The drop shot is a rig that every bass fisherman should know how to tie and fish.  It is truly one of the greatest fishing techniques ever invented.  There are many different ways to make a drop shot rig.  This detailed article will break down the different components that are used to make a drop shot rig and help explain why you would choose one of another.  If you are not familair with drop shotting, the basic concept is to allow you to suspend a soft plastic lure while maintaining contact with the bottom. It's rigged with the lure tied above the weight allowing you to shake, quiver or dead-stick your lure while keeping it in the strike zone. It can be extremely effective at times and can be used pretty much all year round (depending upon where you live).

So what is a ditch and how do I find them?  Ditches to put it simply are depressions in the bottom.  Some people also call them a "hole".  Ditches can be natural, or created by water entering a body of water.  For example, if you have a creek that pours into a lake, there will be a ditch near the mouth of the creek.  These ditches are created from erosion due to current.  You can find ditches in other areas as well.  They can be found on flats, humps and even points.

Summertime on the Mississippi river means one thing, weedless frogs.  Lily pads, eel grass and any  other submerged vegetation that line the ox bows , chutes and channels on the Mississippi river are stocked full of bass. 

Worm fishing is a technique that every bass angler should know.  Like most methods of fishing, some require additional skills like " reading the line". Others require us to use our "sixth sense" to detect those soft or delicate bites from bass. Well welcome to the world of worm fishing, because this is a combination of everything I just mentioned and more!

NOTE: -When I use the word worm, I am also referring to other soft plastic shapes and creatures, which can be fished by these methods.

October thru March in the upper Midwest usually means that bass season is pretty much over, most folks take their bass boats in for their end of the season maintenance and winterization and start focusing on deer and waterfowl season. Hey what do you expect it's the North Country; the first major snow storm comes in and you're stuck at home watching fishing show and going in & out of Bass Pro Shops or your favorite tackle store just to keep that desire for April spring fishing on your mind.