GEAR
THE TACKLE JUNKIE
By Sean Ostruszka
48
sean ostruszka is a lure
designer whose baits
have been sold by various
tackle companies. he’s
also a freak for tackle
details.
DROPPING KNOWLEDGE ON THE DROP-SHOT
IT’S THE SUBTLE DETAILS THAT MAKE A BIG DIFFERENCE BETWEEN GOOD
AND BAD DROP-SHOT WORMS
I
t seems ridiculous to think something
as simple as a drop-shot worm could
be complex enough, design-wise, to
dedicate an entire article to it, but don’t
tell that to most fLW pros.
drop-shotting is like a cult for some
anglers. there’s one former fLW pro who
was so specific about what tipped his
drop-shot hooks that he had his lure
sponsor make various custom models of
his favorite soft-plastic bait with different
densities so he could alternate based on
how deep he was fishing, the water pres-
sure or the fish’s moods.
or consider the 2018 tour event at
Lake st. clair. Pros were trying to get their
hands on the discontinued Jackall ishads
like they were made of gold. Why? Well,
even though the baits flopped for what
they were designed to do, apparently, they
make incredible drop-shot baits.
so, what is it that makes them or any
other tried-and-true drop-shot lures such
as the roboworm or Jackall cross tail
shad so special? Let’s dig into it.
Staying Horizontal
Last i checked, baitfish tend to swim
horizontally.
sure, they might tilt their heads up or
down, but most of the time, particularly
while hanging out in one spot, they’re
horizontal.
thus, if you’re going to mimic a resting
baitfish with a drop-shot, it stands to rea-
son your lure should rest horizontally in
the water.
soft-plastic materials vary in density.
some float, some sink, and, depending on
the material (usually drop-shot lures are
made of a buoyant soft-plastic), a lure
manufacturer has to add just the right
amount of additives such as salt to get
the bait to be neutrally buoyant. it’s simi-
lar to how hard-lure manufacturers aim
to nail the formula of buoyancy plus
weight plus material density to get a jerk-
bait to suspend.
yet, it might actually be harder to do it
for a soft-plastic drop-shot bait. a jerkbait
has weight throughout its body when you
factor in ball bearings, eyelets, o-rings
and hooks. a drop-shot lure just has a
weight – the hook – at the very tip of its
nose, and that weight varies depending
on the size of the hook.
so, the best way to figure out if your
favorite worm rests horizontally when
FLWFISHING.COM I WINTer 2020
THE
TACKLE
JUNKIE