Entry 232-4

How to Catch Bass in January with James Niggemeyer

Part 4: Zero Out on Big Bass

Question: What’s your fourth go-to technique for this month?

Niggemeyer: I like to fish the Strike King Zero. There will always be bass that move to shallow water ahead of the majority of spawning bass. That Strike King Zero will get those early movers to bite. I like the Zero in either the green pumpkin or some of the darker colors. I prefer to fish the Zero in some of the shallow bays that warm up first. I’ll also be fishing this bait on the first bottom break off the bank, because that’s where the big females will hold waiting on spawning conditions to occur.

Now many anglers have problems with the Strike King Zero because they try to fish it too fast. You’ve got to fish it really slowly at this time of year. Something else that causes anglers a problem when fishing the Zero is that they want to give it some action. Fishermen don’t realize that the Strike King Zero has the action built into the bait.

The best way to fish this lure is to cast it out, let it fall and not move your line until the bass takes the bait, or until the Zero hits the bottom. Once the Zero hits the bottom, let it lay there for awhile. This tactic is often called dead sticking. Sometimes a bass will move on the lure and look at it. Then the fish will bite it when it’s sitting dead still on the bottom. Often it needs to lay motionless for 20-30 seconds before you move it. Bass fishermen are much like race horses. They often believe the faster they go, the more likely they are to win the race. However, when you’re fishing for January bass, just the opposite is true. Patience will often catch more bass in January than speed will.

To catch bass with the Zero, you have to fish it really slowly and let it lay on the bottom. You have to imagine a bass looking at it from the time it hits the water until the time it eats it or until you move it. When you let the Zero lay on the bottom as long as you can stand, use your rod tip to lift the bait up off the bottom about a foot, then let it fall back, and wait. A slow, methodical presentation is what’s required to get January bass to bite this bait.

Question: Are you wacky rigging the Zero by hooking it in the middle, or do you prefer to Texas rig the Zero?

Niggemeyer: I Texas rig the Zero with no weight. I like a No. 3 or a No. 4 X-point offset hook when I’m fishing the Zero. I just skin hook the Zero. Then when the bass takes the bait, both the hooks will get in the bass’s mouth. You won’t have to drive the hook into the bait.

You can contact James Niggemeyer at P.O. Box 146, Mineola, TX 75773 or by calling (903) 312-0780 (www.lakeforkproguide.com).

Next: Give Big Bass an “S” This Month

Contents:

• Part 1: Give Bass the Red Eye
• Part 2: Jig Up January Bass
• Part 3: Spin Up Monster Bass
• Part 4: Zero Out on Big Bass
• Part 5: Give Big Bass an “S” This Month