Drop Shotting Walleyes | A Modern Approach with Plastics

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.