A CASE OF THE DROPS

DROP AND GIMME 20!

DROP-SHOT RIGS MAKE FOR AN EFFECTIVE WAY TO SCORE LOTS OF PRESPAWN BASS

By Capt. Bill Schaefer

Southern California lakes are waking up for the new fishing season, and bass creel numbers will be rising on all the local waters. Water temperatures are climbing as well, and in the next couple of weeks male largemouth will be roaming the banks by the hundreds, looking for that perfect place to make a nest for themselves and their giant female mate.

This is the time of year when the bass are scattered from the shallowest shoreline to the deepest point on the lake. So, just go fishing and let the bass come to you.

TAKE YOUR BEST SHOT

Often, largemouth anglers look for that perfect bait for this time of year and that search sparks a lot of debate amongst us all. Which bait or setup is the best? Plastics, spinnerbaits, jigs or crankbaits, which one will draw the most strikes this time of year? Most of the time it may be that plastics have the edge over the other baits, but it is not so much the plastic baits as the techniques used to fish them.

There are many different rigs that can be used to catch fish, including the Bubba rig and Carolina rig, just to name a couple. But the rig that fishermen have all brought into their arsenal is the drop-shot rig. This setup is so versatile that it can be used from the shallows down to those deeper

Author Bill Schaefer admires a nice drop-shot bass from Lake Otay. There are many ways to trick Southland largies and smallies during the spring prespawn period, but Schaefer prefers the drop-shot method. (BILL SCHAEFER)

shy fish.

Sure, those other rigs will work this time of year, but there’s just something about the drop-shot rig that shows them up. All it takes is setting it up correctly and then fishing it the right way.

HOW TO SET UP THE DROP SHOT

I use a Daiwa Tatula series drop-shot rod with a lighter-action tip. The sensitive tip helps me feel the subtle bite of the bass. I run 20-pound braid all the way up to my Maxima fluorocarbon leader.

A soft tip is key to drop-shot fishing. It takes some practice to detect a bite, but once you have it down, it will be hard for you to put this setup away. The braid and fluorocarbon line help send the bite up the line to your hand, making it more readily detectable.

Tie a hook to the fluorocarbon line with a Palomar knot. The tag end of

The proper drop-shot setup requires adding a weight, like a split-shot, below the hook. “Having a split-shot on the end of the rig lets you work the setup around rocks, trees and brush without fear of being stuck,” Schaefer writes. (BILL SCHAEFER)

PORT SAN LUIS BOATYARD

One of the last true do-it-yourself boatyards. We provide our customers with a one stop boatyard that can answer all your boating questions, and provide you with the highest quality in Marine Supplies & Service.

Weekend Launch Hours: 5:30am–4pm Monday–Friday Launch Hours: 6am–4pm

Hours of operation during fi shing season

805-595-7895

LIGHTWEIGHT. The lightest 200-hp four stroke on the market LIGHTWEIGHT. The lightest 200-hp four stroke on the market POWERFUL. 2.8L displacement and Variable Camshaft Timing give it the best power-to-weight ratio of any 200-hp four stroke POWERFUL. 2.8L displacement and Variable Camshaft Timing give it the best power-to-weight ratio of any 200-hp four stroke COMPACT. Nearly 120 pounds lighter than our four-stroke V6 F200 COMPACT. Nearly 120 pounds lighter than our four-stroke V6 F200

THE ALL-NEW F200 IN-LINE FOUR. FORWARD THINKING. THE ALL-NEW F200 IN-LINE FOUR. FORWARD THINKING.

Show the water who’s boss with the new F200 In-Line Four. Incredibly light, responsive and fuel efficient, it serves up plenty of muscle to handily propel a variety of boats. On top of that, its 50-amp alternator offers the power to add a range of electronics, and its 26-inch mounting centers and compatibility with either mechanical or digital controls give you the flexibility to easily upgrade your outboard or rigging. Experience legendary Yamaha reliability and the freedom of forward thinking, with the all-new F200 In-Line Four. Show the water who’s boss with the new F200 In-Line Four. Incredibly light, responsive and fuel efficient, it serves up plenty of muscle to handily propel a variety of boats. On top of that, its 50-amp alternator offers the power to add a range of electronics, and its 26-inch mounting centers and compatibility with either mechanical or digital controls give you the flexibility to easily upgrade your outboard or rigging. Experience legendary Yamaha reliability and the freedom of forward thinking, with the all-new F200 In-Line Four.

CALIFORNIA

AVILA BEACH Port San Luis Boatyard (805) 595-7895 www.portsanluisboatyard.com

OREGON

EUGENE Maxxum Marine (541) 686-3572 www.maxxummarine.com COOS BAY Y Marina (541) 888-5501 www.ymarinaboats.com

YamahaOutboards.com/F200InLine YamahaOutboards.com/F200InLine

Follow Yamaha on Facebook® and Twitter™ Follow Yamaha on Facebook® and Twitter™

REMEMBER to always observe all applicable boating laws. Never drink and drive. Dress properly with a USCG-approved personal REMEMBER to always observe all applicable boating laws. Never drink and drive. Dress properly with a USCG-approved personal

the line – that is, the line not attached to anything – is left a variable length, depending on what type of bottom you are fishing.

Go with a hook size appropriate to the bait you are going to throw. Attach a weight to the end of the tag line. Some companies make dropshot weights, but I still use the old technique of squeezing a split-shot onto the end of my line.

WORTH THE WEIGHT

What is the advantage to having the weight below the bait? Well, almost all Southern California lakes have some type of moss growing on the bottom. This setup helps you keep the bait above the lakebed.

With the lure presented right on the bottom, it can be twitched up and down to get the attention of fish. It will also just hit the bottom softly and not be pulled into the weeds, such as with a Texas-rigged worm.

Having a split-shot on the end of the rig lets you work the setup around rocks, trees and brush without fear of being stuck. You can just pull off the split-shot and put a

Tom Buckalew shows off a nice San Vicente bass. Whether you go with the drop-shot setup or perhaps a Texasrigged worm rig, this is a great time of year to target bass. (BILL SCHAEFER)

new one on your line.

Soon the bass will be on the cruise looking for nesting spots, but once they lock onto a bed, this setup can be deadly as well. Toss it onto a bedding bass and they won’t be able to resist it.

BED BASICS

If you are bed fishing, a bass will suck in the bait and not feel the weight until she starts to swim off. That extra second or two will let you set the hook. The lighter object is all you may need to catch that wary bass. I always preach to let the big momma bass go once hooked off a bed. It will prolong the life of the larger bass in the lake.

Sometimes, males lock on the beds and females hang out in deeper water – say, on points leading into the spawning area. This setup allows you to fish deep as well. You may have to use a slightly larger weight, but the effect is the same. The darting, fluttering, swimming lure looks much more natural to those big wary females; pass it in front of one and it should bite.

GEAR OPTIONS

There are companies that specialize in drop-shot weights, hooks and baits, testament to how popular this method is. Local tackle shops will have an assortment, so choose the hook for the bait, the weight for the depth.

Usually, somewhat smaller plastics are used, but almost any type of plastic lure can be put on your dropshot rig. Worms, creatures, grubs or small shad-type plastics all work with this rig, but I like the shad pattern baits the best.

We are approaching the right time of year for you to gain confidence in a new technique if you have never tried it before. You may have to fish a little deeper for the next couple months, depending on the weather, but soon there will be so many males starting to roam the banks that it will be pretty easy to get a bite. Once you gain confidence in this setup, you will not put it down. CS