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What size drop shot weight to use?
Great question! The size of your drop shot weight can significantly impact your fishing success, and it often depends on several factors such as water depth, current, and wind conditions. Here's a detailed breakdown based on the video context and general best practices:
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Water Depth:
- Shallow Water (up to 20 feet): An eighth-ounce (1/8 oz) weight is often sufficient. This lighter weight allows for a more natural fall of the bait, which can be crucial in clear water where fish are more cautious.
- Moderate Depth (20-30 feet): You might want to go with a three-eighths ounce (3/8 oz) to a half-ounce (1/2 oz) weight. This helps get your bait down to the fish faster, which is especially useful if you're using live sonar technology like Active Target or LiveScope.
- Deep Water (30+ feet): A three-quarter ounce (3/4 oz) to one ounce (1 oz) weight is recommended. Heavier weights ensure your bait reaches the bottom quickly and stays in the strike zone, even in deeper waters.
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Current and Wind:
- Strong Current or Windy Conditions: Opt for a heavier weight, such as a half-ounce (1/2 oz) or more, to keep your bait in place and maintain better control.
- Calm Conditions: Lighter weights like an eighth-ounce (1/8 oz) or a quarter-ounce (1/4 oz) can be more effective as they allow for a more subtle presentation.
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Fishing Style and Reaction Bites:
- Reaction Bites: Using a heavier weight can trigger reaction bites, similar to flipping a heavy jig. This is because the bait gets to the fish quickly and can provoke an aggressive strike.
- Natural Presentation: In clearer water or when fish are more finicky, a lighter weight can help present the bait more naturally.
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Leader Length:
- Adjust your leader length based on the season and water clarity. For instance, in clear water, you might use an 18-inch to 24-inch leader, while in murkier water, a shorter leader might be more effective.
Remember, these are general guidelines, and you may need to adjust based on specific conditions and your own experiences. If you have more details about the specific conditions you'll be fishing in, feel free to share, and I can provide more tailored advice!
Happy fishing! 🎣
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Transcript
Video00:00
02:31
Be efficient with a heavier dropshot weight by Bassmaster → [Applause] Austin Felix Elite Series Pro after getting back from Sinclair I thought it'd be a good idea to clarify my drop shot rig a little what I like to do it's become a staple Smallmouth fishing everywhere so you got to have little tweaks to get bit because the fish see it so often uh I have my setup tends to go a lot heavier than most guys my starter drop shot weight is about a three-quarter ounce if I'm fishing at 20 feet or deeper water and I can even go up to a one ounce drop shot weight where you can make some all the way up to that heavy uh the thing I like about it is twofold one it gets your bait to the fish a lot faster so when you're using your active Target when you're using your live scope and you see a fish the time it takes from hitting the water to get into the bottom all depends on how heavy your weight is and these fish are moving constantly so being able to lead them and get the bait onto them and get it close enough to them to get them to react it is important and the second part of it is just that it's a reaction deal the same way you want to flip a heavier weight to get a reaction out of a punching fish or something like that you can do with a drop shot weight
Transcript
Video03:59
06:32
How to Drop Shot (Everything You Need to Know) by Wired2Fish → maybe it may be 20 inches where you're at maybe six inches as again into the fall and the winter that's when I use my longest leaders and I very minor sometimes in a summer and spring is long leaders so sometimes in the summer when I use a two foot leader but the fall and in the winter time I use the longest leaders usually and I got up to a 30 inch leader sometimes the pain where you're at normally on the lakes that we've fished most of time you know like a 16-inch liters plenty or Leo 12-inch but I'm Tom but you know some of the lakes in California that we used to fish with 25 feet visibility and I'd do it like a 30-inch 25 30 inch leader the drop shot weights very critical size weight you fish you know eighth ounce is where I use the most down about 30 feet of water it's just a rate of fall the bait Falls more natural it doesn't just go out there and plump the bottom there are situations you know say for instance Buffalo Lake Erie Champlain you know half ounce three-eighths ounces it's barely enough you know you getting out there you want to get down there as fast as possible and get to its fish as fast as possible and they just destroy it I've seen bites at Guntersville and wheeler were I wanted to get down there
Transcript
Video05:11
06:28
How To Choose The Right Combo: Dropshot (Rod, Reel, Line, Hook, & Weight) | Bass Fishing by Bass Fishing Tips & Techniques by BassResource → Seven-pound, 8-pound, 10-pound, it'sÂ
just a little too wirey and the bait  doesn't get to flow as freely as it should. So aÂ
six-pound line works really well for drop shot. The rod itself is a medium-light powered,Â
moderate action rod. Lots of bend and flex  to it. I don't know if you can see that orÂ
not. I can bring this down a little bit,  but, boy, it's got a lot of flex to it. That'sÂ
what you want. It acts kind of like a spring.  It kinda gives, when that fish surges, whenÂ
you're fighting them back to the boat, it gives.  It doesn't pull back on the fish, which is, again,Â
can cause a problem with the hook. So you need  that real light action. It's gonna work in concertÂ
with that line when that fish takes off and runs,  it's gonna give a little bit, let that fish go.Â
And that's why I'm using spinning gear here. Spinning gears, the drag is this way. TheÂ
discs are over here. So they're bigger discs  and that way, they have greaterÂ
surface area. So by nature, they have  a smoother drag. And that's what you wantÂ
or something like this, a nice smooth drag.  When that fish makes that run, you want aÂ
nice, steady, slow pull. You don't want to go  because that's just gonna work the hookÂ
loose when the fish is fighting. So a good,  strong, steady drag is what you need forÂ
this type of deal, for drop shot fishing.
