Fish Power Drop Shot Rig

Most people think drop-shot rig is only for finesse fishing, but there’s more than one way to skin a jack! (or Fish), as the case may be. The new style Power Drop-Shot pioneered by Kotaro Kiriyama is quickly becoming the way to bigger and better bags on many of the tournament courts.

Drop-shot rigs consist of a hook attached to a sinker that is attached to the end of the line so that the lure hangs off the bottom. Conventional rig consists of a light action spinning rig and 4 to 8 pound line, and the tack is generally deployed vertically in deep water.

Kiriyama says, “Drop-Shotting is all about presenting a soft plastic lure in a different way than Texas rig or Carolina rig.” When conditions permit, Kiriyama, (who has posted 10 Top 10s in his first 37 events on tour), says, “You can get more bites with lighter line and smaller lures, but when there’s heavier cover, it becomes requires a power version.

This is a technique that we have used successfully for the past year and now we are going to share it with you here in the Northeast. This technique works great on all the lakes, rivers, and reservoirs here in the Northeast. It’s a great way to put together a real quality stringer.

The drop shot setup with the weight below the lure makes it ideal for casting on heavy cover. The reason is that the plumb bob goes better through the deck and falls directly to the bottom.

You can fish faster and cover more water! We fish it like other anglers fish with a Texas rig, but like Kiriyama, we think it’s more effective! This is a great tactic for places like the Potomac River or lakes like Kerr or Gaston where the fish are hard pressed and are used to seeing anglers flip Texas rig and Carolina rig. This gives the highly pressured fish a completely different look. The team also has other advantages. There is less line wear at the hook’s knot because the sinker does not strike against it and the hook does not drag the bottom where the line and knot can be damaged. You can also detect bites much more easily, because the feel goes right through the line without going through a plumb bob that dampens sensitivity. In lower Delaware we have a bald cypress swamp on one of the lakes, and there are similar areas on the Nanticoke River as well. Most anglers flip these trees with Texas rigged worms in the 4 inch size or a small lizard in the spring. We like the power drop shot team better in these areas. It attracts bass lying near the bottom or suspended for cover on the roots.

You can fish this rig both horizontally and vertically. In the strong currents of the Sassafras River in the upper Chesapeake Bay, we dragged it from the still waters into the faster moving current and caught largemouth near the edges hoping for an easy meal. You can also use this platform successfully on a deep deck. This will work well on standing wood on Table Rock Lake when fishing on a fluorocarbon line at a 10-16 pound test. We used the 30 pound test when the fish were aggressive and went down to 10 pounds when the bite is tougher. However, this is a clear to tinted water technique and works much better in these conditions. There are areas here in the northeast that sometimes have extremely clear water, and it excels in those areas. We use this around deep spots as well with great success. Waters like Spruce Run and Greenwood in New Jersey and New York are great areas to use the Power Drop shot. We use it anywhere you would normally use a Carolina or Texas rig.

When we flipped the Power Drop Shooting Rig, we used Yamamoto Cut Tail 6 and 6 1/2-inch worms. We have tried a variety of other baits with this rig, but the straighttail and docktail worms have produced the best results. When you’re flipping it on fairly light cover you can go with a lighter 1/16 ounce sinker, and as the cover gets thicker we go up to 3/8 ounce. Since early 2003, we have been using only tungsten weights for all of our baits. We think this is especially important with the Power Drop Shot as well, as tungsten is heavier than lead, allowing for a smaller profile, which penetrates cover better and allows for better bottom feel.

We usually rig the baits with a 2/0 to 3/0 Gamakatsu or X-Point hook, but sometimes we’ll go as high as 5/0 with some of the larger worms. The general rule of thumb when using this equipment for tumbling is simple; The distance between the hook and the weight is not more than 3-6 inches longer than the bait itself.

The equipment is easy to use, no fancy tricks are needed. Just drop the bait around the deck and let it rest. No further action is necessary due to the way the bait is suspended off the line. The natural current of the water imparts all the action you need. We also use this on bass as we don’t have a closed season here in Delaware during tournaments. The technique is just like any other type of cartwheel we do. We drop it near the deck, let it sit for a few seconds if the bass is being finicky, and then pick it up and launch it at the next target.

Try Power Drop Shotting this year in your local waters when everyone else is launching a Texas or Carolina rig, and you’re in for a big surprise!