{"id":201,"date":"2021-08-25T08:09:15","date_gmt":"2021-08-25T08:09:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.outdoorsniagara.com\/?p=201"},"modified":"2021-09-02T18:54:16","modified_gmt":"2021-09-02T18:54:16","slug":"dropshotting","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.outdoorsniagara.com\/dropshotting\/","title":{"rendered":"Drop-Shotting"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

 <\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/td>\n\n

OUTDOORS
\nNIAGARA
\n<\/span><\/b>“It’s yours, use it,
\nprotect it, share it”
\n<\/b><\/span><\/span>“Niagara’s
\nPremier Outdoors Website”<\/span><\/b><\/i><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span>
\n<\/span>“Most informative and up to date outdoors website on the
\nplanet”<\/span><\/b><\/span><\/td>\n

\n

<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n
\n

 <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\n

Drop-Shotting
\nthe
\nNiagara River, Lakes Erie & Ontario<\/span><\/b><\/span><\/p>\n

[Or anywhere else as a matter of fact]<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/a>Exclusive
\non <\/span><\/span>
\nOutdoorsNiagara.com \u00a0<\/span>\/ \u00a0by <\/span>Mark
\nDaul<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u25ba<\/span>
\nBe sure to watch video on tying a Palomar Knot on this
\npage below<\/a>\u00a0\u00a0 and\u00a0 See
\ndiagram below<\/a><\/span><\/span><\/b><\/p>\n

\n

 <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n<\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/div>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/div>\n

Rainbow Trout<\/p>\n

Click to enlarge pictures<\/b>
\n<\/a>
\nLargemouth Bass<\/p>\n


\n<\/a>
\nGlenvale Lake WalleyeDrop-shot fishing the
\nNiagara River
\nis fairly new to many local fishermen. It is used mostly on the
\nsmallmouth bass population and is a very effective way of going
\nafter these critters. Of course live bait fishing largemouth this
\nway is a huge benefit!<\/span><\/b><\/p>\n

Perch are also vulnerable to this kind of fishing. Drop-shotting
\nought to be very effective for perch and bass fishing from shore
\nlike the<\/p>\n

Lewiston<\/p>\n

Docks for an example. Of course it could be used on
\nwalleye\/trout\/salmon fishing [Oops, see the pictures on the left] but this writer has no experience
\ndoing that.This
\nis deadly fishing weed lines for bass, perch, walleyes or crappies
\nanywhere – try it!<\/span><\/b><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n


\nED NOTE: Drop shotting
\nworks everywhere. I have used it extensively wherever I fished this
\npast Summer and Fall for perch, crappies, bass, northerns, walleye
\nand rainbows have been personally boated by me using
\nthis method. Samples in pics on the left.<\/span><\/b><\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Another recent note: Bob
\nIzumi won his first U.S.A. Bass Tournament [July 2011]
\nDrop-Shotting.<\/span> He says: <\/span><\/b>\u201cOne of the keys is to not
\nmove the bait when you\u2019re drop-shotting,\u201d Izumi said. \u201cI know a lot
\nof largemouth guys like to doodle the rod a little bit, but you will
\ncatch much fewer smallmouth doing that. It\u2019s very important when
\nyou\u2019re drop-shotting to not move the bait. The less movement, the
\nmore fish you\u2019ll catch.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n


\n<\/span>Traditionally<\/span><\/b>
\na Yellow Sally, a worm harness, minnow rigs, and some popular lures have
\nbeen the hot producers for Niagara River fish, but what do you do on days
\nwhen fishing is real tough and the fish don’t want to cooperate? Go drop-shotting,
\nsluggish bass can\u2019t resist and you will be able to feel any bump the
\nbass, perch or walleye gives this rig.
\n<\/span><\/p>\n


\n<\/span>Fishing with a drop shot rig is fairly
\nsimple but presentation is important<\/span><\/b>.
\nYou can fish directly over the side of the boat in a vertical presentation
\nor cast it out and fish in the traditional fashion and drift if you wish.
\nBut if you locate fish under the boat, [or dock] by all means, vertical
\nfish no matter how deep the water is. If casting out, do basically the
\nsame as vertical fishing. Let your sinker touch bottom and work your bait
\nby raising your line slowly until you feel the resistance from the sinker.
\nDo it again. Then do it again until you \u201cfeel\u201d that first bite. You
\nwill know immediately that it is a fish and not a bottom snag.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n


