I have caught tens of thousands of fish on a drop shot here at table rock over the years. It is unbelievable and catches fish a jig and a Texas rig won't catch. I love powerfishing too but sometimes you have to adjust and switch gears.

A drop shot is awesome for holding a presentation in river current at the right depth and location and can be held there for much longer than a jig (unless you like your jigs permanently affixed to the river bottom, i.e. Snag). They are extremely thorough when fishing a current seam. The “small fish” label gets applied to this technique because you catch nearly every bass in the area with them, the latter ones being the smaller fish. Wrap a rubber band around your rod handle to hold the weight.

Hey Randy, I use the drop shot as a search bait. IF I am in an area that I think have fish, I will throw a drop shot to see if there are fish there; bass as well as bait fish. It is not just a deep water bait, it is a great tool for shallow water as well. Also, I use a 1/0 EWG hook on my drop shot and I texas rig my baits all the time. I use the EWG because it gives me options on how I can fish a bait and flexibility on what bait I want to use.

The late and great Aaron Martens didn't have any trouble winning tournaments with a dropshot.

Back in the 50's my dad used to cut strips of lead solder and drill holes through one end and make drop shot rigs . There were no drop shot worms back then but a Creme 6 inch worm worked great . I still have some of the old solder weights but they are a bit corroded now . There was no electronics back then . We just cast the lure out , let sink and start hopping it back to the boat . The solder weights were remarkably snagless .

Randy, You can Texas rig a drop shot, and you can use it with “active” electronics. I fish a heavier drop shot, also called a power shot, from my kayak on the same structure that I fish a jig on (8 - 20 ft), without “active” electronics. As a jig guy, this should be an easy transition. 🤔

BTW, Randy, the drop shot is not a lure.

A drop shot has caught me a ton of good fish. Always have one tied on. Catches big and small ones and works a lot of times when other baits haul water.

I love the drop shot. Worms, tubes, plastic minnows, senkos, etc. shallow, deep, etc. Fish-catching machine technique. No livescope for me.

Sounds like you don't understand the rig in general. You've pigeon-holed it as a vertical, electronics only technique. Its not at all. Its a great technique that works just about all the time.

We went out on the snake River a couple days ago. We caught 15 on the dark sleeper. Ran 10 miles and caught about 8 more and a thunder storm hit us. We high tailed it back to the ramp and it turned slick calm. Went back to where we started and I caught about a dozen good smallmouth on the drop shot and my partner couldn’t keep the dark. sleeper fish buttoned up. Ended the day with 42 fish. BTW, been here since the beginning. I watched every video you’ve ever made. I don’t have live scope. I am an old school clear lake flip and pitch angler. I am 58 years old and never caught so many fish in my life. I have an old tracker with a 50, 2d sonar. I am building confidence in the glide bait right now. I found smallmouth on the snake River and I don’t think they have ever seen a lure before. Cheers!

I do use a drop shot but not like most people do, I rig a full sized Zoom trick worm on a 2/0 hook and 1/4 oz weight at the bottom and fish it shallow around trees and grass on 20 lb braid. Not my favorite technique but it works, caught a 6.5 lb largemouth on it.

I agree. I would rather fish a Carolina rig than a drop shot. There are too many techniques today in bass fishing. It becomes overwhelming in what to tie on.

I think that the dropshot is probably one of if not the most effective techniques at targeting fish in deep water on finesse gear. You can suspend your bait right above whatever piece of structure you are working, and if your weight gets snagged, it won't cost you too much unless you use tungsten (which I do). Plus, this rig is also remarkable for fishing up against docks. I don't think disliking a rig qualifies it as worthless.

I have several tackle boxes I would prefer to throw BUT over the last few yrs, I honed my DS technique and catch LMBs and trout at my local reservoir. It is a technique that would just lead to snags and break-offs but over time learned how to reach farther out from the bank to find the fish. Different anglers and situations call for different techniques and equipment; all part of the fishing experience. 😀

I agree completely. It’s a pain in the ass. I fished it some and didn’t catch shit. Hated my life the whole time I was doing it. Weenee worm is a perfect term. I like big baits and I can not lie.

I first knew the drop-shot as the Lucky-Lucky rig. I do not recall the professional angler who developed it. I believe it was first introduced in Japan. I only recall reading about it in a Bass Master magazine sometime in 1983 o 1985. While I have caught fish with this rig , my best fish come from jigs, deep diving crank baits, and Texas rigged plastic baits. I do enjoy your postings,keep up the good work!

