Tailor the rig to the species and water conditions. When you feel the strike, reel down toward the weight and set the hook with an upward sweeping motion to pin the fish.ДЇish a live minnow on a drop-shot for crappies. Most fish won't feed down but will happily investigate an offering that is quivering a few feet above them. If your sonar unit shows fish in the area but your drop-shot rig isn't getting bit, the first change to make is to lengthen the distance between hook and sinker. We want that bait to hover, twitch and convulse just off the bottom, right in the faces of the fish living there. After a few moments, repeat that bait shaking, or, reel in a small amount of line and start shaking again. This is frequently when strikes will occur. After you stop that motion, get tight to the weight again and pause. Now, on a tight line, wiggle and twitch the bait, but do so without lifting the weight off the bottom.

Keep the bail open until the sinker contacts the bottom, then close the bail and reel up the slack. Jason Halfen)Дress the hook with the bait of your choice and make a long cast. The simplicity of the drop-shot is what makes it so easy to adapt to various species and conditions. In most instances, a 20- to 24-inch distance between the hook and sinker is a good place to start. A distance of 10 to 12 inches is probably the minimum that most anglers will use for fish that are tight to the bottom, but don't be afraid to position the hook farther away from the sinker in very clear water or when targeting suspended fish. The hook-to-sinker distance on the leader is critical.

The high density of tungsten also does a superior job of telegraphing bottom hardness or softness through the line to the angler. Eco-friendly tungsten drop-shot weights are becoming popular and allow your rig to fall through the water column more quickly than when using a lead sinker. Carry a range of weights, from 1/8 ounce to 1/2 ounce or more, depending on the depth range you typically fish. For simple drop-shot rigs, I like to use a bell sinker with enough weight to keep my rig on the bottom in the face of wind, waves or current. Pass the tag end back through the eye of the hook from the top to the bottom, which will help the hook stand out horizontally from the leader.ДЇinally, add a sinker. In general terms, if I have a 4-foot leader, my hook will be positioned halfway down the leader length. Attach the hook to the leader using a Palomar knot, leaving a long tag end. In any case, match the overall hook size to the bait you're presenting. With a larger soft-plastic bait, a more traditionally sized bass hook is appropriate. For a live-bait presentation, a size 4 or 6 octopus hook is a good starting point.

Use a lighter fluorocarbon leader when drop-shotting for walleyes. Highly pressured fish may require you to move down to thinner 6-pound test, while using 12- or even 15-pound test will be just fine in stained or turbid water. Eight- or 10-pound-test fluorocarbon is adequate for many multi-species fishing situations. A good general leader length is around 4 feet, but in ultra-clear water, or when dealing with line-shy fish, you may need to go longer. Add a small swivel at the end of the braided main line to eliminate the line twist that a drop-shot rig can cause. Because many subtle drop-shot bites are detected visually, select a high-visibility braid to make your main line easier to see under all sky conditions. Generally, an eight-strand braided line is preferable to other options. These attributes will help you cast the drop-shot far, and will reduce air and water resistance as you fish it back to the boat. Select a braid with a smooth finish and the thinnest diameter possible. Begin building your drop-shot rig by spooling up with a braided main line to support long casts and provide enhanced sensitivity.

Drop shot rig