IslandBass
05-02-2005, 05:18 AM
Opening Day in WA State and Islandbass’ Report on Modified Drop Shot Rig
Saturday, April 30, 2005
Conditions: Overcast, Ultra light precipitation
Temp: Approx 50 F
Water Color/Clarity: murky, green with about 2 ft of visibility
Finally!!!!! The fishing season opened today in WA State for all of the lower land lakes. It has been an excruciating wait. Although there are lakes open year round, they are not suited for anglers like me who are relegated to the bank, shore or dock.
What a glorious day! The overcast sky was filled with low hanging gray clouds that you could almost touch. Although the clouds looked as if they would bust at the seams with rain, only a light and lazy drizzle fell. In other words, this was a typical Seattle day.
By the time I got to the lake, the dock and limited shoreline was already filled with anglers, young, old and in-between. I was headed for the dock. At first glance, the sight of the crowded dock might appear to be a discouraging prospect to fish. Yet, I smiled. Why, might you ask? Because the quarry they sought was trout. Imagine a sea of anglers on a dock and out of the whole bunch, only one is targeting the bass that dwell underneath it. I guess in a sense, I had the dock to myself. To sweeten this notion, I also had a great feeling in my gut I was going to hook into a hawg.
I messed around with a Rattlin’ Rap, field-tested one of my homemade spinners and tried my popper and fly attached behind it (no luck on the last one but it was something I had been wanting to try) as I thought about how I should approach my main objective for the day. It was to drop shot, “islandbass style”, that is, with a subtle rattle (refer to a previous post of mine in two other forums). The two things I was trying to figure out were:
1) Where to place the rattle. Above the hook? On the hook? Under the lure? I eventually decided to put it above the hook. It was a sphere shaped rattle housed in a small piece of rubber one side and on the other, a hole large enough to slide over a hook or line.
2) Which rod of the two should I use? My bait cast setup (med action Lamiglas, bait cast setup, SF Curado spooled with 30# Stealth NOTE: has a ton of backbone) or my spinning set up (super-generic, Wal-Mart special, mated to Rapala spinning reel with 10# Big Game)? I chose the latter, thinking that the first option, although very sensitive, might be just a bit too stiff for what I was going to try since I ought to be thinking finesse, lighter line, lighter lure, etc. Also, I thought that perhaps mono would be the better choice of line over the no-give super braid. I knew that I might be sacrificing sensitivity but I was willing to live with the tradeoff. Just trains of thoughts, not fact. I almost felt as if I were Rick Clunn spinning around glowing lights! I almost got a headache too!
A teenage boy was approaching the dock and as he got closer, I saw that he had a plastic frog and a fat free shad. I asked if he was fishing for bass and he said yes. I smiled and replied, “That makes two of us and I’d bet you and I are the only ones targeting bass on this dock.”
He saw that I was rigging something together and he asked what I was doing. I told him I was going to try a drop shot rig. He hadn’t heard of it so I gave him a brief overview of it, as if I were and expert. This was my second try at drop shotting. Well, it was just enough of a distraction that I forgot to place the rattle above the line. Not wishing to cut the line and start over, I placed the rattle on the line between the hook and the 3/16 oz weight. Fortunately, placing it between the weight and hook was actually a better location. My choice of bait was a floating Robo worm I had been dying to try in the Aaron’s Magic color. I dropped in the shallow water just to see the action. This bait has a very lively wiggle. I was very impressed with it. The young boy said, “Wow! That looks cool!” I started to laugh because I knew I had a winner here.
I moved another section of the dock without a rail (learned that lesson and I was about to learn another) where the lunkers are known to dwell. Instead of dropping it straight down, I made a small pitch and let the rig slide back toward me a bit. I positioned the roughly parallel to the water and gave the line a couple jiggles. I felt an aggressive, heavy thump and the fight was on!!!!!
I knew immediately it was a huge fish and in that same instant I knew I was outgunned, outmatched and without a doubt, wielding an underpowered rod. I line was already taut when I applied pressure for the hook set because the bass, upon taking the bait was already heading further under the dock and I couldn’t stop her. She was peeling line and there was nothing I could do but hold on and maintain as much pressure as possible. My rod was bent over so much so that it was pointing under the dock. The kid and fellow basser became very excited and all of the little kids that were fishing quickly gathered around. As a matter of fact, many of those on the dock started watching!
