fish. However, the latter rig is risky because you wind up breaking the line when the fish start pulling in different directions. The light line just can't handle it.

Of course, you could increase line size, but that reduces your chances of getting bites. Believe me, I've seen first-hand just how important the smaller diameter line can be when it comes to getting more bites. I was in California recently and took a whipping from a young man who fished 5-pound line while I used 6 and 8. He was getting nine strikes to every one of mine.

On the last day, I switched to 4-pound Berkley Vanish Fluorocarbon and actually got more bites than him. When I returned home, I experimented with line sizes at Lake Murray where the water is more off color than what I fished in California. The smaller line worked better there, too, so I'm a believer.