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New Product 7F
Ready to Dropshot? New Flat Tail Worm
By Russ Bassdozer, Don Applegarth & Joe Jones

June 12, 2002

Ready to dropshot? Yamamoto's new 4.5-inch 7F-Series Flat Tail Worm will get you there - in spades. Spade-tails that is.

Gary Yamamoto has designed a new Flat Tail Worm to excel in today's dropshot applications.

Most baits used to dropshot were originally designed for other purposes before dropshotting hit the scene. However, the exciting new 7F-Series Flat Tail is designed solely for the specialized requirements of light line dropshot fishing.

This is a bait for the dropshot maestro or beginner, says Internet bass fishing celebrity, Russ Bassdozer. Either nose-hook it or put the hook through the shoulder about 1/3 way back from the head. When you hook it in the shoulder, it curls over like one of those cellophane fish you used to get in Cracker Jack boxes that would curl in your palm, says Bassdozer. That curling and recoiling action drives bass wild. All the time, the tail flutters like a shuddering baitfish.

Measuring 4.5 flat inches, the new 7F-Series Flat Tail Worm is best for light tackle dropshot fishing with a short straight shank hook such as Yamamoto's Splitshot Hook.

Yamamoto's Inside Line writer Don Applegarth of Gainesville, Georgia didn't think too much of the Flat Tails at first, says Don:

"I will admit that at first I put them aside upon receiving the first test packages. Then, while pre-fishing on Lake Keowee in February, nothing would entice a bite...nothing. Keowee is deep, with extremely clear water, and it was bitterly cold. I decided to try to dropshot the flat worms, even after the standard 7-Series Cut Tail did not produce any bites. Suddenly, I was catching fish. Not BIG fish, but still I was catching fish. I began to really look at the bait, and study the way it moved in the water."

"Due to the flat shape," says Don, "which can only be described as a leech, I noticed that it seemed to wave up and down, similar to the movement of a thin pork rind strip that old timers used way back in the days. This action is just perfect for dropshotting, and the bass let me know I was correct when they ate it, as fast as I could throw it out.

Color was not really a factor, as I tried using a Cut Tail on the dropshot, in the same color after catching fish on the flatworm, and got no bites. But I could change to a different color flatworm, and throw out, and again start catching fish. It had to be the Flat Tail's action that made the difference on that day." - Don Applegarth

Yamamoto's Inside Line writer Joe Jones of Mechanicsville, Maryland also tested the "flat worms" as Joe calls them:

"When I received the supply for testing, my first thoughts were, looks like someone ironed a 7-Series Cut Tail flat," says Joe. I tested rigging them different ways at first, but when I put them on a drop shot rig the bass just ate them. This bait has the potential of being great. Now that they are in stock production, you can bet that I will be ordering more right away."- Joe Jones.

Related Story
Conversational Dropshot
By Russ Bassdozer & Marc Marcantonio

October 22, 2002

It's Marc and Russ here. We're just swapping notes on what is the best gear and best practices we've found to dropshot. So join right in the conversation with us now . Marc is speaking in blue, and remarks by Russ are in black letters.

"I dropshot all season and with winter approaching, I'm dropshotting deep for smallmouths now," says Marc.

DROPSHOT BAITS

What size of baits do you normally use to dropshot, Marc? Mostly 9J and 9B Senkos, and other 4 inch baits like Snakebite, Magic or Sniper soft plastics.

What baits do you use, Russ? "I mostly wacky rig 9S or 9 Senkos when I dropshot nowadays," says Russ. I nose-hooked dropshot baits for a long time, but now I find wacky (in the middle) mitigates the plague from line twist when you dropshot. Most any bait that can be hooked through the middle will twist line less than the same bait hooked in the nose. For example, I'll even wacky dropshot tubes, which is a weird deal because the tube tentacles make a big fluffy puff like a cotton ball exploding when you lift and drop a tube wacky dropshot style. Although I've used tube baits for decades, I have never seen a tube do that exploding cottonball puff except wacky dropshot style. This looks too weird, but bass belt it. The reason I do it is a nose-hooked tube or other lure nose-hooked on dropshot will twist the line miserably. A nose-hooked bait is usually spinning around the line like a boat propeller on its way up or down to deep water. Not so with wacky rigging on dropshot. The bait doesn't twist, but tends to act like a parachute, tips swayed upward and both tips quivering strongly like a finning or swimming baitfish.

