TAKEOFF
TECHNIQUES
By Tyler Brinks
California’s Aaron Britt combines
subtle drop-shot techniques with
careful Lowrance screen study to
fool smallmouths, largemouths
and spotted bass into biting.
VIDEO GAME CHEAT CODES
T
4 SIMPLE MANEUVERS TO GET BASS TO BITE A DROP-SHOT WHEN VERTICAL FISHING
he area where FLW Tour pro Aaron Britt lives in north-
ern California is home to deep, clear reservoirs and big
spotted bass. Living there has granted him great
opportunities to “video game” fish with a drop-shot, and Britt
has spent countless hours with his head down watching his
Lowrance units and learning the technique.
According to Britt, each fish you encounter is different,
and there are subtle clues in the way they act that suggest
the best move to trigger bass to bite. These are his typical go-
to techniques. If they don’t work, he experiments until he fig-
ures out what does.
What to do when:
A bass rises to the bait
A bass headed for his bait is a sign to Britt that he’s on the
right track. He’ll still make subtle adjustments based on how
quickly the fish rises.
“If you see the streaks [sonar return] moving really fast,
that is an aggressive fish looking to eat,” he says. “I will stop
the bait and wiggle it a few times, and if they are going to get
it, it will usually happen right away.
“If they are slowly coming up they are probably more curi-
ous than anything. You can usually still get these fish to bite
if you lower your bait slowly down to the bottom.”
What to do when:
A bass stops beneath the bait
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In Britt’s experience, a fish that stops close to the bait is
usually willing to bite, but something has caused it to lose
some interest and stop its approach to investigate the lure.
In this situation, Britt will do whatever he can to regain the
interest of the fish.
“I will shake it right in front of the fish, even if the drop-
shot rig is in the middle of the water column. The gravity of
the weight pulling down still gives the worm a very good
action,” he says. “Each fish ‘talks’ to you by how quickly or
slowly they rise to the bait and then how abruptly they stop.
In extreme cold or hot water, you will usually have to play
with the lure more to get them to bite.”
What to do when:
A bass lowers back down
When Britt sees a bass rise up toward the bait on his
Lowrance screen and then drop back down, it signals to him
that the fish is not aggressive, but the fish is often still catchable.
In this instance, Britt will drop the bait to the bottom.
“Sometimes they will bite it just because it falls in front of
them, or you may need to trigger a reaction bite,” he says. “I
will reel it up about halfway and then let my drop-shot rig fall
quickly to trigger them to bite. It’s pure reaction.”
What to do when:
A bass stays on bottom
According to Britt, if fish are positioned near the bottom,
they are often easier to catch than suspended bass.
“Many times they will hit it as soon as it drops in front of
them,” he says.
If they don’t bite on the initial fall, he’ll reel up quickly –
about halfway up – and then let the rig fall quickly to try to get
a reaction bite.
FLWFISHING.COM I WINTER 2019