By Mark Romanack
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The author’s buddy Dan LaFond poses with a very nice walleye caught using a drop shot rig on a fly-in lake in Ontario. |
This
particular trip fishing was outstanding and it didn't take long for my crew to
catch enough walleye on traditional methods to put an episode of Fishing 411 TV
in the can. With time on our hands, we started exploring other less orthodox
methods of catching walleye and Kendall suggested trying drop shot rigging.
Ufortunately,
our group had not come prepared to fish using this or any other bass
presentation. Without access to most of the essential elements of a drop shot
rig, it required a creative approach to get rigged up. Being always adaptable,
a makeshift version of the drop shot rig was soon spawned.
“Not attaching the hook to a short leader or dropper,
makes the drop shot rig exceptionally sensitive to detecting bites,” Ulsh went
on to explain. “A thin wire and wide gap hook is essential for this rigging
method. Several popular manufacturers make “drop shot” specific hooks.”
Drop shotting is
a very simple, but highly effective rig that allows the bait to be suspended in
the water column right where fish can easily see it. Our modified version of a drop shot rig consisted of a leadhead
jig with the hook snipped off for a bottom weight. A No. 2 beak style hook
robbed from a nightcrawler harness, worked well as a “drop shot” hook.
Thankfully we had lots of six and eight pound test fluorocarbon line to work
with.
AT THE BUSINESS END
“The bait a bass
angler uses on a drop shot rig varies depending on the species of bass being
targeted, water clarity, time of year, water temperature and about 100 other
variables,” adds Ulsh. “That’s good because there are at least 100 different
options for soft plastics suitable for fishing on a drop shot rig.”
Some of the more
popular soft plastics for drop shotting include flukes, finesse worms, jerk
minnows, minnow grubs, tubes and a wide assortment of action-tail grubs.
Bait options on
this particular trip were somewhat limited. At our disposal were three types of
soft plastic baits including some Berkley Gulp Minnows in three and four inch
sizes, a few Berkley Power Bait Ripple Shads and a small assortment of action
tail grub bodies. Also in camp were a lot of very plump nightcrawlers able for
the task.
FINDING FISH
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Walleye are often found in deep water. Positioning the boat over top of the fish and targeting them with plastics fished on drop shot rigs is a good, but rarely used fishing strategy. |
Natural lakes
across northwestern Ontario are similar in make up. Most feature lots of rocky
shoreline and countless islands. In the open water basins, lots of submerged
islands provide walleye ideal places to feed on minnows and crayfish. The best
submerged islands had sprawling flats on the top with lots of scattered rocks
and gravel. Most of the good spots topped off in 20 to 30 feet of water and
were literally crawling with walleye from 18 to 24 inches in length.
"The vast
majority of fly-in lakes across Ontario are poorly mapped or not mapped at
all,” explains Ulsh. “Because we didn't have the advantage of detailed maps or
electronic mapping systems we had no clue where the humps and reefs were
located. The only way to find these fish holding structures was by covering
water, being patient and studying the sonar carefully.”
Thankfully, a
portable Sonar/GPS unit allowed us to save the location of productive fishing
spots once they were located. This made it possible to return to productive
spots over and over again.
A FISHING STRATEGY
The small boats
available on a fly-in fishing trip do not allow for the luxury of an electric
motor for boat control chores. Backtrolling into the wind using a small
outboard motor helped keep the boat positioned over top of prime structure. By letting out
just enough line to keep the sinker ticking along bottom, drop shotting
positions the bait a little off bottom and in clear view of nearby fish. By
staying as vertical as possible, it was possible to literally spot fish on the
sonar, drop down and catch them! The natural
movement of the boat was enough to keep the baits moving. No particular action
or movement of the rod was required to trigger strikes. In fact, simply reeling
up the slack line and holding the rod still produced the best results.
“Lip hooking the
soft plastics produced best,” added Ulsh. “Compared to jig fishing, drop shot
rigging makes it easier to detect subtle strikes. With jigging, the bait is
constantly raising and lowering in the water. If a fish strikes as the lure is
dropping, it’s very difficult to detect the take.”
By comparison
drop shotting keeps the angler in direct contact with the lure. The most subtle
strike is readily telegraphed up the line and easily detected as a bite. “Snags were
relatively rare even when fishing in rock rubble,” said Ulsh. “The most snag
free style of drop shot sinkers are pencil weights. Other weight shapes
function well in sand or gravel, but not in rock.”
TACKLE CONSIDERATIONS
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Fishing 411 videographer Paul Chilson takes a break from filming to beat up on some walleye using drop shot rigs. This mainstream bass fishing method is absolutely deadly on walleye and other species. |
“Fluorocarbon
line is a vital part of this subtle presentation,” says Ulsh. “Because
fluorocarbon has less stretch than monofilament it’s a more sensitive medium, making it easier to detect strikes. Super braid lines are on the other side of
the spectrum and have too little stretch. The lack of stretch allows the fish
to detect that something is unnatural and spit out the bait as fast as they
inhale it.”
SUMMING IT UP
Drop shot
rigging is wildly popular among bass anglers who use this presentation to tease
bites from heavily pressured bass. For the walleye angler looking at
alternatives to jigging or live bait rigging, the drop shot rig has much to
offer. When walleye are
found in deep water and holding on bottom structure, a trick from the bass
angler’s handbook is just the ticket.