Do you dropshot for walleye?

[f2eight]

Hi Guys, I like experimenting with different techniques and I've never tried dropshotting, and you guys don't seem to talk about it much. From the fish's perspective, I can't see it being much different than a slip bobber setup. But I'm willing to give it a shot (!!), especially because I have to spend practically nothing for the gear. I mostly fish the southern reservoirs. So, do you have success with this? Anything special about your setup? Baits? I'm thinking a leech or nightcrawler would be great with this technique.

Thanks for reading.

[Oxfish]

I have drop shotted for walleye lots before. It works well but using a jig is easier and more simple and works just as well.

Sent from my Pixel 5 using Tapatalk

[stubblejumper01]

You can get some hooks that are designed to tie inline.
I use about a 1/4 ounce jig with a minnow and stinger hook to help keep the bait on at the bottom. I use either a leach or worm on the top hook. Sometimes a fake minnow too and don’t forget trying a strip of beef heart.I also tie a swivel above the inline hook. I pretie a few and wrap them around a chunk of pool noodle. You get some bad tangles when a pike or gold eye hits. It’s easier to just throw on a new rig.
This can be very successful drifting. It also helps you determine which bait is more effective that day.

[f2eight]

By inline hook, do you mean this VMC Spinshot hook?

https://i.imgur.com/4CHGO7r.jpg

[Wes_G]

I have tried but found that jigging is just as effective. Also usually loose it all when pike hits it.

[BEL]

Very effective with a jig and minnow on the bottom with leach on top. Many times only the top hook gets hit. BEL

[SamSteele]

Dropshotting is an effective way of presenting your bait a consistent distance from the bottom, particularly in areas where there are steep break lines or variations in depth. A slip bobber will do the same as long as the depth doesn't vary too much.

As far as hooks to use, the VMC Spinshot works well but you can use any size octopus hook (which are often cheaper) and tie it with a long tag so the hook sits horizontal and the dropshot weight goes on the tag end.

Nishine Lure Works just came out with an interesting dropshot hook design that I plan to try out this summer some time. https://www.nishinelureworks.com/collections/terminal-tackles/products/nishine-ds-hook

SS

[Bushleague]

Dropshotting is an effective way of presenting your bait a consistent distance from the bottom, particularly in areas where there are steep break lines or variations in depth. A slip bobber will do the same as long as the depth doesn't vary too much.

As far as hooks to use, the VMC Spinshot works well but you can use any size octopus hook (which are often cheaper) and tie it with a long tag so the hook sits horizontal and the dropshot weight goes on the tag end.

Nishine Lure Works just came out with an interesting dropshot hook design that I plan to try out this summer some time. https://www.nishinelureworks.com/collections/terminal-tackles/products/nishine-ds-hook

SS

The other thing it does, is allow you to jig an unweighted lure at any depth you want, even a small distance out from the boat. You need to keep your line fairly close to vertical but you can cast it out a bit, and jig or twitch the bait while leaving the sinker in place. You can use whatever weight you need to, because it doesnt effect how that bait will move on a slack line.

I've mostly used it in rivers, anchoring outside of an eddy, then working the slack water slowly with a drop shot rig. Here it can work much better than a jig, as you can leave it in the strike zone much longer, and use as much weight as you want without affecting the action of the bait.

Also had good luck with stream trout, grayling, and rocky's fishing nymphs on a dropshot rig. Ice fishing I will often use a small tear drop or wire worm over top of a Swedish Pimple for perch and whites, often just using the spoon to get the smaller offering to the bottom, mostly letting it sit on the bottom while I work the tear drop. In all its a pretty useful technique

[stubblejumper01]

By inline hook, do you mean this VMC Spinshot hook?

https://i.imgur.com/4CHGO7r.jpg

Yes,and there are a few versions, some have red or green beads. A little colour never hurts

[Frank_NK28]

Cracks me up when some "pro" is credited with inventing techniques such as this. As kids we were fishing this exact way walking along the pier at Port Dalhousie on Lake Ontario dropping our baits down to the perch, rock bass, silver bass, white crappie, white perch, alewives, smallmouth bass, channel cats, brown bullhead, northern pike, eels, coho and chinook salmon, brown and rainbow trout long before some pro termed the phrase drop shotting and took credit as the inventor.
As kids we couldn't afford to buy commercial weights much so we often tied on spark plugs or wheel weights to hold us in the current on the canal side of the pier. Otherwise we used the standard bell weight. Yes it will work on and for everything.

[keeks]

I prefer the Lindy rig with a crawler injected with air. Or a leech. Back in Mb we would also use live minnows. Are live minnows legal here?

[chucklesthe3rd]

I prefer the Lindy rig with a crawler injected with air. Or a leech. Back in Mb we would also use live minnows. Are live minnows legal here?
Nope, just dead minnows. Still can catch them and use them fresh just cant be live.

[WayneChristie]

must be a new system, Ive only been using it with a snelled hook for 60 years for everything that swims. still do

[Frank_NK28]

must be a new system, Ive only been using it with a snelled hook for 60 years for everything that swims. still do

Amen!

[HuyFishin]

i often drop shot for walleye. Mainly when I am fishing from shore. I just use a jig when fishing on a vessel.

[Seli]

I drop shot all kinds of plastics from paddle tails to Mr twisters from shore. I like the pencil style or the Lindy no snag sinker.
I also drop shot for lake whitefish.
I have never slip bobber fished but bought some as I am a sucker after watching YouTube videos in April waiting for the ice to melt!

[Bushleague]

I drop shot all kinds of plastics from paddle tails to Mr twisters from shore. I like the pencil style or the Lindy no snag sinker.
I also drop shot for lake whitefish.
I have never slip bobber fished but bought some as I am a sucker after watching YouTube videos in April waiting for the ice to melt!

I've on ocasion combined the two, a drop shot rig under a slip bobber. Especialy from shore this can occasionally be handy, once your float dirfts into a certain depth it will stay there. Or if you are trying to get/ keep your bait in a certain trough or hole it can be a good option.

Now that I think of it, it would probably be a good way of drifting nymps in a stream, set the depth a little long and let the splitshot bounce down the bottom, run your nymph about 10" up.

[barbless]

I still have a couple of these little white main line connectors. You just slip your snelled hooks and main line into the slot of the torpedo piece and kinda snap it into the cone piece. Hooks are not tied directly to your line. Put two on about 8 inch apart and it's like a Pickerel Rig. Worked for us for trout.