Drop shotting has been successfully adapted from the bass fishing world to other popular gamefish species such as walleyes and panfish. Wired2fish contributor and pro angler Mark Courts explains when and how to use the drop shot finesse technique for walleyes and his preferred tackle and rod setup to fish it with maximum effectiveness.
TACKLE USED
- WORM – Berkley Gulp! Freshwater Crawler, 4-inch, color – Opening Night
- HOOK – Berkley Fusion19 Offset Worm Hook, size 1
- WEIGHT – Titan Tungsten Pro-Series Cylinder Drop Shot Weight, 1/2-ounce
- ROD – Abu Garcia Zenon Spinning Rod, 6’10” Med-Light
- REEL – Abu Garcia Zenon Spinning Reel
- LINE (braided main line) – Berkley Fireline Ultra 8 Superline, Smoke 10-pound
- LINE (leader) – Berkley Trilene 100% Fluorocarbon, 10-pound
- SUNGLASSES – Costa Del Mar Blackfin Sunglasses
Live bait has taken a back seat to artificial presentations over the last several years due to advancements in scent impregnated plastics, sonar, and boat control equipment. The drop shot pairs well with a wide range of plastics and is easy to pitch to productive areas with sonar and mapping. Perhaps most importantly, the drop shot maintains the bait in the strike zone of finicky walleye unwilling to chase baits.
Courts shares his primary methods of working the setup. As with any finesse technique, the right gear has a significant impact on success. He shares his go-to plastic, hook, and entire rod, reel, and line setup for coaxing bites from both active and tentative walleyes.
BOAT & EQUIPMENT
- FISH FINDERS (bow stack – Humminbird HELIX 12 MEGA SI+ G4N
- LIVE Sonar – Humminbird MEGA Live Transducer
- TROLLING MOTOR – Minn Kota Ultrex Trolling Motor
- BOAT – Skeeter WX2200 Select Deep V
