Anyone using the dropshot rig for ppb plastics?

[rodderslw]

I enjoy light tackle plastics fishing in ppb for pinkies, snapper and flatties. I mainly use jig heads with plastics but i have seen lots of interesting videos on line from the US about fishing the dropshot rig for bass. Keen to give it a try in ppb. Does anyone use these techniques? How do you go?

[sloth]

I enjoy light tackle plastics fishing in ppb for pinkies, snapper and flatties. I mainly use jig heads with plastics but i have seen lots of interesting videos on line from the US about fishing the dropshot rig for bass. Keen to give it a try in ppb. Does anyone use these techniques? How do you go?

Have used it around the ppb estuaries and docklands landbased but it's not a go-to technique for me.

It caught fish but it's specialist nature meant for me it had more cons than pros. It's not a good search lure .... Good if you know where fish are suspended or holding and you want to present a weightless plastic to them though - very focused technique.

I found its limitations pretty quickly - not a good search tool, not quick to rig/re-rig or adjust depth, produces line twist if you don't take care with it but it does generate bites on timid fish - but can't prove that they wouldn't have bit a different presentation as well

Worth a shot but like a lot of things it's never a magic bullet

[purple5ive]

I fish plastics 99% of the time mate so does my decky.
We mostly use a standard jighead 1/8 size 1-3kg or 2-4kg rods and 1000/2004 sized reels. and it works well in ppb. Shallow waters. Pinkies. Salmon. Flatties. Red mullet are the usual suspects.

[rodderslw]

Thanks for the feedback Sloth and Purple5ive. Yes there is no magic bullet and if there was...well fishing would not be as fun! I mainly use a simple 1/8 jig head with a plastic like a gulp for most of my fishing too. I was just trying to look at other techniques that could be useful in ppb . Maybe a dropshot rig would be good over weed beds or out back of the boat whilst drifting and casting forward with my main rod. I will give it a go and maybe report back.

[sloth]

Yeah if you are sounding up suspended fish or fishing over the top of sea grass then it's definitely a viable technique. I used it vertically next to pylons in the docks with some success too.

You can cast it out horizontally and drag it back too ... But too be honest I never found that anymore effective than a simple running sinker rig so that's what I tend to go with if I fancy a bit of bottom bashing.

[4liters]

In deep water (20m+) I just use a running sinker rig with a SP+jighead instead of a baited hook. There's usually a bit of swell to lift the sinker off the bottom which either hops the plastic up and down or drags it along the bottom.

[greggo]

I've used a dropdshot rig a fair bit on Jewies, it seems to work most effectively when the fish are spooky or shut-down. You need to be able to sound the fish first though, as Sloth said, it's not really any good for searching.

I reckon you can get a better action out of the drop-shot plastic with far less rod movement. You can have the lure sit in the same spot (maybe a metre off the bottom) and look very active without lifting or winding as with a normal jighead.

It would be interesting to try on the Snapper in PPB, especially if you can see them and they aren't hooking up.