The fight was little more than a stalemate, with the advantage to the bass. I maintained pressure on the line as best as I could but in the final exchange, she made a quick change in position that caused enough slack that I didn’t retrieve quickly enough. She threw the hook with the authority and force of the hawg that she was. It was as if she were saying, “You can’t catch me with a rod I eat for breakfast. Hope it was as much fun for you as it was for me.”
As if the kids were a golf gallery, they gave a unified, “Ahhhhhhh,” and shortly afterward, they and the others resumed their fishing for trout.
I was very not happy about losing this battle. I blame it on my poor decision-making. In retrospect, I think if I chose to use my Lamiglas rod, the outcome would have been different. I would have had the power to fight her caliber and class of bass. Oh well, another painful lesson learned. Other things gained from this experience:
1) Yeah, yeah, yeah!! The equation of Finesse Fishing = Light line + Light lure + Light Rod (wimpy). Phooey!!! If this is the belief, it is absolutely NOT applicable to LARGE fish. As a rank amateur mathematician (hee he!!), I have modified the equation of Finesse Fishing = Light line + Light lure + Light Rod (with a lot of backbone).
2) My results regarding the effectiveness of rattles are inconclusive so far because this was the first time. I will need to make more tries in both clear and murky water and with and without rattles for both cases. I’ve been advised that drop shotting is primarily a clear water method and thus a rattle is not needed and I would probably agree but I wouldn’t limit myself to that notion) Given the water conditions stated above, it would suggest the rattles might have played a role and that’s a positive sign since that was the point of my experiment.
3) The drop shot technique is more than a gimmick or a fad, with or without a rattle. It is a great tactic I have added to my arsenal and one that I now have a fair amount of confidence to use under the right conditions.
I apologize for such a lengthy post, but I had to get this story off of my chest. I am always open to your input and suggestions. May 2005 will mark my first year of fishing and I’ve come a long way since then and know I still have much more to learn. In close, I just want to say thanks to all of you for all the advice and help you’ve given me since I joined the BPS forum. God Bless!
Saturday, April 30, 2005
Conditions: Overcast, Ultra light precipitation
Temp: Approx 50 F
Water Color/Clarity: murky, green with about 2 ft of visibility
Finally!!!!! The fishing season opened today in WA State for all of the lower land lakes. It has been an excruciating wait. Although there are lakes open year round, they are not suited for anglers like me who are relegated to the bank, shore or dock.
What a glorious day! The overcast sky was filled with low hanging gray clouds that you could almost touch. Although the clouds looked as if they would bust at the seams with rain, only a light and lazy drizzle fell. In other words, this was a typical Seattle day.
By the time I got to the lake, the dock and limited shoreline was already filled with anglers, young, old and in-between. I was headed for the dock. At first glance, the sight of the crowded dock might appear to be a discouraging prospect to fish. Yet, I smiled. Why, might you ask? Because the quarry they sought was trout. Imagine a sea of anglers on a dock and out of the whole bunch, only one is targeting the bass that dwell underneath it. I guess in a sense, I had the dock to myself. To sweeten this notion, I also had a great feeling in my gut I was going to hook into a hawg.
I messed around with a Rattlin’ Rap, field-tested one of my homemade spinners and tried my popper and fly attached behind it (no luck on the last one but it was something I had been wanting to try) as I thought about how I should approach my main objective for the day. It was to drop shot, “islandbass style”, that is, with a subtle rattle (refer to a previous post of mine in two other forums). The two things I was trying to figure out were:
1) Where to place the rattle. Above the hook? On the hook? Under the lure? I eventually decided to put it above the hook. It was a sphere shaped rattle housed in a small piece of rubber one side and on the other, a hole large enough to slide over a hook or line.