\n<\/span>Rigging: <\/span><\/b>Rigging
\nis fairly simple. First, let\u2019s start with your rod & reel. Sure you
\ncan use whatever you have but preferably use a good 6\u20193\u201d to 6\u20196\u201d
\n[even 7 foot] graphite rod, preferably a fast action quick tip graphite,
\nand a reel you can trust. The reel size should be light, maybe a 2500
\nseries reel or smaller for more fun. Equip the reel with any of the new
\nsuper braid lines, any color, preferably the light 8 # test. There are
\nmany brands on the market \u2026.. and fluorocarbon leader tied with proper
\nknot to the super braid line. These super braid lines offer superior
\nstrength and sensitivity plus they are a little more costly than plain
\nmonofilaments but there is no need to replace it every fishing season
\neither. Learning about these new lines can be an education in itself if
\nyou have never used them before, ask you dealer as many questions as you
\nmay have. Big Box stores can not offer you this advice. Always support
\nyour independent dealer; they are becoming a rare breed.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n


\nYou may also buy pre-assembled rigs from your tackle dealer such as
\nGamakatsu provides. Generally three in a pack and in sizes 4, 2, and 1 or
\n1\/0. \u00a0<\/span>These rigs are pretty
\nneat. You can change the setup in a flash. Check with your independent
\ndealer, he probably has them in stock.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Fluorocarbon<\/span><\/b>
\nhas some drawbacks like tying the proper<\/b> knots but the benefits are the
\nlower-visibility, strength that has a smaller diameter than mono, and no
\nstretch properties. No stretch is important when feeling your fish and
\nwhen setting the hook. You can feel everything especially when coupled
\nwith that graphite rod and good reel.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Tie a 1\/0 straight shank<\/span><\/b>
\nor turned out eye light wire hook to the line with a Palomar knot but
\nleave about 18 – 20 inch long tag on the end. Or use the drop-shot
\ndesigned hook as pictured below. At the tag end tie a preferably, for the
\nNiagara River
\n, a pencil sinker. Weight varies but 1 ounce is a good place to start.
\n[see picture] \u00a0<\/span>You can always
\nshorten the sinker if it seems too heavy for what condition your are
\nfishing.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\n\n\n\n
\n


\n<\/a>
\nClick photo for a large picture of rig with a
\ncrawfish attached ready for fishing.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n

Use any live bait you want or soft
\nplastics<\/span><\/b>. The new<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/div>\n

Berkley<\/p>\n

GULP<\/b> 3\u201d minnow baits, Leeches
\nor drop-shot gobies make
\nfine baits that in some cases are as good as live bait. The
\nBerkley
\nGULP<\/b> minnow comes in three
\ncolors, Black Shad, Pearl Silver and<\/p>\n

Pearl<\/p>\n

. 3\u201d size is best for river fishing, it simulates a resident emerald
\nshiner. Rigging is done through the nose, same as with a minnow.
\nHook a leech the same way or a crab like pictured. I stated GULP
\nbaits \u201cin some cases are as good as live bait\u201d.<\/span>
\nMy way of looking at them is first, they are not cheap when you
\nfirst buy them, but neither are minnows anymore.
\n<\/span><\/p>\n

The initial purchase is tough but in many instances more than one
\nfish can be caught using the same bait. If your bait dealer hasn\u2019t got
\nthem ask him to order for you. Split the cost with someone and give them a
\ntry.<\/span><\/p>\n


\nDROP
\nSHOT TIPS<\/span><\/b><\/span><\/p>\n

This rig fishes perfectly well<\/b>
\nat the Niagara Bar, at the Coast Guard Drift and any<\/u> other drift in
\nthe upper or lower river.
\nLake
\nfishing with it can be just as productive because of its sensitivity.
\nDeadly on smaller lakes & ponds too!<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The whole idea<\/span><\/b>
\nof drop shotting is you have no leaders to tangle and twist and the feel
\ncomes directly up the line to you and your graphite rod and good reel.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Tie your sinker with<\/span><\/b>
\na simple double overhand knot in the unlikely event you get snagged, you
\ncan pull the sinker off the line and you are not sitting there rigging a
\nwhole new setup wasting valuable fishing time.<\/span><\/p>\n

Nose
\nhook<\/b> your minnows, leeches, worms etc. Crabs hook through the tail in
\nconventional manner. [see picture]
\n<\/span>Try using plastic gobies, it is known the bass
\nlove ’em.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

If fishing Lake Erie or in any other
\ndeeper waters<\/span><\/b> you may want to
\nuse a longer 7 foot or more rod so you can effectively get a better hook
\nset. Remember: A fast tip is best feel and hook set power.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Make rigs beforehand.
\n<\/span><\/span><\/b>Even though you don\u2019t
\nlose many of these rigs because they are pretty much snag-free,
\n<\/b>you can tie a snap swivel on the end of your superline or mono and have your
\nfluorocarbon leaders tied up complete with sinker for quick changing in
\nthe event you lose a rig or want a change. Put the spares in a plastic
\nsandwich Zip-Loc bag or wrap them around a chunk of Styrofoam for storage.
\nI find that foam insulating pipe wrap you find in hardware stores to work
\nperfectly.<\/span><\/p>\n

