Get the drop on bass with a drop-shot rig

Andy Wicker said that his go-to lure when conditions are tough on Lake Monticello in January is a drop-shot rig with a green-pumpkin Zoom trick worm.

“This is a clear lake, so I keep the line size rather small, usually in the 8-pound class, but I rarely go below that size line,” he said. “Since I’m usually fishing deep water, this is a good line size and helps when I hook a heavy fish.

“Using the drop-shot rig is a finesse presentation,” he said. “I typically use a ¼-ounce weight and I rig the plastic worm about 12 to 18 inches above the round weight (on a No. 2 circle hook). I like to refer to this as my ‘go-to’ lure to catch some fish, especially if I’m fishing a winter tournament on Monticello. It’s not what I use to try to catch big fish, although that does happen, but it’s great for finding fish that are not real active in terms of an aggressive bite.

“One advantage to the drop-shot is I can fish it differently,” he said. “I might spot bass on the graph and drop the rig right in front of them and twitch it a bit, then let it sit motionless, then after a few seconds, I’ll twitch it again — and sometimes a bass will take it or may have already sucked it in.

“Also, I’ll sometimes just slowly drag the lure through the school. Often, if I can get one fish to bite, another one or two will usually bite as well. For largemouth, a more-subtle action with the drop-shot rig is best during the winter. But I keep one rigged and ready, because it can make the difference between a few fish or a heavy limit. Once I find them, I can often come back and they’ll be in a more aggressive mode and bite other lures, such as a spoon or even an Alabama rig.”