2 Owner Mosquito Hook.ĭuring the February 2008 Bassmaster Classic at Lake Hartwell, Kiriyama opted for a 1/8-ounce weight to slow his drop shot rig’s fall because of the frigid water. His drop shot rig consisted of a 1/4-ounce sinker 12 inches below a Jackall Crosstail Shad nose-hooked with a No. There was no need for Kiriyama to hold the drop shot rig above the bottom. The smallmouth reflexively nailed the bait as it plummeted past their noses. “I would see the bass on my graph and let the drop shot sink straight down.” “It was like playing Super Nintendo,” Kiriyama says. The bass were suspended 50 feet deep below schools of baitfish where the bottom was 80 to 90 feet deep. A variation on this ploy allowed Kotaro Kiriyama to win an Elite Series tournament on Lake Erie out of Buffalo, N.Y., with 93 pounds, 6 ounces of smallmouth bass. The basic drop shot presentation for suspended bass is to let the rig sink straight down to the depth at which you see the bass on your graph. He goes with a 4- to 10-inch drop line in the spring and a 15- to 20-inch drop line in the fall. This light hook allows the worm to slowly “float” to the bottom, which Martens says is the strike trigger. 1 Gamakatsu G-Finesse Drop Shot Hook (also called the TGW Drop Shot Hook).

His most productive deadsticking setup is a 4.5-inch Roboworm Straight-Tail Worm nose-hooked with a No. “I only do this when I know right where the bass are,” Martens says. Then he lets the bait free-fall back down to the bottom for another long pause. He lets it rest there for 10 to 20 seconds before slowly lifting it off the bottom without moving the weight.

After the weight touches down, Martens lets the bait free-fall to the bottom. It’s not uncommon for 15 minutes to pass between casts when Martens deadsticks a drop shot rig.

All star drop shot rod spinning