It’s different for everyone depending on what you are fishing and how you fish. For me it’s a square bill crank bait. I bought a rod specifically for them, I have a box full of them, yet I can count on 1 hand how many fish I’ve caught on it. Drop shot is lights out for me love it. I put it on a light action rod which is way to light but so fun.

hey Randy, I do agree with you on the vertical DS presentation. However, lately I, fish, my DS casting. I’ll do that in place of the shaky head. And I rig it weedless by using a small 1/0EWG hook. That allows me to, fish, Robo and other finesse worms.

There are a lot of Bates I would rather throw than a drop shot, but if the fishing is slow I always have one ready to go

Hi Randy. I agree with you. Early on, I was only catching fish with drop shots, but started catching more bass later by casting curly tail grubs and underspins. The latter is much more fun, but the former may catch more fish. It's a catch 22. Love your (non-rant) content!

Hi Randy, Thank You so much ! I agree with everything you say ! Part of competing is to have fun in a tournament !

I’ve been the same way , I like the idea that you can kinda work your bait right in the target some really well, but I don’t wanna be tying it on and worried about snags, there are some things I like about it, but if I was using it I’d be just casting in spots I think look good, no live scoping here, takes the mystery and excitement out of getting on some big fish

I won't say its worthless as you put it in the title because a lot of people use it and catch a bunch of fish on it but I don't fish it for the reasons you mentioned. And admittedly I have never fished it that much. My hats off to those that do.

Funny that yesterday I had the same conversation with my son. Happy the big smallmouth preference was on swimbaits jerks and wobble heads. I have no idea how a little smallmouth 15 inch and under can just tangle the heck out of a dropshot.

Drop shot is the the best presentation on spawning fish

We get it, Randy. You don't like Livescope. I can respect your opinion on it being "boring". I agree. Fishing featureless water (to the naked eye), isn't a whole lot of fun, but if you're fishing tournaments for a living, and the big bite is deep....there's really no better rig to use than the drop shot. Even without electronics, you can look at a topo map, and find the high spots and flats. You don't need livescope to be a successful drop shot fisherman. Additionally, if I'm paying thousands of dollars to fish in multiple tourneys a year, you're not going to find me flipping buck brush in July at 11am just because I enjoy it more. There's a time and a place. Save your experimentation and grinding the slow bite in the shallows for practice days or leisure outings. When you're fishing for money you gotta go where the greens are.

Not my favorite technique either. That said, it is without a doubt a proven bait time and time again. Most recently, Brandon Palaniuk essentially won Lay Lake, but finished second due to a dead fish penalty. Brandon did most of his damage with the drop shot on bream beds. He was relying on his 360 to show him bream beds and isolated hard targets in the back of a highly pressured creek. I would argue that it takes more skill to fish a drop shot effectively, while using electronics to assist than it does to burn down a bank throwing a topwater, spinnerbait, or pitching a jig. I feel like everyone has caught up with the power fishing/bank beating game and tournament results speak for themselves with most being dominated by the use of electronics and fishing offshore.

Randy I lay the leed line down the side of the pole and use a twist tie to hold leed line in place. Afterwards I'd put the hook in the guide legs. I've caught nice fish. I don't use sonar at all. I'd look for the birds baits and rings or boils. Then I fish it along the edge of brush and grass.

I couldn’t agree more, I always have one tied up but pretty much just refuse to throw it! Thanks as always Randy 🎣

I finally broke down and fished one and caught two back to back!

😄 I hear you Randy!! I couldn't agree anymore! 😄 This had me laughing out loud. I don't and won't weenie worm. Ever! Your my favorite fisherman to watch off all time. God bless

Great Lakes drop shot is unstoppable. Old Randolph is right about it being a pain in the ass to use, but it's highly effective on Lake Ontario when combined with Livescope. Easy to use, hard to master for most people.

I enjoy fishing the drop shot and have had good success in the Upper Midwest catching Largemouth Bass on it. I'm a Senior citizen and Novice Angler, and I've caught fish on the drop shot when nothing else was working. You stated that you had caught "lots of fish" on the drop shot too. So, how does that make it the "Most Worthless Lure that Everyone Fishes?" People are fishing it because they are continuing to catch fish! I guess you just don't enjoy fishing it, wrapping the drop shot line around your rods, rigging it etc., but that doesn't make it "worthless!"

Good point Randy... Shaky head zoom trick worm is my go to fineness then a drop shot.

