drop shotting

[tracker47]

I'm sure this has been talked about before here but I'll ask anyway. has anyone tried this method for walleyes? If so, do you use live bait or plastics? What's the best plastics and size hooks to use? I want to try this and just thought I'd ask a few questions first. thanks .

[Walleye Express]

Tracker.
I'm assuming you saw the Linder show yesterday where he was catching Bass on the drop shot rigs. I to have wonder about the possibilities of this method on walleyes, or other game fish other than Bass. Seems just like running a bottom bouncer or three way, except the main bait is tied directly to your main line versus having a leader trailing off.

Yet, your given full control over both the depth your offering is swimming and the swimming/vibrating action of the attached lure/bait. Seems a man could attach a floating jig and minnow offering just as easy as a rubber crawdad. I am going to seriously try to work this technique, or a variation of it into my river techniques this year.

[REW]

It is interesting how things old are rediscovered again.
When, growing up, my grandmother taught me how to catch perch and rainbow trout using this method.
Tie a sinker on the end of the line, tie on a hook a foot up the line and lob the line out. Keep just enough tension on the line, so that you can feel any fish that come along for the bait.

The nice thing about this method, is that you have absolute control over where you have your bait positioned. A nice aid, when fishing this method, is to use weight that is not too heavy, also use a rod, with a pretty light tip. This will allow the fish to signal their intentions, without spitting the bait.

Simple fishing - a dozen split shot, a dozen hooks and a dozen worms = a dozen walleyes.

Take care
REW

p.s.
Light weight running - since the total tackle weight is 1 oz for all the terminal tackle.

[Kolby]

I used to fish bass pretty heavy and even fished some tournaments close to home. My bread and butter bass catcher was always a plastic worm with no weights attatched. I would just cast it out in a weed pocket and let the thing sink so slowly the tail wouldn't even ripple. I would let it hit bottom and pull it a few feet up and let it "settle" back in. Neutral or negative fish will take this bait consistently. It seems to me that drop shotting is similar to this presentation with one major exception it sinks faster until the dropper hits bottom and then the plastic kind of hangs their, suspending somewhat, just like the no lead rig I used to use. Well, on a few occasions this winter I would be destroying the walleyes on spoons or minnows and they would suddenly shut off. I found that by drop shotting a powerbait down there with about a two foot dropper, I could "shiver" the plastic and let it hover and sink very slowly. Just let it hang in their face. Man they hate that!!! This would always get a few more fish. It seems a lively minnow or a flashy lure are just a bit to much sometimes. I did catch Al's show the other day, interesting how he was just dragging that thing around, just like a livebait rig.

Good luck,

Kolby

[REW]

As Al pointed out - "Just dragging it around" so to speak - with a given drop shot with a given hook height off the drop shot, is a great way, to guarentee the height of the hook/bait off the bottom.

With a lindy rig - very effective - it is sometimes hard to judge exactly where your bait is going to be - with respect to the bottom.

One thing that is particularly annoying is when fishing a slime covered bottom, or a bottom with 2-4 inch sparce weeds, and constantly having to retreive your bait to clear the "junk" from your hook.

With the use of the drop shot rig - the hook/bait (if the height is correctly adjusted) stays just above the top of the junk, or weeds - right in the eye level of the cruising eyes.

Take care
REW