Drop Shotting for Rainbows

[MuskieBait]

The difficulty with this is the fixed distance from bottom the bait is being presented.

On a regular day on the river, you could be fishing a few pools, runs and riffles. In different environment, fish are often holding at different depths. In a pool, fish could be holding 2-3 feet off bottom near a log jam or over a boulder. In a shallow riffle, you really only have 2-3 feet of water and fish are holding usually just inches from bottom. In a fast run, fish are usually tight to bottom as well, while in a slower run, fish could suspend a little higher up.

So during a day of fishing, moving from spot to spot, you would have to adjust your depth throughout the day...which means a lot of retying and re-rigging.

Also, what kind of bait/lure are you presenting to the fish? Unlike on Niagara, small river steelheads seldom chase after minnows (with exception of the crankbait bite...but I think cranks are effective more so due to the vibration triggering a strike). I've tried drop shot soft plastics before using a float rig...not getting hit at all. But I guess with a drop shot rig you could sight fish for steelhead and work a plastic in their face. It's okay as a presentation to imitate a minnow struggling to hold in the current...but if you were to fish worms and insect imitators with a stationary dropshot rig, it may look unnatural (drifting slower than the current). If you are in a deep slow pool though, it could be possible.