Drop Shotting at Lake George
My assignment? Lake George, New York, mid – October. My first thoughts? Auger? Tip – ups? But, I checked the weather and instead grabbed my rain gear, drop shot rigs and headed for the beautiful North Country in New York’s Adirondack Mountains. Against the backdrop of colorful fall foliage, I encountered several days of heavy rains, strong winds and, not surprisingly, cold temperatures. This could be challenging.
Lake George is a deep, glacial lake, spring fed and characterized by steep rocky slopes that quickly drop to depths of almost 200’. Mountain scenery aside, perhaps the most striking feature of this lake is its crystal clear waters. While the water clarity serves to enhance the natural beauty of Lake George it presents a challenge to fishermen. The deep cold waters in October were also challenging because the fish were holding deep and were relatively lethargic. To me, this said ‘light – line drop shotting’.
Equipment and Rigging
When conditions call for the drop shot technique, I reach for a 7’ light action spinning rod paired with a Penn Prion spinning reel. I spool the reel with #6 Tournament Green Ande Monofilament line. I like the 7’rod in these conditions because it gives me a better hook set in deep water. It is also shock absorbing and takes pressure off the light line when reeling fish up from great depths. The light line is a particular advantage in Lake George’s clear waters as it is less visible to finicky fish.
The drop – shot technique is perfectly suited to these conditions. While it is relatively easy to rig attention to detail makes the difference between catching and not catching fish. For my basic drop shot rig I tie a simple polimar knot, leaving a 2’ tag end for the sinker. To attach the drop shot sinker simply put the tag end into the eye and slide the line into the clip. The 2’ tag end allows you to adjust the placement of the sinker on the line.
The clips on the drop shot sinkers make this easy. Just slip the line out of the clip and slid the sinker up or down to the proper distance. The proper distance between the hook and sinker is something that will require experimentation to see what the fish prefer. Depending on conditions such as depth, wind, etc. you will also need to experiment with the sinker weight. One key to successful drop shot fishing is to use the absolute lightest sinker that still allows you to hold bottom.
Another key to successfully fishing this rig is to be sure that when you tie your polimar knot the hook must point up. (If your hook is not pointing up this can easily be corrected by passing the tag end of the line up, over and back through the eye of the hook) My choice of hooks for light – line drop shotting are either a # 1 Owner Down Shot, long shank, off set hook or a #2 Mosquito short shank hook. I pair these with a 3’’ – 5’’ plastic worm. For Lake George I chose a 4” kuttail worm in watermelon.
To rig the Mosquito hook, place the hook about 1/8-inch from the head of the bait; this is enough to hold the bait on securely but not so much that it will interfere with the hook set.
When rigging the Owner Down Shot long shank hook, I rig it Texas – style. Again, attention to detail can pay off. When first putting the hook into the head of the bait it is important to be sure that the hook pierces the bait as near to the end of the bait as you can get it. If it is hooked too far into the head the bait will spin. Don’t worry about the bait falling off the hook. Once on the hook, I secure the bait with a small drop of Loctite® super glue gel applied at the eye of the hook. This will give your bait added strength and Loctite® super glue will not weaken the line.
Another line-saving tip has to do with the shaft length of the hook. I like to use the long shaft hooks. If a fish takes the bait in deep, the fish’s mouth will chafe against the hook shank rather than against the light line. The longer hook shank also helps reduce chafe when bringing fish up from deep bottoms. A short shank hook can be ideal if the fish are particularly finicky and you need to downsize your baits to encourage fish to bite. For other drop shot tips and techniques tune into Bass Edge.
Approaching Lake George
With my drop shot rigs ready I headed for the Lake. The rain had stopped, but the wind persisted. I began to scout the Lake. I found fish holding on the leeward side of long, gravelly points on the main lake. These points were in about 40’ feet of water and dropped sharply to a depth of 80’. Most of the fish were marked between 60’ – 65’ of water. Once I had identified this pattern, I used my Navionics Hotspots Premium Chart to find similar structure on the rest of the lake.
When approaching a point I idled back and forth over it looking for boulders or anything else that might provide additional cover for fish. Soon, I marked fish and I threw a marker buoy near the spot. Marker buoys are another useful tool in your arsenal. The visual marker saves time relocating your fish and ensures that you can reposition yourself on the spot. Another tip for using marker buoys in deep water is to use 10 – 12 oz of weight to allow it to get to the bottom quickly. This ensures that the buoy doesn’t drift away from your spot before it is securely on the bottom. The heavy weight will also keep it in place during windy conditions.
To position the boat on these points I held the boat perpendicular to the point and pointed into the wind. It is important to keep the boat pointing into the wind. This allows you to control the speed of your drift and keep the baits in the strike zone longer. A slow controlled drift is critical when targeting lethargic fish in cold waters. The bait was dropped straight down and allowed to sink to the bottom. Once on the bottom it is necessary to experiment some with your presentation. It may need to sit for several seconds then give the rod a few twitches which will make the bait flutter. This rhythm will vary and may take some time until you get the right cadence to trigger a strike.
When the strike occurs, proper hook set with light line in deep water is critical. To set the hook in these conditions I lift steadily on the rod while winding the reel at the same time.
With this light tackle drop shot technique I was able to find and catch finicky deep water fish. Add this versatile technique to your tackle box and you can catch fish even in the cold, clear, deep October waters of Lake George.
Ken Brodeur is a Bassmaster Elite Series Angler from Connecticut. Ken is also a licensed charter boat captain on Long Island Sound and the North Atlantic Ocean. Ken's sponsors include Loctite, Triton, Mercury, Navionics and Dot-E-Dee Sportfishing.
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