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How to retrieve a drop shot minnow?
Retrieving a drop shot minnow can be a very effective technique for bass fishing, especially when the bite is slow or the fish are holding in deeper water. Based on the video context provided, here are some detailed steps and tips to help you master this technique:
Steps to Retrieve a Drop Shot Minnow
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Cast and Let It Sink:
- Cast your drop shot rig to your desired location. This could be near structures like docks, stumps, or in open water where you've identified fish using your electronics.
- Let the rig sink to the bottom. The weight will take the minnow down, and the minnow will be suspended above the weight.
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Initial Lift and Drop:
- Once the rig is on the bottom, lift your rod tip slightly to move the minnow up and then let it drop back down. This mimics the natural movement of a baitfish.
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Slow and Steady Retrieve:
- Slowly drag the weight along the bottom using your rod tip. Keep the rod tip pointed at the bait and move it gently. This will make the minnow appear as if it is swimming just above the bottom.
- Reel in the slack line as you move the rod tip. This ensures you maintain a good feel of the bait and are ready to set the hook when a fish bites.
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Subtle Movements:
- Occasionally give the rod tip a slight shake or twitch. This will make the minnow quiver and can entice a bass to strike.
- Keep the movements subtle and avoid overworking the bait. The goal is to make the minnow look natural and vulnerable.
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Pause and Wait:
- Sometimes, bass will follow the minnow but won't strike until it stops moving. After a few lifts and drops, let the bait sit still for a moment. This pause can trigger a bite from a hesitant bass.
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Hookset:
- When you feel a bite, avoid a hard hookset. Instead, reel down to take up any slack and then gently lift the rod to set the hook. This is especially important with a drop shot rig because the hook is exposed and doesn't require a strong hookset.
Tips for Success
- Use the Right Weight: Depending on the depth and current, adjust the weight of your drop shot rig. Heavier weights (e.g., 1/4 to 1/2 ounce) are useful for deeper water or stronger currents.
- Bait Selection: Use a minnow-type bait that matches the forage in your area. In northern climates, perch or bluegill patterns work well, while in southern areas, shad patterns are effective.
- Electronics: Use your fish finder to locate schools of baitfish or structure where bass are likely to be holding. This can help you place your drop shot rig in the most productive areas.
- Patience: Drop shot fishing can be slow and methodical. Be patient and take your time with each retrieve.
By following these steps and tips, you'll be able to effectively retrieve a drop shot minnow and increase your chances of catching bass. Happy fishing!
Related videos
Transcript
Video06:32
07:50
How To Fish A Split Shot Tube | Bass Fishing by Bass Fishing Tips & Techniques by BassResource → You want to just reel it back in, drop . . . lift,
drop, lift, drop. Other times, you're gonna have to sit there
and wait. They only will hit it when it isn't moving. You'll get their attention when you bring
it up, but they'll follow it, and they'll look at it, until they can't stand it anymore. Then they'll grab it. So sometimes you have to wait really long. You just gonna have to play with it every
day, and figure out, each day, what they want. All right, so the next retrieve I'm gonna
show you, is we're just gonna . . . a lot of times this bait, it looks like, either
like a bait fish, or a sculpin feeding on the bottom. Or maybe even a crawdad. So this next retrieve is what we're gonna
use to imitate that. Let it fall all the way to the bottom, like
it did before, but now all we're gonna do, is we're just gonna drag the weight, with
the rod, on the bottom, and then reel up the slack. Point the rod right at it, and just move it
with the rod tip. Keeping it on the bottom. We want it to look like one of those bait
fishes, or a crawdad crawling on the bottom. So you don't move it with the reel. And keep that rod tip down so that you're
ready to set the hook. Now a derivative of this, another way to fish
it, is to throw it out back.
Transcript
Video09:10
10:19
When and Where To Fish A Dropshot | How To | Bass Fishing by Bass Fishing Tips & Techniques by BassResource → a little bit of combination of summer because
what happens, they don't go all the way to the backs of flats, for example, but they
get up there on those creek channels and the secondary points, they'll get up under docks
and those stump fields, those types of things. That's where a good place to fish drop shot
rig is right in those areas. Again, when the bite isn't really strong,
that's where I'll fish it again using the Pulse Minnow because they're feeding on baitfish. Now, if you don't live in the southern part
of North America, you live in the northern climates, we don't have so much shad, but
what we do have is perch and bluegill. Now, what happens is the perch, they'll ball
up. They start to school up as you move deeper
and deeper into fall. And they get a little bit offshore, you need
to find them with your graph. But I'll take that drop shot, I'll add some
weight to it, quarter-ounce to a half-ounce with that Pulse Minnow because what happens
is the bass get up underneath those school of perch and they'll feed on the weak ones. So the trick is, is you've got to find that
ball and get that drop shot and punch it through that perch down underneath where the bass
are waiting. And I use a heavier weight to do that because
perch, man, they'll chew up plastics in a heartbeat. If you've been around them, you know what
I'm talking about.
