With the right baits for drop shotting we can fine tune this rig to what plastic we can use. We can use almost anything that we want to use but here are some of the most popular baits used and how we work them.
Let’s start small and than work our way big. First, lets start with a 4 inch finesse worm. My personal favorite is the 3.5 and 4.5 inch Big Bass Bait worm called the dimple worm and the Hobo worm. The colors may vary from the bodies of water but my personal favorite is Bullfrog and magic craw swirl. There is the 4 inch minnow baits also. I like to throw a small jerk shad also made by Big Bass Baits called the rad shad. My personal favorite colors is a silver body with a black back. Most lakes in the north have a strong Cisco, alewives, and shiner base forage so this minnow bait covers all three very well and throwing a minnow type plastic, you have to match the hatch. Then we have the senko’s. This bait can be used on the drop shot. There are many ways you can rig this bait. First you can start with the normal nose hook, or you can wacky rig it. No matter what size of senko you use all will work. The action of this bait is second to none in the water and many times fishing for pre spawn bass the senko on a drop shot in water depths from 3 to 8 feet with sparse weeds is hard to beat! You can also use this bait in the spwan on the beds. One of the most effective ways to get a fast bite is to waky rig it and just give it short fast snaps, just like you would in a regular waky rig.
Next are the creature baits. These baits consist of beavers, brush hogs, and tubes. All of these baits work, the beaver is useful when pitching docks with a drop shot. The gliding action is what makes the bass bite. It is hard to tell if the bites on this bait are reaction bites or a hunger bites, but as long as you can fish this bait, you will catch fish. My personal favorite is a 4.5 Perfect Little Beaver in magic craw swirl, made by Big Bass Baits. Now when fishing a brush hog, it’s a little different, you have to give the rig a lot if slack when casted because of the weight of the bait and the overall gliding action of the bait will work itself. The last of the creature baits is the famous tube. One of the most effective tip I can give you with using this bait is to put an ear plug in the open cavity and nose hooking the bait. This will make the tube last longer and the bait will actually float and give it the most natural looking presentations.
We can also use lizards and craws to! Both the lizards and craws are great bed fishing baits to use on the drop shotting rig. These bait just get a lot of bites and there is really no wrong way to fish these. But the key of catching a bass on the drop shot is keeping the weight on the bottom and working the bait slow, giving the bait a slow wave motion, but fishing the baits fast with a jerk, shaking motion will work to!
All these baits are proven to catch fish on the drop shot rig but it is up to us fisherman and women to figure out what the bass want. Another key is to switch the sizes of the bait. Do not be afraid to go big. Sometimes this is the key!
Having confidence in your rig is how you’re going to catch more fish in a day. Tight lines to all!
Jon Reznack
