by Keith Hamburger

Created on: December 02, 2008

Drop shot fishing is a relatively new technique for fishing in freshwater that is just now making its way into the realm of saltwater fishing. Originally developed for finesse fishing for bass and crappie with plastic lures in deep water it has been modified for a number of different situations. For shallow water fishing lighter weights are used with finesse baits like plastic worms. For deep saltwater fishing heavier weights are being adapted.

Drop shotting (also known as down shotting or under shotting) uses a weight at the end of the line and a hook attached directly to the line. There are numerous advantages to this type of rig. Since the weight is at the end of the line, and there is no leader attached to the line, the drop shot rig can cast further than most other options. Another advantage is that with the hook held on a taught line above the weight you can immediately fell even the lightest strike. And, since the hook is held above the bottom the chances of snagging are greatly reduced.

Proper drop shot weights are not tied onto the line but have some sort of clip that holds the end of the line. When correctly designed and sized, if the weight does get hung up on the bottom, it will pull loose from the line and you can retrieve your hook and bait. Simply slipping another weight on will get you back to fishing quickly without having to retie.

Since fishing in saltwater often involves dropping very deep some modification to this might need to be made. Very few weights are made in the proper size for deep saltwater fishing, most aren't available even as large as a half an ounce. One option could be to tie your hook on the line above a snap swivel. Attach to the swivel a length of leader slightly lighter than your main line to which you will tie a weight. This will mean that if you do get snagged and lose the weight you won't lose your hook, bait or a potential catch. To avoid having to retie when the bite is hot you might tie up some weights and leaders before you leave so you can just snap on another weight when needed.

You don't have to go all the way to the bottom with a drop shot rig. If you find the fish are suspended anywhere you can drop your bait to the level where they are and fish there. Some anglers have reported success holding their bait down even ten to fifteen feet over hundreds of feet of water.

In freshwater fishing the most common bait to use for drop shotting are soft plastics. This can work well in saltwater if you have had luck catching your targeted species on such. However, it is more common to use cut bait when fishing saltwater. Live bait is not a good option since the lack of a leader will limit the action of the bait.

Next time you're going fishing consider a drop shot rig. You might just find a new, favorite technique.

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