I’ve caught some really good small mouth of a drop shot. And didn’t use a livescope! Let me know how that works for ya on Pickwick! 🤷🏻‍♂️

I'm like you with spinnerbaits, I despise them and never fish them. On Mead drop shot is essential to making a limit sometimes. It's one of the hardest lakes to fish in the country because it's massive, deep and clear. Many pros and you tube marketers like tactical bassin avoid it because it scares them. Love your videos

Not fishing strictly for bass so i love it. Threw my shoulder out fishing micro jigs for two seasons straight and stopped throwing my only confidence bait. Got on the best bass bite of my life the next spring with 2.8 keitechs but it died off. Discovered i could throw a downsized drop shot with the same micro finess lures i used to throw and started getting the constant bite i enjoy. Proceeded to up my pb bass multiple times mid summer on 3 inch trout worms. Then i found info from the guy who pioneered the ned rig and started fishing the light og ned heads and destroyed my pbs repeatedly for another season. Finess works for some people not for others. Commonly known as a skill issue.

The Texas Rig Can Cause You To Loose Fish Depending On How They Hit It, With The Exposed Hook On A Drop Shot Tied Correctly Basically Sets The Hook Automatically. I've Never Lost A Fish On A Drop Shot, But Lost Dozens On A Texas Rigged Fluke Or Worm. I Can Drop Shot A Fluke And Fish It Like A Glide Bait, And With The Fluke Being Elevated I Don't Worry About Getting Hung Up On Anything (Maybe The Weight But I Tie It On With An Overhand Knot So It Just Falls Off) Also The Weight Hitting The Bottom Can Attract Fish. In Heavy Cover Not An Ideal Rig But Everything Is Situational And Based On Adjustments.

I absolutely LOVE fishing the dropshot. It is the most fish catching technique in fishing. I used it for years with 2D sonar but LIVESCOPE is next level. I totally DISAGREE with you.

Totally agree with you Randy. Fishing a senko or using drop shot hurts my ego when it comes to catching these bass using artificial lures. However if it cashes the checks then I got to have it in my fishing arsenals.

Don’t know why but I love it. Love the Carolina rig and the weightless worm too. Guess it’s because I’m a bank fisherman at heart.

As a bank angler I occasionally drop shot when all I want to do is totally relax. I set up my fishing chair and kick back. I've caught several nice bass. Roboworms rock.

I totally agree Randy. While it catches fish, a drop shot is not a fun way to fish. Yesterday I just thinking and hoping I don’t have to start drop shooting to catch them.

I caught my biggest bass on a drop shot fishing a pond from the bank. But I seldom use it for all the reasons you mentioned.

Randy it would be interesting to hear what your opinion is on the flatfish or mag lip type baits. I always suggest the high action plugs like those for certain situations. Totally interested to hear what you have to say about them.

I use a dropshot on every outing. The technique catches fish; tournament quality fish.

I don't have anything but a depth finder at most times and Love the dropshot. You have yours I'll have mine. I don't fish it like most probably but I have results and I like catching fish 100%.

I always have a few drop shot rods in my boat, but my fishing partner and I typically will go try to find and flip for Largies when fishing St. Clair or Rondeau Bay (North shore of Lake Erie). I loved drop shot when I first started fishing for Smallies, but I have to admit, I am over it and would rather fish any other way.

The drop shot is a fish catching rig, but I hate reaching for it too. 🙂 I have been doing really well on the Tokyo rig and it is so much easier to fish and it comes through cover so much better. That said, I drop shot more than I want to.

I would say worthless and not liking something is 2 completely different things man... I feel pretty much the same way you do about the technique because I do everything I can to keep from having to use it but at the same time I've caught fish on it when I couldn't buy a bite on anything else.

Power shot is an incredible lure up shallow and a drop shot works great on deep points! It’s a tool that’s not used every day but far from useless.

The “drop shot” bait for me is the Shakey Head. I’ve watched countless hours of videos and have broke off a dozen hooks and have not even gotten a bite!! I keep trying it, but the time I allow to use the shakey head keeps dropping. I call it a “boat only” lure.

Because you don't like it doesn't make it worthless. Time to retire.

Enjoy your posts! Thanks for all the information you share! Haven't broken down and paid for any electronics to increase my catch count. Is it more exciting to catch on topwater.... of course it is. My enjoyment is from catching.... fishing is second!!

Randy, I almost always agree with you, but not this one. I don’t use electronics (I’m cheap)😊. I can quickly learn the bottom contour of the lake with the drop shot. Besides it’s a fish catching machine. Again keep up the great videos! I learned so much about bass fishing from your experience and opinions! Thanks again!!!

