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AI-generated illustration of an angler reeling from a small boat on a freshwater lake.

How to Set Up a Drop Shot Rig: Hook, Leader, Weight and Spacing

by RUNCL

A basic drop-shot holds the hook above a weight on the hanging tag line.4

Choose and connect the line

  • In Aaron Martens’s spinning setup, 16-pound braid is paired with an 8- to 10-pound fluorocarbon leader.1
  • Matt Lee gives another documented pairing: 10-pound braid with an 8-pound fluorocarbon leader.3
  • David A. Brown uses a swivel to connect braid and fluorocarbon leader when line twist is a concern.4

Tie the hook, then hang the weight

  1. Double the line and pass the loop through the hook eye.5
  2. Tie an overhand knot in the doubled line without twisting the strands.5
  3. Pass the loop completely over the hook.5
  4. Moisten the line and pull both ends to snug the knot.5 For this drop-shot version, Brown leaves the tag much longer than usual.4
  5. Pass that tag through the hook eye from front to back, then pull it tight so the hook stands perpendicular to the line.4
  6. Attach the weight to the tag hanging below the hook.4

Set the distance from hook to weight

  • Martens calls an 8- to 10-inch dropper typical in his setup.1
  • In really dirty water, he shortens that dropper to 1–2 inches.1
  • With roughly 20–30 feet of underwater visibility, he extends it to 2–3 feet.1
  • VanDam warns that an 18-inch dropper cast into 10 feet of water can put the bait only 4–5 inches above bottom because the line enters at an angle.2
  • A tension-clip weight lets Brown adjust the hook-to-weight distance without retying at the sinker.4

Match hook and sinker to cover

  • Around snaggy cover, VanDam uses a weedless 1/0 or 2/0 hook.2
  • For rock or shell, Brown favors a teardrop weight for bottom feedback.4
  • In vegetation or wood, Brown favors a slender cylinder-shaped weight.4
  • On hard or clean bottom, VanDam favors tungsten for the feel it gives him.2
  • Martens normally uses a 3/16-ounce weight.1 In clear, calm water, he may use 1/16 or 1/8 ounce.1 In tougher conditions or with aggressive fish, he may move to 1/4 ounce.1

A different hook-knot choice

Martens prefers a Double Uni rather than a Palomar knot for his own drop-shot hook.1

Sources

  1. Aaron Martens, MLF, “Drop-Shot 101” (2019-10-30)
  2. Kevin VanDam, Bassmaster, “Rigging Considerations for Drop Shotting” (2017-08-11)
  3. Matt Lee, “How Matt Lee Chooses Drop Shot Weights,” Bassmaster
  4. David A. Brown, Bassmaster, “Drop shot delivers” (2023-06-13)
  5. Berkley Fishing, “Fishing Knots 101”
by RUNCL