Senkos are mostly what I dropshot almost always wacky because you get an incredible wriggle from the tips that way. In fact, I believe the dropshot wacky rig method generates some of the best action you can get out of a Senko, far stronger tip-wriggling action than any other way. So I mostly wacky dropshot 9S and 9 Senkos. I also dropshot the 9C sometimes when bass want a small bait (although I prefer to Pro-Jo or use the 9C best unweighted wacky style). Any time I can, I will also wacky dropshot the big 9L size Senko. When I want to focus on bigger bass and/or deter pesky dinks from biting, I will go with the 9L Senko if possible.

With a 9S, 9 or 9L wacky dropshot Senko, you can watch your line where it enters the water, and you will see your line quivering and oscillating back and forth as the Senko acts like a parachute being pulled down to bottom by the dropshot sinker. You can see your line wriggling back and forth nervously, which is caused by the action of the wriggling Senko tips. And when you pull your rod tip up at the end of a retrieve near the boat, you can feel the wacky dropshot Senko tips vibrating like you feel a spinnerbait blade vibrate in your rod tip. When you lift and drop the wacky dropshot Senko off bottom, a bass has got to feel the same vibration you feel in the rod tip close to the boat. In comparison, a regular unweighted wacky-rigged Senko just does not produce hard vibration like this in the rod tip. There is something about the swivel clip dropshot sinker balancing underneath that helps strengthen the vibration of the Senko on the free-fall to bottom and on the pull up with the rod tip. Think of it like when you pluck a properly-tuned guitar string, and get the right vibration as a result. That's what's going on with the wacky dropshot Senko, a mega-amount of resonance in the tips of the bait, resonance you can see in the line and feel in the rod tip. The bass feels this resonance in the water too. That's why I believe the dropshot wacky rig method generates some of the best action you can get out of a Senko, far stronger tip-wriggling action than any other way. With dropshot wacky, it is more a lift and dead drop motion I apply. So the bait is moving up and down - but not out of the strike zone. It just wriggles strongly and vibrates loudly almost in place. You cannot get that strong a vibration by deadsticking a Senko any other way.

And check out the 7F Flat Tail Worm in the photo, Marc, compared to a 9J Senko. The 7F was designed with dropshot in mind, and mimics a lively minnow motion when pinned through the nose or shoulder. If lively action is what you want, it has more lively action than a 9J Senko and even more action than its close cousin, the 7-series Cut Tail. I use a long tag line often (20 to 24 inch distance from hook to sinker) due to the highly-irregular and jagged rocky bottoms in the lakes out here. The long tag keeps the hook above snags and above vision-obstructing bottom debris. Once the sinker hits bottom, I often repeatedly let the dropshot bait lift and deadfall the length of the tag end, and bass hit it on the fall or on the bottom, not on the lift. On the fall, the Flat Tail Worm is the lightest and liveliest of all Yamamoto dropshot baits. It is as thin and light as a feather and falls slower (almost a quivering hover with the sinker resting on bottom) than the series 7 Cut Tail, which falls slower than the 9J Senko.

Although I do not use them as often as I should, many good anglers prefer to dropshot with Cut Tails. I know Cut Tails are among the preferred baits of Gary Yamamoto when he dropshots, so much so that Gary has added two new sizes of Cut Tails for 2003. Relative to the popular 4" #7 Cut Tail, the new 7L Cut Tail Worm at five inches will get you a better grade of fish on dropshot. On the other hand, there are times when bass act finicky toward even your usual 4 inch finesse lures, and that's when the smaller 3.5" 7S works best for ultra finesse on dropshot.

