Fishing with Hank Parker: Hank's Drop-Shot Tips

I can't remember the last time I got as excited about a new technique as I am about drop-shotting. That may seem strange coming from someone who likes power-style tactics that employ heavy line, baitcast gear and big lures. Those are still mainstays of my arsenal, but since I've seen how deadly drop-shotting is, I'm using it more and more.

Drop-shotting is a form of split shotting, except that it puts the weight below a small soft-plastic lure so that the bait suspends off bottom. It's very versatile. I've caught fish in water as shallow as 3 feet and as deep as 25.

Drop-shotting was developed by Japanese anglers and exposed here on the West Coast. It fools wary bass that get a lot of fishing pressure. I expect the technique will become more popular this summer on fishing spots that get hammered by anglers. I've seen it happen on deep points of my home lake, where crankbaits and Carolina rigs used to be so deadly.

I fashion the drop shot on 8-pound Vanish Fluorocarbon. I've experimented with line size, and found that I get more action from the worm on 8-pound line. You can use smaller line if the bottom is clean. When using fluorocarbon, moisten the line so that it won't be damaged from friction while cinching the knot.

Here's how to rig it. Tie a light-wire Mustad worm hook onto the line with a Palomar knot and leave a 15- to 18-inch piece of line dangling on the end. At the end of the line, attach a lightweight sinker. I prefer 3/16- or 1/8-ounce sinkers. If you increase line size, increase sinker size to hold the more buoyant line in place.

For lures, I've had the best success with a 4- or 6-inch Mann's Dragin' Finesse Worm. And because drop-shotting is best suited for clear water, I choose colors that blend in with the environment or imitate baitfish.

I work it similarly to the way I fish a Carolina rig, dragging the sinker slowly on the bottom. When I feel the weight catch on a root or rock, I shake the rod tip to cause the worm to undulate. That keeps the bait in the strike zone and looks like a natural critter struggling. You don't want to shake it so hard that the sinker jumps around; you simply want the worm to quiver and wiggle in place.

Most strikes feel like additional weight. Nonaggressive fish aren't easy to detect. If you feel any kind of resistance, set the hook!

BASSIN' Magazine Summer 2001