The drop shot is one of my favorite finesse bass fishing techniques and may be one of the most effectives ways to catch smallmouth bass. But many anglers often wonder what drop shot baits they should be using and how and where they should be fished. In this article, we give you our top drop shot baits for smallmouth bass, as well as some helpful tips and tricks that will help you catch more bass on a drop shot.
The following list includes 10 of the best drop shot baits for smallmouth bass as well as some honorable mentions. These baits all have a solid reputation and have been proven to catch smallmouth bass.
The Top 10 Drop Shot Baits for Smallmouth Bass
- Roboworm Straight Tail Worm
- Dart -n- Minnow (Cash Custom Lures)
- Strike King Dream Shot
- Reaction Innovations Sweet Beaver
- Jackal Cross Tail Shad
- Berkley Twitch Tail minnow
- Zoom Tiny fluke
- Strike King KVD Drop Half Shell OPT
- Missile Baits Drop Craw
- Zoom Z Drop Worm
Make sure to check out My Recommended Bass Fishing Gear and Tackle Guide to ensure you have the right gear for your next fishing adventure.
1. Roboworm Straight Tail Worm
The roboworm is an all time great drop shotting bait and its number one on my list for good reason. Don’t let the simple design fool you, it can be a killer smallmouth bait. I have caught more bass using a roboworm than any other bait. When targeting smallmouth, I typically
will go with 4.5”. The smallmouth tend to like a smaller more finesse profile. My all-time favorite colors are Aaron’s Magic or Aaron’s Morning Dawn, I will also sometimes go with the Baby Bluegill or Green Pumpkin Purple. When fishing a drop shot for smallmouth bass you can’t go wrong with having a roboworm tied on.
Favorite colors: Aaron’ Magic, Morning Dawn, Baby Bluegill and Pumpkin Purple
Favorite rig: Nose-hooked and waky rigged with a No.1 Gamakatsu G-Finesse Drop Shot Hook
2. Dart -n- Minnow (Cash Custom Lures)
After tough day chasing smallmouth bass in a local fishing tournament a buddy told me to buy the dart-n-minnow made by Cash Customer Lures. Ever since that day I make sure to always have one tied on and it never seems to disappoint.
The Flaming Gorge Special color is an absolute beast in the high mountain reservoirs where I primarily fish. The Dart-n-Minnow is great at imitating fry and small bait fish and is an absolute smallmouth catching machine. If you are looking for a new drop shot bait this is an excellent one to go out and try, you won’t be disappointed.
Favorite colors: Flaming Gorge Special, Watermelon Purple Goby and Smokin’ Shad
Favorite rig: Nose-hooked with a No.1 Gamakatsu G-Finesse Drop Shot Hook
You can find this bait at cachecustomlures.com
3. Strike King Dream Shot
The KVD Dream Shot is an all-round solid drop shot bait. This is a popular choice amongst a lot of bass fishing anglers and for good reason. I have caught a lot of nice smallies while fishing with a dream shot. This is a super soft bait that specifically designed for a drop shot rig and excels at imitating natural forage.
It’s flat sided bottom and unique tail makes the bait impossible to hold still in the water even when dead sticking. If you have ever seen this bait worked under water you will know why its tough for smallmouth bass to resist. The quivering action and coffee scent makes simply makes this a killer drop shot bait.
Favorite colors: Green Pumpkin Purple, KVD Magic and Green Pump Purp/Gold
Favorite Rig: Nose-hooked with a Mustad Grip pin edge No.2 or 3 or No.1 Gamakatsu G-Finesse Drop Shot Hook
4. Reaction Innovations Smallie Beaver
Reaction Innovations Smallie Beaver (3.50) is a solid drop shotting bait. I won my fist bass fishing tournament in college throwing a drop shot with a small beaver tied on. Smallmouth bass dig the crayfish and the smallie beaver is a great imitation of a crawdad hoping around in the rocks. This bait also works well when the fish are targeting small bait fish. If you haven’t already, give this bait a try next time the bass are chasing crayfish.
Favorite colors: Watermelon Red, Road Kill and Dirty Sanchez
Favorite Rig: Texas Rigged
5. Jackal Cross Tail Shad
The movement and action of this bait is the reason why the Jackal Cross Tail Shad is one of my favorite drop shot baits. The tail section of this bait it what really makes it shine. This Japanese made lure has a cross shaped design which causes the bait to flicker and
move side to side. The action, movement and water vibrations of this bait makes it a tough bait for smallmouth bass to resist. If you haven’t already I would highly recommend giving this bait a try.
Favorite colors: Green Pumpkin Purple, KVD Magic and Green Pump Purp/Gold
Favorite rig: Nose-hooked with a Mustad Grip pin edge No.2 or 3 or No.1 Gamakatsu G-Finesse Drop Shot Hook
6. Berly Powerbait Twitch Tail minnow
The Berkly Powerbait Twitch Tail minnow is the perfect drop shotting bait that imitates nearly all baitfish. It’s simple design, scent and great colors make it a great finesse bait that will work anywhere. The combination of a soft action and great scent make this a solid
smallmouth drop shot bait.
