FISHING RIG GUIDE | THE DROPSHOT RIG

The drop shot rig is perhaps the easiest way to start lure fishing for perch. It is equally effective used on a wide variety of venues and for perch of all sizes.

With an easily interchangeable weight attached below the lure, you can be sure that you are always fishing close to the bottom, and can instantly adjust the depth of the lure simply by moving the position of the weight.

Best fished on a slow, hesitant, retrieve with plenty of pauses and small twitches, a drop shot enables you to cover the water thoroughly and at different speeds – ideal when water temperature is low and the perch will be hugging the bottom. Try it on your local canal, river, or lake, in fact anywhere that perch are to be found.

For best results combine this rig with light braid of around 10lb. The lack of stretch in braid will give much improved bite indication, and enable you to feel every pebble and strand of weed on the bottom. Combine this with soft lures ranging from 3cm to 9cm.

1. Tie the drop shot hook to the centre of a 1.5m length of 6lb fluorocarbon using a Palomar knot

2. Tie the top end of the fluorocarbon leader to the mainline braid using a double four-turn water knot

3. Attach the drop shot weight to the bottom of the fluorocarbon leader and adjust the position to set the depth

4. The lure can be hooked in several ways. For maximum movement, hook it through the nose like this