Kids:<\/span><\/b> If you take the kids fishing with you, you will find they will have less
\nsnags, freeing you up with more time to fish yourself!<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

[See more below]<\/span><\/b>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/b><\/p>\n

\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 In the Stand Out hook diagram below make sure you
\ntie the hook at the top eye. The bottom eye just holds the hook out.
\n[Thus, Stand Out] Use Palomar Knot.<\/b><\/span><\/span> See diagram and video below on this page HERE<\/a><\/b><\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\n
\n\n\n\n
\n

<\/a>NIAGARA
\nRIVER \/ LAKE ERIE\/ANYWHERE DROP SHOT PROGRAM<\/span><\/b><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n\n\n\n
<\/td>\n
\nA NOTE ABOUT HOOKS<\/b><\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Even though many will recommend Gamakatsu hooks, you can use similar
\nhooks of that type.<\/p>\n


\nGamakatsu make a premium extra sharp hook and color is not meaningful
\nfor this type of fishing but it is your preference. Just make sure your
\nhook is tied with the Palomar knot<\/b> to prevent the hook from sliding down
\nthe line from the weight of the fish.<\/span><\/p>\n

The turned out eye is important
\nbecause you want to keep the hook sticking away from the line. I have
\nalways called this hook the “octopus” hook.<\/span><\/p>\n

The rainbow in the picture above was
\nlanded on 6 pound monofilament line and minnow using the Palomar knot.<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n<\/div>\n

<\/a>
\nHow to tie a Palomar Knot on video
\nThis is a must<\/u> watch for beginners or if you need a brush-up
\nA Palomar knot will prevent your hook from sliding down the line<\/span><\/b><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/object><\/p>\n

Video thanks to Chris Donovan Dept.
\nVirginia Game & Fisheries <\/span><\/p>\n


\nSmallmouth Bass<\/p>\n

\n

An interesting Tid-bit from Buffalo News
\nOutdoor Writer Will Elliot’s column:
\n<\/span>[Faircloth and Iconelli are both Pro-Bass Fisherman
\nand are quoted here by Will Elliot
\nwhile fishing the Empire Chase Bassmaster Lake Erie Tournament]<\/span><\/b><\/p>\n

\n
\n
\n
\n
You fish a drop-shot<\/b> \u2014 a small plastic worm or minnow
\non a hook tied 12 inches or so above the sinker, with a
\nswivel to prevent line twist \u2014 directly under the boat. You
\ncan actually see the swivel, worm and sinker on the graph as
\nthey descend \u2014 and then watch the bass come and take the
\nbait.\u201cI\u2019m pretty much seeing [on the graph] all the fish I\u2019m
\ncatching this week,\u201d Faircloth<\/span>
\nsaid during the tournament.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

The other thing to look for are the gobies, the tiny
\ninvaders that are welcomed by bass and the anglers who chase
\nthem.<\/p>\n

The bass feed on the gobies, said
\nIaconelli,<\/span> who fished his drop-shots with tungsten
\nweights<\/b> because \u201ctungsten is super hard, so you can feel
\neverything on the bottom.\u201d<\/p>\n

Feel for the spot when the sinker starts hitting rubble
\ninstead of smooth bottom, and feel for the tap, tap, tap of
\nthe gobies.<\/p>\n

The key on Lake Erie?<\/b> That\u2019s simple, according to Iaconelli: Find the rubble and the gobies in the same spot.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou know you\u2019re going to get bit when that happens,\u201d he
\nsaid.<\/p>\n


\n<\/a><\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 HOME<\/span><\/p>\n

Top<\/a>
\nBack to Hilts <\/a>
\nBack to Ognibene<\/a><\/p>\n

“Be an Outdoors Niagara Booster”
\n<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n

\n

\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

  OUTDOORS NIAGARA “It’s yours, use it, protect it, share it” “Niagara’s Premier Outdoors Website” \u00a0 “Most informative and up to date outdoors website on the planet”       Drop-Shotting the Niagara River, Lakes Erie & Ontario [Or anywhere else as a matter of fact] Exclusive on OutdoorsNiagara.com \u00a0\/ \u00a0by Mark Daul \u00a0\u25ba Be … Read more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[1],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"\nDrop-Shotting - OutdoorsNiagara<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.outdoorsniagara.com\/dropshotting\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Drop-Shotting - OutdoorsNiagara\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"  OUTDOORS NIAGARA “It’s yours, use it, protect it, share it” “Niagara’s Premier Outdoors Website” \u00a0 “Most informative and up to date outdoors website on the planet”       Drop-Shotting the Niagara River, Lakes Erie & Ontario [Or anywhere else as a matter of fact] Exclusive on OutdoorsNiagara.com \u00a0\/ \u00a0by Mark Daul \u00a0\u25ba Be ... 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