Top 3 Drop Shot Hooks

I have always been a stickler for terminal tackle and have tested most of the drop shot hooks on the market to date. There are two major things to consider when selecting a hook for this killer tactic.

First, you should select a hook that aligns with the presentation and location you’ll be fishing. For example, if you’re fishing weed edges or off-shore snaggy stuff, you will be best served by a weedless presentation. If you are fishing a deep sandy flat or boulders, your hookups will improve with a nose-hooked presentation.

The other part to consider is what species and time of year is it. Largemouth and smallmouth bass have different anatomy. Specifically, the toughness and thickness of their mouth and pallet are drastically different. You may find that largemouth in the post-spawn has very thin skin around their jaws. Conversely, smallmouth maintains a tough pallet surrounding their jaws.

With these two things in mind, here are my top 3 drop-shot hook recommendations.

1. Owner Cover Shot

This hook came on the scene during a northern swing on a major trail event. The bronzeback giants of St. Lawrence and swift current are infamous for throwing hooks. The cover shot offers a uniquely thin wire that does a phenomenal job penetrating those tough smallies’ mouths. It comes equipped with a monofilament bait holder set about 5 mm. below the hook eye. This allows for weedless rigging and works great with 4-6″ baits like a Roboworm or the new larger Berkley Flat Worm 4.25 inch. Alternatively, the pros are finding amazing landing ratios by feeding the bait onto the hook with a fully exposed hook point using the bait keeper to extend their bait’s lifespan. This hook is also multi-functional. It makes a great Neko hook and a small texas rig hook. I prefer the #2 and #1 size.

2. Owner Mosquito Light

When looking for the best hook for nose-hooking, dozens will fit the mold but this one stands out. It is also an extremely light wire which maximizes hook penetration into the thick skin on the roof of the fish’s mouth. The other differentiating factor is what I am calling “the gap”. The degree of the line drawn from the eyelet to the tip of the hook. The more severe the degree, the better. It increases the likelihood of that hook point grabbing something when the reel begins to wind. See below. This hook also makes a solid wacky worm hook and please note my preferred size for most applications is a #1.

3. Hayabusa WRM 962

95% of the time I am using the two above hooks. Over the last two seasons, I have had nearly perfect hook-up-to-landing ratios with this hook that is deemed a Power Wacky hook. Hayabusa has been making hooks in Japan since 1958. I’ve been impressed with the quality. It is a fine wacky hook but shines drop-shot fishing in areas with big fish, specifically largemouth. It maintains a beefier wire thats needed for handling larger fish and is clutch in tournament scenarios when you cannot afford to play the fish forever. “The gap” is also better than many others on the market.

Part of the fun parts of fishing is buying new gear but it can hurt the wallet. I’ve found these options to offer a ton of value to the angler at affordable prices. These hooks have served me well from Florida up to Canada and will help you land more of those finicky finesse fish.