DROPSHOT SINKERS

What about dropshot sinkers, Marc? Do you know of any good drop shot sinkers, Marc? I have my own tackle company, West Coast Tackle and my own line of dropshot sinkers called QuickDrops. They are teardrop-shaped with the quick pinch clip. At the moment I make six different sizes of QuickDrops in lead, and will soon have the same in Tungsten too. The tungsten is identical in shape and design; just smaller since tungsten is more dense, and of course will have a different sound due to the hardness. The harder Tungsten makes louder noise to attract bass as it bounces against the bottom, and the harder Tungsten transmits better sensitivity of the bottom feel to the angler. I hope I can hold the price down to the same price per bag, but packaged with 5 tungsten sinkers per bag instead of 10.

What size dropshot weights do you normally use? 3/16 ounce the most!

Do you ever use less than 3/16, Marc? Yes, I use 1/8 ounce a lot in the summer, and I use as light as 1/16 ounce, which has been a big money winner for me this year (2002) in both prespawn and postspawn, swimming a dropshot worm near the bottom in water 12 feet deep or less, actually swimming the dropshot!  An unusually light sinker such as 1/16 or 1/8 swims the bait more since it does not hold bottom like a heavier sinker. So you get a slow-swimming effect that the usual 3/16 or 1/4 ounce may not allow to happen. There is just so much more to learn about dropshotting, it's really still in its infancy

What about the heavier end of the spectrum, Marc? The most popular sizes I hear guys say they use are 3/16, 1/4 and 3/8 ounce. Do you ever use more than 3/8, Marc? Definitely, I also use 1/2 ounce in deep river situations and in windy conditions such as on the Columbia River (though this is my least used weight). Another Team Yamamoto member, Dean Sault has been fishing my 1/2 ounce version down deep, over 80 feet I believe. I have considered making larger sizes of my QuickDrop sinkers, but I don't feel there is a market at the moment for 3/4 and 1 ounce sizes.

Have you ever had any problems with the grip swivel type of dropshot sinkers? Some people say the clips you attach without a knot weakens the line so they cut the line and break off too easily when snagged. They say the grip swivel type sinker can cut the line or just fly off the line while casting? Have you experienced any of these problems with the pinch swivel type sinkers? I prefer the grip swivel design over all others. I use it a lot, and never have problems with it flying off when casting, even with 6 and sometimes 4 pound test line. I believe if this problem exists, then those people must be using too heavy of a rod or casting too hard. I purposely want the pinch swivel to break my line where it is pinched when snagged so I get my hook and tag line back, just needing to pinch on another sinker. Line twist is a dropshotter's problem, but I have found line twist with all types of sinkers you can possibly use to dropshot. I insist on the grip swivel design until something better comes along. All in all, the pinch-on dropshot sinker makes dropshot a one-knot rig that can be tied or retied quicker than most any other rigging method.

Some guys say the dropshot pinch-on sinker is something devised by marketing gurus with the sole intent to get anglers to dispense more money on more gear, but the guys who say that usually have not dropshot much yet. Once you do dropshot and gain skill with the method, any good angler will recognize that the quick-clip dropshot sinkers with swivels twist line less. The swivel pivot point lets the bait develop more action, and in the case of wacky dropshot Senkos, I feel the pinch-on dropshot sinker swivel brings out the best quivering baitfish action. To me, there is something about that straight, knotless loosely-swiveling tag end that enhances bait action.

DROPSHOT LINES

Marc, have you any info to share on lines you use to dropshot, or which lines are popular with others who dropshot in your area? I prefer to use McCoy Mean Green. I am good friends with Pat Howland, owner of McCoy line, and I find McCoy to be the best copolymer mono for those spinning rod guys who don't use a fluorocarbon. The McCoy copolymer mono is perfect for dropshotting and I believe McCoy is also the choice (both 6 and 8 lb test) of most tournament anglers in the Northwest. It is a favorite because it is sensitive (as a copolymer it has very little stretch), has great tensile strength, and is the most limp line available.

