The drop-shot knot is what gives the drop-shot rig its shape: the hook is tied directly onto the line with the point standing out, and a long tag end runs down to a weight. The result is a bait hovering off the bottom at a set height, deadly on pressured bass, smallmouth and panfish.
When and why to use it
Use it any time you fish a drop-shot, when you want the bait suspended above the bottom at a precise depth rather than dragging on it. That is a go-to for deep, cold or heavily pressured fish, and for hovering a small bait over a school of suspended perch or crappie.
How it works
The cleanest way is to tie a Palomar with a long tag end, then pass that tag back down through the hook eye from the top. That last step stands the hook out perpendicular to the line with the point facing up. Tie your weight to the bottom of the tag, set the distance from hook to weight, and you are fishing.
Tip Set the hook-to-weight distance to how far off the bottom the fish are holding, and use a weight you can pull free if it snags. Passing the tag back through the eye the right way (so the hook points up) is what keeps the bait riding proud and the hookups clean.