What is a good drop shot set up...weight, leader length.....bait? Do you cast or just pitch a drop shot?

A drop-shot is very simple technique but can be a deadly weapon. You can cast it or vertical fish it, either way you want to fish it the same. I use a Falcon Cara 7'Med action rod with a Shimano 2500series reel. I like 8-10lb FLORO line, the floro is very sensitive therefore it's a key to this technique. For a hook I use a 1/0 offset roundbend hook, I hook it like a texas rig worm, makes it completely weedless and WONT LOOSE ANY BITES! I pu my weight about 6-8" below the hook, use the smallest weight you can get away with. Start with an 1/8oz and move up depending on depth and wind. Tie the hook with a palamor knot and keep the extra line as a tag and run it through the TOP of the hook eye (point facing up). Pull the tag end through the eye. I like a Zoom Finesse worm, really any worm will work. Fish this slow and methodical...I like to think the more you concentrate on a drop shot the more bites you get. Keep the weight in contact with the bottom and make the smallest shakes possible. Hope this helps, and remember the drop shot is a small bait that yeilds HUGE results!!!

Ronnie is the MAN

dobyn's make a good dropshot rod, too I just can't remember what series/model I was using when I tried it out

when I first started drop shotting i couldnt get it through my head that it didnt need to be bounced around and hopped. If you can keep the weight on bottom everything else will fall into place. as stated above, just wiggle it or very small vibrating movement that makes the bait work. Pretty much any type or style of plastic will MAKE them bite it. They cant resist it. If you believe the fish are there, dont be afraid to cast it out there and let it sit for more than you can even dream of. dont keep your line so tight that its bringing the weight up but just enough slack to allow the current to make the bait dance. I like spinning gear, 8# flouro, 7' or longer rod. drop shot will get them hooked even when nothing else will.

Probably good advice for any new technique, but use it in an area you're familiar with & when they're biting. Don't try it out at the end of the day when nothing else is working, hard to learn that way.
Experiment w/ the different setups listed, +1 on tx-rigging the worm, that way you can fish it anywhere.

Use a small finesse worm that you already have confidence in.
Spinning, fluoro 12" or so leader, braid for main line, swivel to connect the two. Gammy 2/0 J hook, cheap drop shot weight.
Starting out, try a heavier weight, 3/8oz, that way you can cast it easier, it'll stay put & you can get the feel of slight movement w/out hopping it too much.

good luck, check out the thread " biggest drop shot fish" to give you some confidence.

What's wrong with bait casting equipment for that rig?

I like to graph my target first. It tells me if I need to have my hook 3' off the bottom or 6'. You can reel up a few feet or attach your hook the same distance the fish are. 6 lb floroclear line and a Nogalas hook with a 2" reaper in purple ghost. I like a 7' rod like a G Loomis,or Dobyns. You can follow your bait right to the bass and sometimes watch him get it with your graph. Don't wait to long,if they don't bite soon then move. After finding them sometimes you can cast and "Stitch" your line back slowly to the boat.

I fished with Ronnie on Fork last week and we WHACKED them during the middle of the day on dropshots using the setup he described. It seemed like it was the only bait they would bite at the time and we caught some solid 3-5lb fish too! It was my first time fishing a dropshot and it took some time to get a good feel for it, but it's not hard to figure it out when youre getting bit!

Nothing in my opinion. Provided you have proper rod.

+ 1000

I have two dropshot setups. One is a traditional spinning setup. I use a GLoomis dropsot rod, 2500 series Shimano reel, 30# power pro braid and a flouro leader. My other, and fast becoming my favorite rig, is a 6'6" Shimano baitcast dropshot rod, Mg51, and 12lb test mono.

I use the spin rig for vertical type situations and the baitcaster when I'm casting the d/s some distance.

I like to use a shakee head for the bottom weight, you never know witch one they will eat, sometimes you catch two at a time!!!

Thanks,guys.