Being someone whole lives in the north east with a big river full of beautiful smallies running the length of the state 3 mins from my house I can happily say I do NOT use a drip shot ever. Flukes and spinner baits always get the job done with the occasional popper from time to time. I have tried the drop shot but feel the same way about it as I do the ned rig ; times have to be really really hard to dust off either one of those

I love drop shot !! We all know how much you hate livescope , but you can catch a ton of fish on it and you don't need real fancy electronics

I would ABSOLUTELY change your mind and perspective if you seen how i apply it, why, where, and reason it came about, ect. And i firmly believe it would work anywhere in the country catching tanks others cant catch!

Drop shot is like teaching your kid to fish perch with a cork

Ive never fished a drop shot rig but ive sure seen guys catch fish on them. rubber band around rod handle to catch your weight was the tip i got.

Randy i agree that it's not the most fun technique to fish but at times it just flat out catches em and i like to put fish in the boat!

Lol that's so funny I wanted to watch this video cuz I was thinking he better not say drop shot LOL. So funny my cousin enters tournaments all the time and whenever me and him go out fishing for the day I always use a drop shot and I always out fish him LOL he tries to talk me into all-day by using a different rig and I never switch and not once has he ever out fished me. Drop-shot always prevails LOL. Specifically roboworm with chartreuse tail or Berkley flatworms.

Agreed Randy. I fish with guys using drop shots and yes they do catch fish no doubt. I tried it and don't like it. I have found that I can use a Neko or weighted Wacky and catch just as many fish as they do fishing the same water and depth. And lordy its a whole lot less hassle!

I hate dragging jigs and drop-shotting, but I still fish ‘em when nothing else works.

Drop shot is just another tool in the arsenal when they are deep on bottom feeding on minnows size 1 ewg with Yamamoto shad shape worm texas rig it.Bend hook up slightly 1/4 weight short leader 10 inches below bait and 1/0 ewg 7inch robo worm Texas rig 1/4 ounce weight leader 3 or 4 inches below the tail. Caught many giant bass on both It dosen't snag drag on bottom throw in wood or grass on beds deep or shallow it's killer.

Drop shot is way more versatile than being a small worm technique. It can be fished just like a T or C rig too except it keeps your bait off the bottom all the time. That might not be important on highland resivoirs etc that have solid bottom, but most natural lakes up north the bottom is pure mud/silt /loose sand and a T-rig/C-rig or bottom bouncing a jig is completely worthless because it either just sits/snags on matted cover in the bottom or will stir up a bunch of mud/silt and engulf your bait if theres not veg. I fish the exact same baits I would a T-rig with a dropshot/"powershot", and always use a longer straight shank hook rigged weedless, it suspends the bait were the fish can actually see it.

You can't beat a drop shot with a baby brushhog... green pumpkin

Respectfully disagree. My friends and I have had 50 fish days shallow areas, shallow cover no fish finder required. In So Cal sometimes it’s the ticket. But you’re still the man!

its perfect from the bank or at the aqueduct here in cali.. for kids and adults… yes i love catching largies and stripers with jerkbaits but who can argue with success.. my dad passed and he was an old bait and wait guy… i so wish i could have introduced him to the drop shot.. he would have loved it…

I use it just like a Texas rig or split shot rig. I don’t use it in conjunction with lives scope. I think it’s a little fish bait here (spotted bass)

Agreed, i do not fish the drop shot. If they won’t bite anything other than the drop shot. I will just load up and head to the gun range and target practice. I don’t even love the Ned Rig, but i will do it for a hour or two and then wrap up the day.

I agree completely with this , down here it’s a catfish rig , lol lol

Think about a power shot in shallow cover with off set worm hook on a soft bottom. Good for wood or grass. 20lb. Test and hit them with med. heavy rod

Totally agree! Weight wraps around leader. Then the bass begins flopping, hassle not worth it imo.

I like catching them on whatever they want to bite. Drop Shot, C-Rig, Jig, swimbait, doesn't matter to me.

I use a drop shot as a second rod. I stick in on my rod holder, drop it down 10 feet while I fish my other rod. I continue to catch 5 to 7 pounder every day out. The fish hook themselves with an open hook. Randy you are missing out.

I don't use the weight, I find a hole in the lily pads and drop my worm, not a traditional "drop shot" but it gets tons of action in the right place. Pond hopping is the best drop shot.

I love how you say you’re one of the first. You need to specify, My grandad was catching catfish on a drop shot 75 years ago.

Thanks for the video. Not much of a drop shot fan either. I've been using a fish finder rig lately(or sliding Sinker whatever you wanna call it). It works great for bait fishing in the rivers. Throw a big chunk of Anchovies on it and some butt juice, I've caught some decent Stripers on it. No electronics ever, where's the fun in that?! 😎

Just won my 2nd event here in the CA foothills! 17+ with a 10.19 B/F! Every fish weighed in on d-s!! Just saying, not my favorite technique but an absolute must!! Bet your competitors are thanking you.

