Drop shot
A finesse rig with the hook tied above a weight on the end of the line, so the bait hovers off the bottom at whatever height you set.
Tie a small hook a foot or two up the line with a Palomar, leave a long tag end, run the tag back through the hook eye so the point stands out from the line, and clip a cylindrical weight to the bottom of the tag. Nose-hook a small plastic and drop it down.
The weight rests on the bottom while the bait sits above it, in the fish's line of sight, and stays there. You can shake the rod tip and make the bait quiver in place without moving it an inch, which is exactly what a fish that will not chase wants.
Adjust the tag length to how far off the bottom fish are holding: a few inches for bass hugging the bottom in cold water, two or three feet when they are suspended over deeper structure.
Shake the rod tip, not the reel handle. The idea is to make the bait tremble while the weight never moves.
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