Here it is summer and we do our best to teach our bass fishing guide clients at Lake Casitas all we can about the sport of bass fishing during the course of the day. And with that being said without question the most popular fishing technique used in the Western United States at this time of year is the drop shot technique. As one of my guide clients told me at Lake Casitas the other day, it's really the equivalent of the Texas rigged plastic worm for the Western United States. Since most all of you that read my column all utilize the drop shot technique I thought I would give you a quick summer tune up with some pointers to help you this summer get the full potential out of your drop shot fishing. Let's start with the drop shot rod. My recommendation is a 6' 10" drop shot specific spinning rod. What I mean by this is choosing a spinning rod that is specific to the technique. Most all companies now make drop shot specific fishing rods. The reason that this is important is the tip on a drop shot rod is basically what we would call almost a triple fast taper. Meaning that the but section of the rod and midsection of the rod are fairly parabolic, yet the tip of the drop shot rod is very soft, much softer than any traditional spinning rod on the market. That's super soft tip is very important in the drop shot technique. Next you want a quality spinning reel and of course my personal choice is any of the top of the line Daiwa spinning reels in the 2500 size. When it comes to fishing line there are two ways to go. My personal choice is the smallest diameter braided line that you can find, and use that as your main line on your drop shot rig. My personal choice is Daiwa Samurai Braid. I feel it is without question the finest braided fishing line and you could ever use for this specific technique. I like the Samurai braid in 15 pound test line and I purchased it in the green color. This 15 pound braided line has the diameter of 2.5 pound test line. This braided line is noticeably thinner softer smoother and more flexible than ordinary braids. The fact that it has the diameter equivalent to 2.5 pound test line allows the braid to cut through the water easily with little to no resistance. It makes it incredibly effective when making a long cast or fishing in deep water. It's thin diameter allows you to have a much more direct feel with your plastic worm when you're fishing a drop shot. If you have not tried this braid I highly recommend it. I of course tie a fluorocarbon leader using a double Uni Knot to connect the braid to my fluorocarbon leader. I most always fish a six or 7 pound test line fluorocarbon leader with my drop shot rig. When you tie your Double Uni Knot you want to try to have your knot resting somewhere between this spinning reel and a very first stripping guide on your spinning reel. What I mean by this is once you have your drop shot weight and hook all rigged up on your line you would like to have your knot resting somewhere between your spinning reel and the very first stripping guide on your fishing rod. This way when you make your first cast the not is not buried in the line on your actual reel. The knot should be resting just outside the real and this will allow for much smoother casting. When I rig the drop shot onto the fluorocarbon leader I of course like to use the Palomar knot, and my hook of choice is a #4 Daiichi drop shot hook. They come in black nickel and in red and I like both colors equally well. I use of 3/16 ounce round Bakudan drop shot weight for almost all the drop shot fishing that I do. One of the most overlooked areas in drop shot fishing at Lake Casitas is the distance between the weight and the plastic worm. I feel like far too many anglers use way too long a leader with their drop shot rig. I'm a pretty big fan of a very short leader with the drop shot especialy with my bass fishing guide clients at Lake Casitas. For much of the year especially in the winter and early spring I like to use about a 5 inch leader between the weight and the hook. Once the summer season begins and vegetation begins to grow I will then switch to a bit longer leader. When it comes to plastic worms I really believe that it's difficult to choose anything other than a Robo Worm for western fishing. I feel like it's far and away the most productive plastic worm for this technique. I know their are parts of the country where other plastic worm's work very well with the drop shot, but on a day in and day out basis I really feel like the Robo Worm is very tough to beat when fishing lake Casitas with this technique. Spend a lot of time trying to find out absolutely the best color plastic worm on the body of water that you are fishing Casitas. The right color with the drop shot rig can be absolutely crucial to maximizing your success. Don't be shy, ask other anglers what plastic worm color they believe to be best when you go to the lake. If you hear the same color over and over again focus on that colored plastic worm on that particular body of water. If I had only one fishing rod to take to the lake during this time of year it would be without question a drop shot rod. I feel it's the most effective fishing technique you can use in the Western United States at this time of year. The biggest keys to this technique are fishing your plastic worm slow, keep it on the bottom, and experiment with different retrieves. Once again keep this bait on the bottom, don't play with your reel handle too often, just slowly work your bait with your rod tip and use your reel only to pick up slack line. If you feel anything different, set the hook, never get into a feeling contest, always believe it's of fish. Enjoy this special time of year and I hope this short refresher course on drop shot fishing when you visit Lake Casitas.