Transcript
Video04:16
05:49
When and Where To Fish A Dropshot | How To | Bass Fishing by Bass Fishing Tips & Techniques by BassResource → When the bite is slow and you've got an idea
where the fish are hanging, that's when you bring it out. Now, one more thing to talk about in the spring
is during the spawn. You can use a drop shot, cast it out there
and let it land on the other side of the bed and then let it sit there. And all you're doing is you're lifting up
on the rod tip and all you're doing is you're just letting that bait dance right over the
bed like so, unless this is spinning around a lot. I have another video on how to rig this. So I use a spin shot hook. So I'll show you that more in another video. I've got a link down the bottom of this one
so you can look at it in more detail, but you're just using it to bounce that bait up
and down over the top of the bed. And that aggravates the fish. Eventually, they're gonna bite it. So the type of bait I'll use during that time
it doesn't really matter, it just needs to be a bright, visible bait that you can see
so you can see the bite. So I usually use a white tube or a chartreuse
tube, some kind of bait like that, or a white grub, something small that the fish, when
he grabs, he's not just grabbing the tail, he has to bite the whole thing. That's typically what I like to use. Come here. All right. Keri: He is not happy.
Transcript
Video06:21
07:36
How To Dropshot Fish | Bass Fishing by Bass Fishing Tips & Techniques by BassResource → Then lift it back up. Move it a couple feet, maybe a foot or two. Let it drop. And, again, just hold steady and just do that
again. Just wait and wait and wait and wait and wait. Give it a little shake. You just want to move that rod tip. That's it. It's very, very, very subtle. We're not doing a whole lot of movement here. And I can sit there and bore you to death
with this entire retrieve. It's going to take a long time to get it back. But that's how you fish this bait. It's real slow and methodical. Once you feel that bite, the hookset, you're
not going to reef on it. Don't lay back and hit it really hard. Again, you got an exposed hook. So, really, just bring it. And that's it. It's not a hard hookset. It doesn't take much for that light wire hook
to penetrate past the barb. Reel down on it and just pull, and it's set. Matter of fact, if you set it really hard,
then you're apt to break the line or to straighten out that hook. So don't hit it really hard. Anyway, that's basically how you do it. It's very simple, very straightforward, and
very effective. If you do it using the technique I just showed
you, you're going to have a whole heck of a lot of fun. For more tips and tricks like this, visit
BassResource.com.
Transcript
Video02:52
04:21
Master The Dropshot In 3 Steps | Bass Fishing by Bass Fishing Tips & Techniques by BassResource → When you feel that movement of that fish going
away, I want you to get your body, get your rod and sweep your rod to the side. At the same time, step back. When you do that, your rod's going to load
up and that little hook, whatever kind of hook you're using, is going to get into that
fish's mouth and you're going to have that fish hooked. Stop yourself from jacking that fish. Step back and sweep your rod and 99.9% of
the time you're going to hook that fish up and he's going to be in the boat. Tip number two, "Don't jack the fish." Sweep step into them and that fish is going
to get in the boat. The last tip I want to give you is real important
when you're fishing dropshot in deeper water. This is using your electronics as your underwater
eyes. In its simplest form, when you're in shallow
water, or you're in super clear water, you can use your eyes. You put on your polarized glasses, you see
a fish swimming, you throw that dropshot to him, you catch him. When you're in deep water, when you're in
dirty water, off colored water, when you're in 30, 40, 50 feet, you can't see those fish
with your eyes, your physical eyes, but you're going to use your electronics to see those
fish. I want you to use your graph. I want you to mount that transducer on the
foot of your trolling motor.
Transcript
Video04:20
05:54
Best Fall Dropshot Tips for Bass Fishing (These Work!) | Bass Fishing by Bass Fishing Tips & Techniques by BassResource → Sometimes I'll use a small minnow type bait
to imitate the baitfish that the bass are feeding on. But that Spinshot not only reduces lying twist
but it also makes the bait... the bait can act more natural in the water. Keri: I got a fish. Believe it or not. I threw it way out there in the middle of
nowhere and caught a fish. Glenn: It was sitting on these little drops. Keri: Nice. Glenn: Well, that's a good fish. Keri: Come here, little guy. In the middle of nowhere. I threw to a dark spot and that wast it. Threw it to a dark spot. Another little pound and a halfer. Glenn: And I've just got a regular old dropshot
on the end of it. This is an eight-ounce dropshot weight. This works really well for me. The teardrop, it's got a little swivel on
it so it doesn't get hung up on stuff. I also have some that are more of a cylinder
shape which works really well in rocky areas so it doesn't get hung up as much. Although I don't fish a dropshot in, say,
rip rap. I've just come to the conclusion I get way
too frustrated. When I try to fish in the rip rap, you're
just asking for trouble. Regardless of what kind of weight that you
have, it's going to get hung up in rip rap. So, I don't use in rip rap. But what I do use it for is in the fall.
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