Hi all,
Been a while since I’ve been around here, and havent really fished a whole lot in the last year and a half or so, but I havent stopped all together.
I thought I’d jump back into it and share my drop shot rig I have tied on nearly every time I hit the water, it has been so successful for me the last three or four years its unreal, on top of being super versatile.
First off, there’s nothing terribly fancy about it, in its entirety it’s just a normal drop shot rig, the little bit of magic in it is with the hook/swivel connection. I use Gamakatsu Open-Eye Siwash Hooks (size 10 or 8 primarily, but have them pre rigged up to 1/0) and close the eye over a VMC rolling swivel. This allows the user to have a swivel in the rig, right at the hook to prevent line twist without having excessive knots in the whole thing.
Attachment 474935
If you’re using fine diameter braid (Suffix Nanobraid or Varivas Infinity for example) having the swivel is less important because line twist doesn’t affect these lines as bad as a fine diameter Fluorocarbon (Varivas Ajing Master Blue is my current favorite) which will turn into a mess real quickly on you.
Using the siwash/swivel rig I have tied direct to to swivel eye with my braids and never felt like I’ve left anything on the table catching wise; as long as you use a nylon mono dropper for the weight side of the swivel that is lighter test than the braid. The weight is the sacrificial piece here. Losing a premium VMC rolling swivel and Gamakatsu siwash hook to a rock hurts the wallet!
I began this journey with 1” gulp minnows and have caught 1000 or more fish on them since starting this method in 2019, they’re great, but messy, smelly, and as durable in the water as cotton candy.
For other, more durable options I have more recently switched to the 1.75” Eurotube from Eurotackle, the Micro TRD from Zman, TRD Ticklerz Micro from Zman and a Hive Manta from Lunkerhunt with great success, the Eurotube being the clear winner here, it is dense, solid and have a bit of scent that’s perfect.
This year I began tying rabbit strip minnows and leech patterns on these hooks and had incredible success as well, this is the ultimate in durability and re-fishability.
Attachment 474936
I rarely use any weight heavier than 1/8 oz, down to 30’ feet on the bottom unless it’s VERY windy, or im below one of the big dams around here in the current, I may go up to 3.8, but 1/4 is usually enough due to the small diameter of the line Im using being able to cut the water so well. I will actually switch away from my beloved Nanobraid and favor the sinking nature of the 3 or 4 lb fluorocarbon when in the heavy current.
Attachment 474937
This particular rig I feel like my 6’10” Lunakia was made for, 99% of the time I have that rod in my hand its got a DS rig on it. I love the Lunakia so much with this drop shot rig, I have scaled it up 2 more times! I have the 7’5” and now the 8’2” models for fishing big water/big fish. I dont use the 755 or 822 model quite as much with drop shot rigs from the boat as they’re just really long, but from the bank they’re great. But, one does not need a rod like the Lunakia to have success with the DS rig for ultralight fishing, any rod with a relatively fast tip and a bit of backbone with be fine, just take care not to overload any solid tip model rod with the weight.
I mentioned versatility of the rig. I’ve fished this rig in the spring for bedding bluegills in 2’ feet of water down to 30-40’ in the river channel edges for whites and one particularly angry stripper I only got to see once. I’ve fished this rig in Mississippi River oxbows and caught gar, the canals around NOLA for tropical escapee cichlids, smallmouth on the other end of the Mississippi up near Lacrosse, and lots of places and fishes in between. The only thing needed to vary is the weight and the length of leader line between the weight and the swivel.