What pound test of line do you normally use to dropshot? Mostly 6 pound test (clear water for smallmouth or spotted bass).  I use mostly 6 pound test McCoy for dropshotting, and also 8 lb test. When dropshotting heavy cover with larger plastics on baitcasting tackle, I prefer Sugoi Fluorocarbon up to 12 lbs for its superior abrasion resistance, low visibility, and sensitivity to detect bites.

Marc, I too use the Sugoi fluoro from 8 to 12 lb on baitcasting to dropshot bigger baits and heavier sinkers. But to dropshot "Western style" with smaller 3" to 4" baits, I use spinning gear and whatever 6 lb. test I can buy easily locally. This means either Stren Fluoro or Maxima Ultragreen in 6 lb test. The Stren Fluoro is softer and spools well on spinning. Most brands of fluoros are too wiry for use on spinning reels, although they excel on baitcasters. I find Maxima Ultragreen 6 lb. mono to be excellent for dropshot spinning gear also, even though the Stren Fluoro has more sensitivity to detect bites.

Several guys I talk with who fish B.A.S.S. and other tournaments in the Southeast and South Central states, they are really only just beginning to try dropshot. A couple like using up to 10 lb P-Line Floroclear for dropshot spinning gear. The P-Line Floroclear is a copolymer core and a fluorocarbon, silicon coating that is absorbed into the pores of the underlying copolymer line. Occasionally these Southern gents are willing to go to 8 pound but no lighter. They just can't get comfortable with 6 lb test like we do out West. They seem to be doing well dropshotting with 10 and 8 anyway. So if it's not broke, why fix it?

One last mention, I've heard is P-Line will add a new 100% soft fluorocarbon by year end, and the manufacturer's claim of softness may make it a fluorocarbon to try for dropshot spinning rods. Overall, much is touted about invisibility of fluorocarbon under water, but the true advantage is the sensitivity to feel everything when you dropshot with fluorocarbon, sense lure action better, interpret bottom feedback from the sinker, and detect even the most subtle presence of a fish in deep water better with fluorocarbon than other lines I have tried to dropshot.

DROPSHOT HOOKS

What hooks do you find to be effective for dropshot, Marc? Since I am sponsored by Gamakatsu, I haven't recently tried many other hooks, including the Sugoi Split Shot hook. However, I really don't know how you could improve on the Gamakatsu Split Shot hook! With the thin-bodied 9J and 9B Senkos, I simply don't miss fish except the occasional small panfish that grabs the tail. The sizes #2 are what I use the most for smallmouth with the slim 9J and 9B Senkos. Mostly I hook the bass in the roof of the mouth, dead center behind the top lip, and I don't lose these fish. I normally need my needlenose pliers to remove these hooks because they are sunk deeply right in the bone of the roof of the mouth.

How about you, Russ, what hooks do you use to dropshot? I currently use one size (#1) of Gamakatsu Splitshot/Dropshot hook with 9C or 9S Senkos and 7F Flat Tail Worms, finding my highest hookset ratio on this hook, partly because it is such a hypodermic thin wire point. When I dropshot bigger 5" #9 Senkos or when there are bigger bass, I step up to a bigger #4 Yamamoto Splitshot hook (made by Gamakatsu but available exclusively only from Yamamoto). I have more peace of mind using the incredible strength of the Yamamoto hook with bigger baits and larger bass.

For even bigger baits than those two hooks can handle on baitcasting gear with 8 to 12 lb Sugoi fluorocarbon, I currently step up in size to the blood red Daiichi Drop Shot'n hooks which step up to 1/0 size. For dropshotting humungous 6" 9L Senkos, I'll go to the Owner Mosquito hook which is made up to 2/0 size.

Russ, I hope this information helps readers. Dropshotting is really still just catching on, even though it has been an important tool in my tournament arsenal now for 5 years. Dropshotting 9J and 9B Senkos has won me quite a few tourneys, some Angler of the Year awards, and also the BIG BASS championships in Washington.

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