** NOTE ** This is the third installment of the Troutbitten Short Series covering Drop Shot Nymphing.
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I’ve often described adding weight as the original sin of fly fishing. As soon as we add weight to the system, things change. It hardly matters the form of the weight: a sinking line, tungsten beads on a nymphs, coneheads on a streamers, split shot in front of the flies or drop shot below the flies. The truth is, the only way to effectively present and imitate trout food at or near the bottom is by adding weight. And when fished well, there is nothing more refined or pure about fishing a sinking line vs split shot, or beaded flies vs a drop shot. All of it is weight — it’s the original sin. And every type of weight, cast well, is just as elegant as any other fly presentation.
It takes cultivated skill to efficiently present flies on a tight line rig. Moderate success can come quickly, but real time spent with the details opens doors unknown and unseen to the beginner or the intermediate angler.
In part two of this Troutbitten Short Series covering drop shot nymphing, I detailed why and when I choose drop shot as the best option. So now, let’s deal with the weight itself. Let’s look at the choices for placing weight at the end of the line. Let’s think a little about the amount of weight needed and consider the options. In fact, let’s start with that . . .
How Much Weight?
So far, in this series, I’ve made the point that I use drop shot when I want nymph presentations that ride low. I use the drop shot to touch bottom, deliberately slowing the ride while also keeping the fly directly at the level of where the trout feed — not right on the bottom, but a few inches up (or more).
READ: Troutbitten | When Drifting Low Isn’t Low Enough
However, drop shot need not be overweighted — not by much. Remember, we’re focused here on using drop shot on a tight line nymphing rig. My favorite is a Troutbitten Standard Mono Rig, but all good tight line rigs are purpose-built for getting flies down quickly and drifting efficiently. A good tight line system dramatically reduces leader sag. It also allows the flies to fall quickly through the water by using just one diameter of tippet under the water. That tippet slices through the currents, especially when an angler is careful to keep the presentation in one seam — the only way to a true dead drift.
These principles, these tight line tenets, hold true for drop shot nymphing on a tight line as well. Again, the placement of the weight is not what makes a tight line system work. It’s the reduction of line and leader sag, along with pure control and great strike detection.
Here’s the point: If a #12 stonefly, weighing fifty centigrams is getting you down in the strike zone and occasionally ticking bottom. Then using the same weight of fifty centigrams is probably a great choice when you switch to drop shot rigging. It’s a good starting block. And then, yes, adding a bit more weight allows for more bottom contact and more control, if that’s what you desire.
READ: Troutbitten | Over or Under — Your Best Bet on Weight
The drop shot systems I choose are not chuck-and-duck rigs. When I refer to being overweighted, I don’t mean by a wide margin, I simply mean a bit more weight. Sure, you can double or triple the necessary weight, but you don’t need to.
The leader itself plays a large role in the effectiveness of this system. And the tight line leader allows for the use of much lighter weights than most drop shot systems commonly call for.
Photo by Josh Darling
Types of Weight for Drop Shot
By far, my favorite weights are the small lead balls that I introduced in part one of this series.
I carry these in 1/64, 1/48, 1/32, 1/24, 1/16 and 1/8 ounce options. I use the 1/48, 1/32 and 1/24 ounce the most often.
For reference, the 1/64 ounce weighs just a bit more than a #14 tungsten beaded nymph in my box. The 1/32 weighs slightly more than my #10 tungsten beaded flies.
READ: Troutbitten | Know Your Weights and Measures
These drop shot weights are not available for commercial purchase. Instead, I’ve simply started cutting the shanks off lead ball jig hooks. No filing or anything more is necessary. Just clip ‘em with wire cutters, and you’re good to go.
These lead ball jig hooks always come with a shiny finish to the ball that I do not like. I prefer it dull. So I soak the flies in a baking soda and vinegar solution for about a day. Then I drain that and let the balls sit in the damp baking soda that is left. Give it another day, rinse the balls off, and the finish is nice and dull. (If there’s a better way to remove the shine, drop a line in the comments below. I’m all ears.)
See that? Hundreds of uses . . .
I have a hard time quickly distinguishing between the small sizes, so I’ve taken to color-coding them. I use thread wraps, just behind the eye, of various colors, so picking the right size is very easy.
Simply put, these lead balls are unbeatable. Nothing rides the bottom, ticks and touches without hanging up like a lead ball mounted this way. I’ve tried it all, and these drop shot balls are the clear winner. They’ve truly changed the drop shot game for me — so much that I now choose drop shot rigging twice as often as I did before these balls.
