One of rigs that I have used regularly over the last few years is the Snooded Dropshot. You will have seen it mentioned many times on social media, it is also called a Looped Dropshot by some. It is one of the most effective ways to present a lure in deep water and even at distance, removing some of the limitations of the standard Dropshot Rig. I have been asked many times how to tie it, so this is a quick guide.
As with my previous guide I have used thick braid and a larger hook so the photos come out clearer. Usually I am using 3-4lb Fluorocarbon line and hooks from size 8-14, depending on my target species. With a snood you lose that direct feel that a regular Dropshot provides, and the lure action will be much more subtle, but when bites are hard to find, this rig often gets more hook ups from shy biting fish. You also have the advantage of threading the lure further up the line, so the hook can be set further back.
Here’s how I tie it and there’s a bonus addition at the end too as I talk about the Bladed Dropshot…
We start like a regular Dropshot Knot – the guide you can find here – https://benbassettfishing.home.blog/2020/12/15/lrf-basics-how-to-tie-a-dropshot-rig/ You thread the hook as normal up the line, giving around a foot of line from the hook to the end. You then loop the line over, so the hook now is facing towards your rod tip. Now with your fingers you roll the line over itself on the mainline and try to keep a loop in the middle. It isn’t very important how many times you do this, but I tend to go with eight. It is at this stage when you decide how long you want the snood. For general scratching under the rod tip I go no more than two inches, but if I am fishing at distance, more length is required to get improved presentation on the retrieve. Push the hook through the gap with the amount of line you need. Slowly and steadily tighten, try not to let the snood catch in the knot, hold it out and it will tighten up nice and neat. Now we have a looped Dropshot, but the hook is free to move as it likes, and we need to change that.Simply tie a looped knot over the shank of the hook to fix it in place. It is done! This does leave two strands of line coming from the mainline and you can change this by cutting the loop and tying the hook on that way. But I prefer the rigidity of this presentation as the two strands of fluorocarbon hold the hook out from the mainline. I also like how strong this is, and to this day I have never lost a fish due to this rig failing on me, and it has caught some specimen wrasse and flounder. But it is your choice if you prefer just a single strand of line for presentation purposes. The finish article with a Dropshot weight. One of my recent experimentation’s has been replacing the weight with a Cheb that has a blade added to the rear. You can use whatever weight is appropriate and customise blade sizes and shapes to suit your approach. I have been using this for flounder with some early success. My intention is to imitate the rolling flashing attacks of a sand goby, which trigger flounder into feeding. Here is how it will look, here the line is bent to keep it in shot but normally the line would be straight under tension. The benefit is you get added attraction and vibration from a part of the rig that is not normally doing much at all. Although there is a risk the fish will just go for the blade, in practice the weight sinks into the sand or mud once you pause and the lure with hook flutters just above it, providing an irresistible snack to the fired up fish. Here is the Bladed Dropshot with a Snood holding a Keitech Madwag Mini. In coloured water this rig gave me that extra confidence that at least the fish would see it, which is often half the battle. The only real drawback is you lose the adjust-ability of a Dropshot weight, and it isn’t very finesse…… But it works, Here’s a hard fighting autumn flounder that was seduced by the Snood & Blade.
Ben Bassett - LRF Blog 