There you go – I’ve said it! I was completely wrong about drop shoting as a viable method of catching fish! 

Having tried it a few times I have never found it to be an effective way of lure fishing – instead I had found that fishing the same water with ultra-light jigheads and small soft plastics to be far more effective… until this weekend that is…

Over the weekend I fished on the Grand Union canal and then the Oxford canal.

As many of you know, lure fishing on canals can be quite tricky. They tend to be full of snags and the fish hold up around them.

This makes traditional lure fishing quite difficult. As you cast and retrieve you spend very limited time in the zone – and as the fish are usually quite tight to the features you get snagged up a lot. This is where dropshot comes into its own.

The results for me have been brilliant this weekend. On Saturday evening I had half a dozen perch to about 12oz in a couple of hours on a very coloured Grand Union canal. Then on Sunday I ventured onto the Oxford cut and had four zander and three perch in 1hr 10mins – and missed maybe half a dozen bites too.

Simply fishing down the wall at the edge of the canal did the business.

Is dropshotting the future? Well, it has its place – that’s for sure! I have now elevated it from a fad – to an incredibly useful weapon in my lure fishing armoury!

If you’ve not tried it – give it a go! Other than the soft plastics most people have got all the kit anyway!

How simple is that for an evening’s fishing?

Put simply – it’s simplicity itself. You have a light weight (I use non-toxic shot) that touches the bottom. Approx 4-6” above that… a hook… and that’s it! You lower it into the water and lightly bounce the rod tip – making the soft plastic jig about.

The beauty is you can fish in or around structure and hold the bait in the ‘kill zone’ for long periods of time. Bites tend to be quite positive too.

Why does it work?

Put simply – you put your lure where the fish is – and you can hold it there!

What kit do I need?

A very light lure rod (casting weight of under 12g – lighter if possible)… Or… a winkle picker type bomb rod! Something that you would confidently fish a 2lb hooklength with.

A reel with 2-3lb line on.

A packet of eyed hooks (size 8-14 should do)

Some shot (AAA are fine) or non-toxic dropshot weights.

Some soft plastics – small ones – 1-2” are fine.

All you need!

What to look for?

Bushes, boats, canal walls, inlets, outlets, locks… all features that hold fish! Don’t ignore the shelves of the canal either. All are fish holding areas and predators will lay in wait to ambush innocent prey fish.

What are bites like?

Unmistakable taps and pulls. If your hook is super sharp – most fish will hook themselves!

Good luck drop shotting and tight lines!

Nick