Color-coded thread wraps.
No Lead?
If lead is a problem, then try this.
You can make your own tungsten drop shot balls by mounting slotted tungsten beads on a jig hook. Use thread wraps and/or lead-substitute wraps to anchor the bead. Super glue can also be helpful here. And then clip off the shank. My preference is black or unfinished tungsten beads.
I’ve fished the tungsten balls a good bit. But I don’t carry them, since I prefer the way lead bounces and rides more than tungsten.
READ: Troutbitten |No Limits — Use Every Type of Weight Available
Split Shot as Drop Shot
Of course, for decades, the most common way of adding drop shot weight has been adding split shot to the end of the line. It’s an easy way to do things and requires no extra preparation.
Often a stopper knot is used to keep the shot from sliding off.
Both lead split shot or non-toxic shot works well. I still prefer lead here, because it rides, bumps and bounces better.
Also, one split shot hangs up less than a series of shot on the line. And one round split shot is about as close to the performance of the drop shot balls as possible. Remember, if our goal is to have the drop shot touch the riverbed with any frequency, then the companion goal is to keep it from hanging up. Keep that in mind when rigging.
What About Slinkies?
Slinkies are another weight style associated with drop shot nymphing in other forms. Slinkies are pre-made weights of steel or lead balls pushed into parachute cord before sealing the ends. These are commonly mounted to the terminus of the line with a swivel or similar.
I don’t recommend slinkies of any size for this system. It’s simply too much work and not worth the return. Nothing is gained over the drop shot balls that I’ve shown above. Slinkies require the use of more hardware, and they take more preparation. Lastly, most commercially available slinkies are far too heavy for fishing on these tight line rigs.
Photo by Bill Dell
You Want Streamlined?
The weight is at the heart of drop shot nymphing. Putting that weight at the end of the line is what makes it unique. And using the right kind of weight makes it pretty special.
These days, much is made of the streamlined nymph styles like a Perdigon. These remarkable nymphs have found a place in my own fly box, because they truly sink quicker than anything else. The streamlined, dense body of a Perdigon plummets to the bottom. So with a great tuck cast and a one seam presentation, very light weights achieve bottom quickly.
Now compare the Perdigon to a drop shot ball, or a single split shot of equal weight.
You want streamlined? You want dense, concentrated weight in a package with no material resistance? You want pure efficiency in a weight form? Drop shot is your answer.
And there’s no better example of this than fishing a pair of #20 WD40’s above a 1/64 ounce (or lighter) drop shot on 5X fluoro. It’s pure elegance. And it’s a deadly rig that presents nymphs how and where trout are looking for them.
Next Up . . . Rigging
Just like the weights, there are many good options for rigging drop shot. And in the next installment of this Troutbitten Short Series, I’ll cover some of my favorite options.
Fish hard, friends.
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Enjoy the day
Domenick Swentosky
T R O U T B I T T E N
domenick@troutbitten.com
I’ve been drop shotting for a while now, and, during that time, I’ve come up with some pretty exotic methods for adding weight. My goal has been, well, weight, but also ease of changing weights. However, I never thought of your lead ball idea, for which I’m extremely grateful. Not only does it work to get the flies down and to minimize snagging, but it makes changing weights a lot easier than removing and adding shot (which, for me, is done most efficiently by cutting off the shot and adding a new one). I’ve used your lead balls twice already, and I’m sold. Thanks for the great tip.
Right on, Alex.
Thanks for your support and ideas over the years as well.
Dom
Dom,
Another outstanding article. Thanks for sharing your ideas and knowledge with us!
Cheers.
Thanks for reading.
Dom
Hi Dom,
Love all of your of your lessons, been a follower for years. Been adding weight below my flies for a while. I was tooling around on the web this morning looking to buy some drop shot and came across this video on how to tie a hook inline with a drop shot below. Thought I would get your input. Think it would work for 4x or 5x?
** LINK REMOVED **
Thanks for all you share
Thanks, Woodie.
Oh my, no. Many things wrong with that. First, going inline doesn’t permit the fly to move. It also limits fly changes. Just lots more work in the end, really, and less versatility. Also, I would never want to bring my fly through that loop 5 times. Not good.
Tough to beat the rig I showed in part one.
Dom
I typically fish two nymphs using the junction box method rather than tags. I’ve tried tags and have too often ended with some very creative knots after a few casts. I do see dropshot adding a great deal of versatility. If I need to change to an indicator, I can lighted the weight or cut it off altogether.