Favorite colors: Bleak, Green Pumpkin, Watermelon Pearl and Pearl White
Favorite rig: Nose-hooked with a Mustad Grip pin edge No.2 or 3 or No.1 Gamakatsu G-Finesse Drop Shot Hook
7. Zoom Tiny fluke
If the smallmouth are keying in on small bait fish the Zoom Tiny Fluke is another great option. The Zoom flukes are well known as fishing catching machines and the Tiny Fluke from Zoom is a great drop shot bait. This finesse bait is the perfect imitation of small bait fish and is also great for fishing deep structure, ledges and other drop shotting areas.
Favorite colors: Smoking Shad, Green Albino, and Green Pumpkin
Favorite rig: Nose-hooked with a Mustad Grip pin edge No.2 or 3 or No.1 Gamakatsu G-Finesse Drop Shot Hook
8. Strike King Drop Shot Half Shell
The KVD Drop Shot Half Shell is another great drop shot bait made by Berkley. This bait is a little bit different then the Dream Shot. It’s designed to have more of a darting action that is similar to the way a jerkbait moves. This unique actions gives the bass another look and can be a deadly bait in the right situations.
The Drop Shot Half Shell is a solid option for smallmouth bass. For more details about this bait check out this review done by BassMaster.
Favorite colors: Desert Craw, Multi
Favorite rig: Nose-hooked with a Mustad Grip pin edge No.2 or 3 or No.1 Gamakatsu G-Finesse Drop Shot Hook
9. Missile Baits Drop Craw
The Missile Drop Craw is an outstanding drop shot bait for smallmouth bass. It is one of the few drop shot baits that is designed to imitate a crawfish. It has two flopping claws at the bottom of the bait that will move at the slightest twitch. This is a killer bait especially when bass are keying in on crawfish.
Favorite colors: Brown Ghost Craw, Green Pumpkin and Watermelon Red
Favorite rig: Nose-hooked with a Mustad Grip pin edge No.2 or 3 or No.1 Gamakatsu G-Finesse Drop Shot Hook
10. Zoom Z Drop Worm
The Zoom Z Drop Worm is an excellent drop shot bait for catching smallmouth bass. This bait has three ridges in the body which really give it some life like action in the water that temp any smallmouth bass into striking. It comes in your standard colors with a few variations and is an overall great finesse bait when paired with a drop shot setup.
Favorite colors: Green Pumpkin, Watermelon Red and Green Weenie
Favorite rig: Nose-hooked with a Mustad Grip pin edge No.2 or 3 or No.1 Gamakatsu G-Finesse Drop Shot Hook
Honorable Mentions
The great thing about a drop shot rig is that you can use almost any soft plastic bait. Here are some other solid options that didn’t quite make the top 10 list:
- Evolve VibraGRUBs
- Yum Kill Shot
- Yum Warning Shot
- Keitech Custom Leech
- Zoom Fork Tail Worm
- Berkley Gulp Minnow
- Strike King Elaztech/Z-Man 4″ Finesse Worm
- Small Senko (3 inch)
Fishing for Smallmouth Bass with a Drop Shot
A drop shot technique is one of the most effective finesse bass fishing methods to catch both smallmouth and largemouth bass. However, depending on which species you are targeting your approach, baits and techniques should be different. In this article we are specifically going over baits and techniques for catching smallmouths on a drop shot. Here are some helpful smallmouth bass fishing tips that will help you catch more fish.
Colors
Generally, when targeting smallmouth you will be fishing in clear open water conditions in rocks and deep structure as well as grass lines. You will have more success in these conditions fishing more natural looking baits and colors. However if you do find yourself in stained or muddy water you can use darker or flashier colors to help it stand out.
Bait Profile
The baits profile often gets overlooked and you will want to adapt your baits profile to the species you are targeting, the bait they are chasing and the time of year you are fishing. In general smallmouth bass often prefer a smaller more stubbier bait. A lot of what they eat (gobies, crawfish, bait fish) tend to have a smaller profile which is why the stubbier baits tend to do well.
Drop Shot Leader
In most smallmouth drop shot situations a longer leader will help you get more bites. Smallmouth bass are sight feeders and a longer leader gives the bass more opportunities to see your bait as you work it through rocks, grass and other types of structure.
Rigging a DropShot for Bass
Final Thoughts
A drop shot technique is one of the most effective bass fishing methods to catch smallmouth bass. In this article we have gone over the top baits and some things to consider when selecting the right bait. We hope you have found this information to be valuable and that it will help you the next time you are out on the water. We appreciate you stopping by.
Tight Lines!