How to Fool Outsized Bass

Sophisticated fishing pressure often turns bass into finicky eaters, and anglers have resorted to downsizing lures and tackle to coax bites. The drop-shot rig is one of the most effective ways to present a thin, 3- or 4-inch lure to a passive bass.

But times remain when bass, especially big ones, prefer super-sized meals. Tournament pros have discovered that a drop-shot rig can also effectively deliver a bulky bait favored by heavyweight bass. “The same principle makes drop-shotting effective, no matter what size lure you use,” says Dion Hibdon, the former Bassmaster Classic and FLW Tour champion from Stover, Missouri. “It gives your bait a different look—a truly natural-looking presentation.”

Hibdon notes that many popular lures such as jigs or Texas-rigged softbaits fall head-first, while lures rigged drop-shot style hold more horizontal in the water. “Most natural prey maintain a horizontal position most of the time,” he notes. “Bluegill and shad swim upright, only occasionally nosing down to feed.”

Small bass seem to prefer finesse baits when the bite is tough, but Hibdon believes bigger fish still want a big meal. “As bass grow older and heavier, they become more like professional eaters,” he says. “They seem to know that if they can feed on big bluegills, they only have to catch them once or twice a day. That requires a lot less energy compared to chasing down dozens of small shad.”

When fishing gets tough and Hibdon needs a kicker fish, he supersizes his drop-shot rig with either a 5- to 6-inch flipping tube, a Luck-E-Strike USA Jogger Worm, a 9-inch Luck-E-Strike USA Ringer worm, or a 10-inch paddletail worm. He selects a 4/0 or 5/0 wide-gap hook for his flipping tube, a 3/0 wide-gap hook for the Jogger Worm, and 4/0 or 5/0 round-bend hooks for the 9- and 10-inch worms. He generally uses 3/8- or 1/2-ounce weights for the magnum drop-shot rig, though he opts for 3/4- and 1-ounce versions when punching the lures through weedmats or fishing very deep water.

Instead of standard light drop-shot gear, Hibdon favors a 7- or 71⁄2-foot medium-heavy or heavy-action baitcasting rod for delivering his magnum drop-shot. He ties the rig on 17- or 20-pound fluorocarbon line and usually leaves a 12- to 18-inch gap between his lure and the weight.

Drop-shotting big baits produces best in summer and fall in waters with visibility of at least 1 to 2 feet. “Bass are more likely to suspend during those times of year,” Hibdon says.

He fishes the Ringer worm around brushpiles on his home waters of Lake of the Ozarks whenever bass ignore Texas-rigged worms. “If you’ve been catching fish day after day from brushtops and they stop biting, slip a drop-shot in there,” he says. “I drag it along real easy, just like a Carolina rig, crawling it along the bottom until I feel a piece of brush or other cover. Then I often shake it a bit.”