Right on about the versatility.
Regarding the tangles of tags: Respectfully, that’s in the cast and not the rigging. Nymph rigs should be cast and not lobbed. Use speed and crisp stops to turn everything over. Aim for a fly-first entry. Sadly, speed with crisp stops is the opposite of what most people tell you to do with a nymph rig. But it works so much better. Don’t lob. Cast these rigs, and you’ll keep thing untangled.
Cheers.
Dom
Hi Dom,
Do you have any supplier recommendations for “no collar” ball jigs for all of your common sizes? I have found several with 1/16, 1/32, 1/64 but other sizes like 1/24 and 1/48 seem to be a little more difficult to find or they all have some sort of collar on them. I checked your Jiggy Streamer article product links but did not have any luck there. Thanks!
I like Bald Eagle Jigs for the weights they have:
https://baldeaglejigs.com/jigs/roundhead-jig-types/round-head-live-bait/
And I use either Wapsi Super Jigs for the 1/48 oz or a supplier on ebay.
Dom
Dom – dull your weights in a small plastic container with some Draino. Rinse them after soaking over night and they’re gun metal grey.
Thanks.
Im looking forward to your article on rigging. Does dshot work with indicator? No being a grest wader im usually not close enough to tight line, on some waters. Appreciate your information and posts. Thanks
Hi John,
Good stuff that you recognize that tight line only works when you can get the right angle.
Sure, it works under an indy. I would still use this tight line Mono Rig.
https://troutbitten.com/2017/02/14/tight-line-nymphing-with-an-indicator-a-mono-rig-variant/
Cheers.
Dom
Hell yeah! Thanks for the bald eagle hook up. That is substantially cheaper than the wapsi.
Thanks again.
What is your source for the lead ball hooks?
Thanks
Well, it’s not that simple, but I wish it was. I like Bald Eagle Jigs for the weights they have:
https://baldeaglejigs.com/jigs/roundhead-jig-types/round-head-live-bait/
And I use either Wapsi Super Jigs for the 1/48 oz or a supplier on ebay.
Dom
Great stuff. I had some of the jig heads on hand, modified them per your instructions, and used them on Wednesday to catch a number of fish in high water conditions. Nice! I’m waiting for the article about how to avoid the frequent mess that occurs as the trout bounces around in the net and creates a bird’s nest of the free swinging weight, as well as the dropper that wasn’t eaten. There are a lot of upsides to this approach, particularly as it allows one to fish small lightly weighted nymphs really deep, but the tangle issue is the one drawback I find. Knowing you, you have a solution. Can’t wait to hear it.
Hey Leigh, glad to hear it’s working for you.
I don’t know that there’s any special technique for netting trout with drop shot, just gotta be careful, I guess.
I do agree that tangles, when they happen, are more troublesome with a drop shot rig. That’s just because we have another thing attached to the line — more to tangle. But I don’t find that it tangles more frequently than other rigs.
Cheers.
Dom
Love it, such a simple rig. I’m on it.
A local shop, Lakeside, that services lake st clair fishers, sells drop shot balls rigged with a wire cinch loop that will release knotted mono under moderate pressure. Problem is they’re sized too heavy for typical stream depths.
I take the sheen of shot by rolling them around in a tin can with a couple handfuls of dirt or, better, river mud.
Great series on drop shot nymphing! I have been using a system I first saw on the Green River in Utah. Then searched the internet for more info. But this series really refines the whole system for me!
Thanks!
Jed
Thanks for this tip on the lead jig hooks! My friend does the slinky method, but it sounds like too much work!
It is.
Hey, Dom. Can’t wait to put this system into use (and look forward to seeing it executed perfectly first-hand during our guide appointment in November). Question on the patina technique. You said: “So I soak the flies in a baking soda and vinegar solution for about a day. Then I drain that and let the balls sit in the damp baking soda that is left. Give it another day, rinse the balls off, and the finish is nice and dull.” Assuming this was a typo and by “flies” you meant the balls? Unless I’m missing something? Because it’s very possible I’m a dummy. Thanks, man.
Another option to change the color or take away the shine on the weights you use is powder coating them. I diss this with these heads for bass fishing for the same reason. Buy black or brown powder paint, heat the jig head gently with a lighter and then dip it in the powder paint. Then let in dry.
I Darrel. Good stuff. I use the powder paint a lot for jig streamers:
https://troutbitten.com/2019/02/24/troutbitten-fly-box-the-jiggy-streamers/
Curing it in the oven at 350 for twenty minutes really bakes the paint on. It’s as solid as you can get. But that’s still not enough to keep the paint on there for all the contact that the drop shot will have on the bottom.