2) Which rod of the two should I use? My bait cast setup (med action Lamiglas, bait cast setup, SF Curado spooled with 30# Stealth NOTE: has a ton of backbone) or my spinning set up (super-generic, Wal-Mart special, mated to Rapala spinning reel with 10# Big Game)? I chose the latter, thinking that the first option, although very sensitive, might be just a bit too stiff for what I was going to try since I ought to be thinking finesse, lighter line, lighter lure, etc. Also, I thought that perhaps mono would be the better choice of line over the no-give super braid. I knew that I might be sacrificing sensitivity but I was willing to live with the tradeoff. Just trains of thoughts, not fact. I almost felt as if I were Rick Clunn spinning around glowing lights! I almost got a headache too!
A teenage boy was approaching the dock and as he got closer, I saw that he had a plastic frog and a fat free shad. I asked if he was fishing for bass and he said yes. I smiled and replied, “That makes two of us and I’d bet you and I are the only ones targeting bass on this dock.”
He saw that I was rigging something together and he asked what I was doing. I told him I was going to try a drop shot rig. He hadn’t heard of it so I gave him a brief overview of it, as if I were and expert. This was my second try at drop shotting. Well, it was just enough of a distraction that I forgot to place the rattle above the line. Not wishing to cut the line and start over, I placed the rattle on the line between the hook and the 3/16 oz weight. Fortunately, placing it between the weight and hook was actually a better location. My choice of bait was a floating Robo worm I had been dying to try in the Aaron’s Magic color. I dropped in the shallow water just to see the action. This bait has a very lively wiggle. I was very impressed with it. The young boy said, “Wow! That looks cool!” I started to laugh because I knew I had a winner here.
I moved another section of the dock without a rail (learned that lesson and I was about to learn another) where the lunkers are known to dwell. Instead of dropping it straight down, I made a small pitch and let the rig slide back toward me a bit. I positioned the roughly parallel to the water and gave the line a couple jiggles. I felt an aggressive, heavy thump and the fight was on!!!!!
I knew immediately it was a huge fish and in that same instant I knew I was outgunned, outmatched and without a doubt, wielding an underpowered rod. I line was already taut when I applied pressure for the hook set because the bass, upon taking the bait was already heading further under the dock and I couldn’t stop her. She was peeling line and there was nothing I could do but hold on and maintain as much pressure as possible. My rod was bent over so much so that it was pointing under the dock. The kid and fellow basser became very excited and all of the little kids that were fishing quickly gathered around. As a matter of fact, many of those on the dock started watching!
The fight was little more than a stalemate, with the advantage to the bass. I maintained pressure on the line as best as I could but in the final exchange, she made a quick change in position that caused enough slack that I didn’t retrieve quickly enough. She threw the hook with the authority and force of the hawg that she was. It was as if she were saying, “You can’t catch me with a rod I eat for breakfast. Hope it was as much fun for you as it was for me.”
As if the kids were a golf gallery, they gave a unified, “Ahhhhhhh,” and shortly afterward, they and the others resumed their fishing for trout.
I was very not happy about losing this battle. I blame it on my poor decision-making. In retrospect, I think if I chose to use my Lamiglas rod, the outcome would have been different. I would have had the power to fight her caliber and class of bass. Oh well, another painful lesson learned. Other things gained from this experience:
1) Yeah, yeah, yeah!! The equation of Finesse Fishing = Light line + Light lure + Light Rod (wimpy). Phooey!!! If this is the belief, it is absolutely NOT applicable to LARGE fish. As a rank amateur mathematician (hee he!!), I have modified the equation of Finesse Fishing = Light line + Light lure + Light Rod (with a lot of backbone).
2) My results regarding the effectiveness of rattles are inconclusive so far because this was the first time. I will need to make more tries in both clear and murky water and with and without rattles for both cases. I’ve been advised that drop shotting is primarily a clear water method and thus a rattle is not needed and I would probably agree but I wouldn’t limit myself to that notion) Given the water conditions stated above, it would suggest the rattles might have played a role and that’s a positive sign since that was the point of my experiment.
3) The drop shot technique is more than a gimmick or a fad, with or without a rattle. It is a great tactic I have added to my arsenal and one that I now have a fair amount of confidence to use under the right conditions.
I apologize for such a lengthy post, but I had to get this story off of my chest. I am always open to your input and suggestions. May 2005 will mark my first year of fishing and I’ve come a long way since then and know I still have much more to learn. In close, I just want to say thanks to all of you for all the advice and help you’ve given me since I joined the BPS forum. God Bless!