Drop Shot Fishing on Torch Lake
Torch Lake · Michigan · Midwest
Torch Lake stretches roughly 19 miles through the northern Lower Peninsula, making it the longest inland lake in Michigan and one of the clearest in the entire Great Lakes region. The fishery is dominated by smallmouth bass holding on gravel and cobble shoals, submerged points, and hard-bottom transitions that drop quickly into 100-plus feet of water. Largemouth are present but sparse, concentrated in the shallower northern and southern bays where any available weedy cover exists.
The drop shot suspends a soft plastic bait above the bottom on a fixed line, keeping it in the strike zone longer than any other rig. Originally a West Coast technique, it now dominates clear-water and finesse situations nationwide. Works vertically over structure or on a long cast.
Drop Shot Setup for Torch Lake
| Rod | 7' medium-light to medium spinning rod, fast action |
| Reel | 2500–3000 size spinning reel, 6.2:1 or higher |
| Line | 6–8 lb fluorocarbon main line or 10 lb braid + 8 lb fluoro leader |
| Weight | 1/8–3/8 oz tungsten drop shot weight (heavier in current or deep water) |
| Hook | #1 or #2 Gamakatsu Finesse Wide Gap, 6–18 inches above weight |
Seasonal Tactics on Torch Lake
Lake: Smallmouth stage on gravel shoals and rocky points in 8–18 ft as water temperatures climb through the 50s; pre-spawn fish are aggressive and stack on the same transitional structure year after year, particularly on the lake's eastern shoreline points. Tube jigs and drop shots fished slowly over clean bottom account for most fish before the mid-May spawn push.
Drop Shot: Target staging fish on points and drop-offs in 8–20 feet. Nose-hook a 6" Roboworm or Berkley PowerBait MaxScent Flat Worm.
Lake: Post-spawn fish scatter to deeper hard-bottom structure and submerged points in 20–35 ft, suspending near the thermocline when surface temps crest 75°F in the shallows. Tube drags and football jigs on main-lake shoals produce, but mid-summer topwater action at dawn over shallow rocky flats can be exceptional before boat traffic builds.
Drop Shot: Go deep — 20–40 feet on main lake structure. Shake in place with minimal movement. Shad colors dominate.
Lake: Cooling water pulls smallmouth back shallow through September and October, with fish actively chasing emerald shiners and perch fry on windward gravel points in 6–15 ft. Swimbaits and crankbaits covering water efficiently outproduce finesse rigs as the bite windows tighten toward mid-October.
Drop Shot: Follow baitfish to secondary points and pockets. Faster retrieve works as fish get more aggressive.
Lake: Ice fishing for smallmouth is practiced in colder years when Torch Lake freezes sufficiently, though its size and depth mean reliable ice is inconsistent. Open-water anglers targeting late-November fish find them consolidated on the deepest accessible hard-bottom transitions, often in 40–55 ft, slow-dragging blade baits and finesse jigs.
Drop Shot: Slowest presentation of the year. Dead-stick a 4" finesse worm at the bottom. Let it sit 10–15 seconds between shakes.
Best Conditions
Clear to stained water, pressured fish, cold fronts, post-spawn suspended bass, deep structure in summer
Use a Palomar knot and leave the tag end pointing up to keep the hook riding correctly. Most anglers tie it wrong.
More Techniques for Torch Lake
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