Dulling the shine is really no big deal. Very little effort.
Dom,
One other idea on the weights. Can’t I just tie a tungsten bead in the weight I want at the bottom? Maybe go up a bit to account for the comparable weight of a weighted nymph. Also, something I saw with George Daniels to adjust the weight it use soft lead you can take of and add to the base weight you use at the bottom.
Couple questions there, Darrel.
First, sure, try the tungsten beads. I did that too. I found that it’s way more trouble than it’s worth. Also more expensive. And tungsten does not tick and glide the bottom like lead does. Those are my thoughts.
The putty. I know George likes it. And I like George! Personally, I hate the putty. It takes more time to adjust bits of putty than to simply attach and detach a split shot. Here are some thoughts on that:
https://troutbitten.com/2022/07/13/dont-hate-split-shot-have-a-system-with-video/
Lastly, the putty is WAY too stiff in the colder months. And I fish a lot in the cold. So it doesn’t work for me. Much easier to just have a system for shot. It’s so easy if you follow the tips in the video and article above
Hope that helps.
Cheers.
Dom
Hey Dom,
in an effort to increase versatility (and because finding the jig hooks in so many sizes can be a pain) I came up with a modified way to create something similar. And using this method you can create whatever size you need right on the river. First, I use a tool that can easily be found online (Amazon) called a Loop Tyer/Hook Disgorger. This tool allows you to tie a small figure 8 loop knot very, very quickly. With a little practice you can even tie miniscule loops (some guides carry these to create quick adjustable dropper loops).
Using the tool I tie a small (maybe 1″) loop, and cut off everything but the loop. I tie these loops with 7x. You can then pinch your regular split shot onto the bottom of the loop, seated against the knot. This gives you a piece of split shot with a 7x loop protruding from he shot. Then use a Davy knot to attach the shot to your tippet. If the shot gets hung up it doesn’t take a lot to break off the 7x, leaving the shot behind and saving your rig.
The Knot Tyer is cheap, small and easily fits in a pack or pocket. It’s also made of plastic so it can be cut down to make it smaller (the disgorger is too large for hook sizes below 12 anyway). This method also allows you to use non-lead shot, and doesn’t require you soak anything in baking soda. Obviously you can pre-tie these in different sizes, but given that it only takes about a minute to make one of these with materials you already have on hand, I just make them up in the size/weight I need right on the river.
Hi Steve, I’m glad you found a system that works for your and that you like.
Respectfully, what you are doing is much more complicated, in my opinion.
First, buying the jig hooks in the right sizes is easy, if you just buy Wapsi Super Jigs. Let them sit outside for a couple days if you don’t want to do the baking soda thing.
Second, if you don’t want to use the balls, then just use split shot above a knot at the end of the leader. That’s it. That’s the way most everyone has done it through the decades, because it’s pretty simple. Put the fly on a tag above, and form that how you normally would (I’m an Orvis Tippet Knot guy).
I’m not a fan of carrying another tool on the river just to do something I can do more simply with my fingers.
Lastly, I don’t care for rigging up with something like 7X so it will break and save the fly. (wow, that’s light for a drop shot.) That plan fails too often (I’ve tried it a lot), and it takes longer to setup. I also use something stronger, because I plan to be touching that bottom a good bit.
Those are my thoughts on your system. But again, if it works for you, and if it proves the test of time, then that’s excellent!
Cheers.
Dom
Hey Dom. Yesterday I became a drop shotter! Awesome technique. I just wanted to pass along how I made up my shots, since I didn’t have time to buy jig hooks. I have lots of split shot in all the weights you specify, without the little ears or indents. I didn’t want the ears because I wanted something more elegant and round. Basically, I placed a 1/4 inch loop of 20# Maxima into the split (which I needed to open a bit more with a small knife), dropped in a little bit of zap gap, and pinched it close with small pliers. I tied bits of colored thread around the loop to distinguish sizes. On the river, I attached the drop shot with a davy knot. I think I need to error on the size of heavy shot when fishing because I wasn’t always feeling the bottom, but I’ll get used to it. I even began casting casting straight back and forth at 30 feet on 5x and 90cg shot without snap offs. That was a nice surprise! And it was lights out fish with dozens of fish. OK, that was a lie. But I did a catch one small trout, which felt SOOO nice. Cheers, Toney
Hey now