I agree, couldn't tell you the last time I used a drop shot

Ive seen people come in our local lake throwing spinnerbaits, cranks, chatters, buzzbaits, texas rig worms and not get one bite. Then i come in with my drop shot worm rigged weedless from the bank and get bites like crazy. But i understand the rig is a pain and my weight is always wrapping around my rod constantly, theres def pros and cons!

Fish what you like and have fun with it! I don't use live scope, and I don't drop shot either.

Totally agree Randy everyone likes to catch them the way they like I love catching them in top waters,lipless,and spinner baits .Hey if no $ is not on the line why not catch them the way you like.That is part of the reason why we fish to enjoy ourselves. Tight lines

I'm the weirdo that likes to dropshot. Great when the water is very clear or very cold.

Thanks for the video. I have never liked fishing the drop shot but felt guilty if I didnt. I am putting that rig away and fising with stuff I enjoy

It works but I agree it can wrap up your rod every time you move to a new spot. Matt S builds his own rods with a weight keeper seems to work good for him. But I don’t build my own

I have zero bow electronics on my boat and mainly fish the river/oxbow slews. Still catch the hell out of fish on a DS rig. I sat in one spot on the Alabama river and caught 80 bass. Wouldn't say i was fishing it "traditionally". I rigged it up with a 16" leader, and a 4" grub and basically fished it like a swinghead jig. Slow retrieve with the weight dragging the bottom. The bass absolutely destroyed it every cast it came by the piece of cover they were stacked on. Wouldn't bite a crank, wouldn't bite a jig, big worm, topwater, spinnerbait, swimbait, nothing. Even after the school got fired up. But they smoked the DS for over an hour.

Sometimes your dislike of electronics leaves you closed minded.I use a drop shot interchangably with a Texas rig as a search bait.If I find that vegetation is so thick my texas rigs are useless I will switch to a drop shot to get my bait out of the muck and fish it just like texas rig.

In team tournaments, I used to fish in the back of the boat, my partner would throw jigs, crankbaits, spinnerbaits, and I would always throw a dropshot. I would catch 5 fish to his one, and mine were always dinks, and his were always hogs. It sucked. We always had 5 fish, no matter what, even if 3 of them were 12 inches, we always had 5 fish.

I drag it on main lake points after they quit hitting the crank. But I usually use something else because of that damn weight swinging around.

I power shot with a 3/16 weight and a roboworm Texas rigged and catch the heck out of fish on the James river here in Virginia. On a baitcast reel

I have a stupid question. Way back in the 80's or 90's did you do a fishing segment that would have aired on WEHT in Evansville, IN. I was just a kid but your voice and face reminds me of someone that was on there when I was a kid!! I looked forward to it every week.

I can't even explain how many bass I've caught this spring with the drop shot (bank fishing) Yes, you can texas rig it, I do it all the time.

🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣 I absolutely hate a drop shot.. that tied on my back up rod and I never have to used it lol.

I feel you I hate fishing a dropshot too it’s my most desperate bait I’ll pick up, I would rather just go home lol I wrap my weight around my reel handle

LOL. Randy, for probably 2 years I have not fished a drop shot once in a tourney or practice. Until about a month ago. I too hate a dropshot, for storing in rods, the sinker comes off unless you tie it on instead of clipping it on.... and then when you fight a bigger fish or a fish jumps and thrashes they fling that weight and it can pull the hook out. I don't like it....Until about a month ago. KY lake tourney. Day 1 I caught a decent limit on keitechs and jigs. It was rainy and nasty, bite was good. Day 2 bluebird skies, post frontal the bite died. I caught 2 fish very early and then could not get bit for anything. I went up north on land between lakes side and found some bluffy walls. I used a finesse jig and other things, no bites. Then I put on a dropshot and started catching smallmouth and I ended up in the money at end of day. so a dropshot saved my tourney....like you said it can and does catch fish, but goodness it is a boring dumb technique.

I've come across a rig/setup that works so well for me and when I go fishing with my one buddy, he's always like - why aren't you fishing your lure, man?!?! Because it's boring and it's not fun. I want to use lures that are fun to fish and what has helped make that possible is a finesse version of any lure, say a spinnerbait. If I can't get bit on a normal size, I drop down to a finesse version so I'm not forced to fish the boring presentation always. I would say BFS here, but it's not always imperative to go that extreme.

If your tournament fishing for money it doesn't matter if you want to fish a drop shot. If thats what wins you 1st place then thats the deal