masterS series
lures
I use three basic baits when drop-shotting : a Roboworm Straight Tail Worm ( 4 1 / 2 to 7 inches ), a Berkley MaxScent Hit Worm or Flat Worm , and a 4-inch Keitech Easy Shiner . I generally like natural colors for all of them but will go to extremely gaudy colors in dirty water .
Straight-tail worms like the Roboworm are my bread and butter when drop-shotting . I like the MaxScent baits when the water ’ s cold . I think the scent really helps in cold water . I use the Easy Shiner with a heavy sinker in deeper water and just reel it steadily back to the boat , almost like crankbait fishing .
If I ’ m in Florida or somewhere with a lot of shallow grass , I like a Zoom Finesse Worm or Trick Worm in june bug or red bug . It ’ s done really well for me .
how
A lot of people think of drop-shotting as a vertical technique , but I rarely just drop the bait under my boat . With today ’ s modern forward-facing sonar , I ’ m usually making a long cast out on a point or flat and letting the bait go to the bottom . From there , I like to drag it back to the boat . I shake the bait very little . Dragging it across the bottom gives it plenty of action and keeps it looking natural .
I ’ ve seen several times that the length of leader made a big difference . I generally stick with 10 to 12 inches , but there have been a couple of instances when another angler in my boat using a much longer or shorter leader caught a lot more fish than me until I matched their leader length . Nevertheless , I generally start at 10 to 12 inches and only change if that ’ s not working . And I ’ m much more likely to experiment in tournament practice than I am on a competition day or when I ’ m out fun fishing .
PHOTO BY JOSH GASSMANN PHOTO BY CHRISTOPHER SHANGLE
56 MAJORLEAGUEFISHING . COM | FEBRUARY-MARCH 2022