The first key to being successful with drop shotting is to invest in a good rod, I prefer the Dobyn's 701 sf light fast action rod. You need at least a 7ft rod with a sensitive tip. Drop shotting is all about feel and you cannot feel the bite with a heavy action rod or a rod that is too short for the technique. The 701 is a seven foot rod, one power, which means it is a "light action" rod which is needed for the drop shot. The second thing to keep in mind is to use the lightest test line you can get away with for the size of the fish you are trying to catch. Here at Clearlake, I never go over 12lb test line and usually do not drop below 8 pound test. On clearer water lakes such as Lake Shasta, you will need to drop down to 8lb or even six pound test. The lighter the line test, the more feel you have and the less feel the fish have. The third tip I do is I like to use the combination of braid and a Fluorocarbon leader. I use 20lb Power Pro in the High Vis yellow color. I then add a good 10 to 12 feet of Seaguar Invisx line for the leader.
The advantage of the braid and fluorocarbon leader is you get Much More Feel, the braid is super sensitive which is very important in feeling the bite, it also has no stretch and allows a much better hook set. The fluorocarbon line also has less stretch than regular mono line, it also is more abrasion resistant and does not show in the water like a monofilament line will. The reason I use the ""High Vis""yellow Power pro line is that I can easily see it. Often times you will see the bite through the line before you will feel it. As a guide here on Clear Lake, I don't fish with my customers, I am constantly watching what they are doing, the tension on the line, etc. I often see the bite before they realize they even had one. The normal Moss Green braided line is hard to see against the background of the water. Using the ten to 12 foot leader, the fish will never see the yellow line. The last thing to do to increase your success is to use the lightest weight possible. I normally use a 1/8th oz weight and the reason for the light weight is that you don't want the fish to feel the weight when they pick up the bait and also the lighter the weight you use, the more you will feel the bite when the fish picks up the bait. In high wind conditions or when fishing very deep structure, I will go to heavier weights. So in a nutshell, invest in a good rod, use a braided line with a flourocarbon leader, use the lightest test line possible and the smallest weight sinker as possible. Hope this helps, ""Good Fishing""
The advantage of the braid and fluorocarbon leader is you get Much More Feel, the braid is super sensitive which is very important in feeling the bite, it also has no stretch and allows a much better hook set. The fluorocarbon line also has less stretch than regular mono line, it also is more abrasion resistant and does not show in the water like a monofilament line will. The reason I use the ""High Vis""yellow Power pro line is that I can easily see it. Often times you will see the bite through the line before you will feel it. As a guide here on Clear Lake, I don't fish with my customers, I am constantly watching what they are doing, the tension on the line, etc. I often see the bite before they realize they even had one. The normal Moss Green braided line is hard to see against the background of the water. Using the ten to 12 foot leader, the fish will never see the yellow line. The last thing to do to increase your success is to use the lightest weight possible. I normally use a 1/8th oz weight and the reason for the light weight is that you don't want the fish to feel the weight when they pick up the bait and also the lighter the weight you use, the more you will feel the bite when the fish picks up the bait. In high wind conditions or when fishing very deep structure, I will go to heavier weights. So in a nutshell, invest in a good rod, use a braided line with a flourocarbon leader, use the lightest test line possible and the smallest weight sinker as possible. Hope this helps, ""Good Fishing""
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