Transcript
Video00:00
01:13
How To Dropshot Fish | Bass Fishing by Bass Fishing Tips & Techniques by BassResource → Hey, folks, Glenn May here with BassResource.com. Today, I want to talk to you about fishing
a drop shot rig. Now, if you're not sure how to rig a drop
shot, it's pretty straightforward. I have some videos on how to do that. But we just have a drop shot sinker here. It's tied on loosely. This is a eighth-ounce. And that's a good starting weight for this,
an eighth-ounce. You typically don't need much heavier than
that. But if you're fishing really deep, if you're
fishing current, or if you're fishing in windy situations, then you might want to go up a
little bit to maybe a three-ounce or even a quarter-ounce weight. But an eighth-ounce is pretty much your bread
and butter. That's what you're going to use most the time. I've got it 18 inches up. Then I've got my Spinshot . . . look at how
that spins, Spinshot hook. I love these things because it cuts down on
line twist and allows the bait to move freely. And then I'm just using a four-inch finesse
worm here, just nose hooked, perfect bait for this type of setup. Now, you notice I got an 18-inch leader on
here. This is what you want to do in the summertime
or when you fish in really clear water. You want at least an 18-inch leader. Sometimes I go 24-inch. The fish are a little more active. You can get this a little bit further off
the bottom. They're going to see it from further distances.
Transcript
Video04:08
05:24
Spring Drop Shot Tips That Make A Difference! | How to | Bass Fishing by Bass Fishing Tips & Techniques by BassResource → It's got a superior drag system to a bait
caster. So, that's why I would lean towards this. And most of the time, I am using light line. And again, I've taken this tagline now, it's
about 12 to 14 inches, and I've got a 1/4-ounce weight here. You can vary your weight, but I keep it pretty
simple on light line. I'm right around 1/4 a lot of times unless
I've got heavier current or, you know, I'm fishing deep or a lot of wind or something
like that, but most of the time, I'm just with, like, a little 1/4 ounce and 12, 14
inches, and that basically is gonna put it right in that strike zone. So, I'm gonna pick a target, especially in
the spring since we're talking specifically about spring fishing. I'm gonna pick a target. I've got a little dock pole over there. I'm gonna let it fall basically by it. And it's shallow there. So, I'm already on the bottom. I've got the line in my finger so I can feel
that, have that sensitivity there. And I'm gonna let it go to the bottom, and
I'm just gonna kill it there. I want that drop-shot weight to act like an
anchor and it suspends that bait there. So, then I'm gonna have it on the semi-slack
line. You don't want a whole bunch of slack because
you can't feel or tell what's going on there, and you don't want it real tight because when
they bite it, you want them to take it in.
Transcript
Video01:15
02:30
How To Dropshot Fish | Bass Fishing by Bass Fishing Tips & Techniques by BassResource → And they'll come up and hit it. In the winter time, you pretty much have to
get it right in front of them when they're hugging the bottom. So you can bring it down to about 10 inches,
maybe 12 inches, but nothing shorter than that. And one of the reasons why is you're casting
it out there, and you're reeling it back. It's not straight up and down like this. It's at an angle. So even though you've got 18 inches here,
you're not 18 inches off the bottom. You're more about 12 inches or so with this
kind of setup. If you've got your bait this close to the
weight, like a lot of people . . . I've seen a lot of people do it this way. Well, when you're dragging it back, now you're
only what? Two inches off the bottom if that. It defeats the purpose of a drop shot. So I don't go anything shorter than eight
inches. In this case, I'm doing 18 inches, warmer
months. I'm tied to it. I'm using a six-pound. I'm not using straight fluorocarbon. I know some people really like to use fluorocarbon
for the sensitivity. And there's nothing wrong with that. You can certainly use that. I'm not saying that that's wrong at all. Just for me, I've been doing this for 30 some
odd decades and kind of hard to teach an old horse new tricks. So I like to just use that blended fluorocarbon,
copolymer mix. Works great for this six-pound test, real
light.
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