Best Drop Shot Baits

The drop shot has exploded in popularity and so too has the bait category. With so many options and styles it can be a daunting task picking out a soft plastic. Lucky for you I have tried countless options over the years and narrowed down my selection to just a few baits for each style of dropshot.

Best Paddle Tail Dropshot Worms

1. Big Bite Baits Smallie Smasher

The Smallie Smasher has a flat bulb-shaped tail with a ribbed body. This bait thrives in clear finesse water. The tail slowly moves in the current which produces a great natural movement. For more action, you can fish it aggressively to produce more tail movement.

I have found this bait works best when fishing it slow. I prefer the 3.5″ size in colors: Chick Magnet & Smoke Purple.

2. Netbait STH Junior Crush

The Netbait STH Junior Crush is a super soft bait that has a very strong smell. The softness of the bait gives it great action without having to work it hard.

I like the 3″ size in colors: Smokin Joe, Bang, and LON Goby Pearl.

Best Shad Style Dropshot Worms

1. Zoom Super Fluke Jr

The Zoom Super Fluke Jr is a minnow-style profile with a forked tail that produces a lot of action. It thrives in warmer water when fish are more active.

Colors: Albino, Smokin Shad

2. Damiki Armor Shad

The Damiki Armor Shad with forked tail. The Armor Shade is denser than the Super Fluke Jr so it has less action. It is a great option in colder water.

Colors: Pure Gill, Tennessee Shad

Best Straight Tail Dropshot Worms

1. Roboworm

The Roboworm is my favorite straight tail worm. I use this worm when texas rigging a dropshot to fish around docks and grass lines. I prefer the 6″ size in colors: Margarita Mutilator, Hologram Shad, Oxblood Light

2. Roboworm Fat

The Roboworm Fat is a thicker version than the standard Roboworm. The fatter head helps hold the hook better when texas rigging. When fishing a Roboworm Fat I use the 4.5″ size in colors: MMIII, Hologram Shad, and Oxblood Light Red Flk.

Best Dropshot Finesse Swimbaits

1. Keitech Easy Shiner

The Keitech Easy Shiner has a sleek profile and soft boot tail that produces a great kicking action. The 3″ size is perfect for nose hooking a dropshot. My favorite colors are Electric Shad and Crystal Shad.

2. Megabass Hazedong Shad

The Megabass Hazedong Shad is a smallmouth magnet. They have great action and are more durable than typical minnow baits. I have found the 3″ size to work best a dropshot.

Colors: Tennessee Shad, Green Pumpkin Shad

Baits for Each Rigging Style

Nose Hooked Dropshot Baits

If your bass typically are feeding on tiny baitfish like silversides then a nosed hooked Fluke is a great option. The fluke’s tiny tail produces a ton of action when you shake your rod tip.

If your water has mostly small sunfish or bluegill then the Strike King Half Shell is a great imitator. This is one of my favorite nose hook baits right now. If you want to size up a bit to a bigger profile then the Dream Shot is another good choice.

Now jumping to worm profile baits let’s start with the Pro Senko. The Pro Senko is skinnier and has a tapered tail which produces more action than the traditional senkos while still having the quality that you expect from a Yamamoto bait. This bait is amazing when nose hooked. You get a bigger profile while still having great action in the tapered tail.

Texas Rigged Drop Shot Baits

I have been talking about how universal the drop shot is and this is another reason why. You can texas rig your bait for a weedless drop shot setup. This is a great method for pond anglers or if your lake has a lot of grass. This allows you to target areas that you couldn’t dream of with a nose hooked bait. This is one of the best ways to rig a fishing bait for kids to use.

Any of your favorite soft plastic texas rig worms will work for this technique. If you have one that works well for your body of water stick with that. Some of my favorites are the Roboworm Fat Straight Tail worm, Yamamoto Neko worm, and Reaction Innovations Flirt worm.

Wacky Rigged Drop Shot Baits

Just like I talked about in the texas rig section you can use your favorite wacky rig worm when fishing a drop shot. The Zoom Trick Worm, Jackall Flick Shake Worm, and the standard Yamamoto Senko all those styles work great. The benefit to wacky rigging is the action of the bait. Again this is for warmer months like spring and summer when bass are more aggressive. A wacky rig drop shot is for fishing open water.

Best Drop Shot Bait Colors

For most of the year, the best colors for drop shots will be matching what fish in your body of water typically eat. For a lot of people that will be shad colors for others, it might be sunfish/bluegill colors. That is a pretty good guide for year-round except for springtime. During spring one of the best colors is morning dawn. I don’t know what it is about that color but it is a killer during spring. Pick up this color for your favorite drop shot bait and give it a try.