Entry 242-4

How I Would Have Fished the 2008 Bassmaster Classic with James Niggemeyer

Part 4: When to Hold ‘Em and When to Fold ‘Em

Question: James, most of the professional tournaments last for 3 days. More weekend fishermen only fish 1-day tournaments. How do you know when to hold ‘em and when to fold ‘em in a 3-day tournament, and how do you learn when to make those changes?

Niggemeyer: Successful fishing is based on your past experience and the confidence you have in your ability to find bass and select the right lures to catch them. You also have to understand how weather affects the bass’s migration from deep water to shallow water before, during and after the spawn.

Question: What one factor seems to cause you to make your decisions more so than any other factor? Is it the color of the sky, the color of the water or the temperature of the water?

Niggemeyer: Really, none of the above. The fish are the best barometer of what you need to do to continue to catch them. As we saw in the 2008 Classic, some bass were severely affected by sky, water and weather conditions, while other bass, especially the ones that won the Classic, were not affected at all. Therefore, each day, you have to check for bass where you find them the day before to see what effect changes in the fishing environment had on those fish. There’s a reason tournament anglers have so many rods on their decks with several-different lures tied onto them. They want to instantly be able to fish with various lures as the weather and the water conditions change to let the bass tell them whether or not those conditions have affected them, and what lures the bass want to take based on those changing conditions.

Question: How do you decide when to hold ‘em and when to fold ‘em, James?

Niggemeyer: If I decide to stay with a spot where I’ve caught fish before, but I’m not catching them now, or if I can see fish on my depth finder on a place where I’ve caught fish, but I can’t seem to make them bite, I’ll continue to fish that same area and change lures until I either get the fish to bite or know for certain that the bass won’t feed. But if I reach that site and don’t see bass or bait on my depth finder, and I’ve made several casts and haven’t gotten a bite, I leave.

Question: James, when you’re in trouble on the water, and you can’t make bass bite, what’s your go-to bait?

Niggemeyer: My go-to baits are either a Zero or a Strike King Finesse worm or some other type of soft-plastic lure a fish will bite. If the water’s really cold, my go-to bait will be the Red Eye Shad because I can really burn it through the water and often get a reaction strike from bass that don’t really want to feed. I may use a Premier Plus spinner bait or the Pure Poison, which also will elicit reaction strikes. Most fishermen think that when bass aren’t biting, they need to slow down their presentation and downsize their baits. However, I’ve learned that if I can move a bait really fast in front of a bass, then I can trigger a bass to react to that bait.

Sometimes a power-bait presentation is better than downsizing, especially when the water’s not very clear. However, if you’re fishing really-clear water, you may want to consider downsizing and fishing slow-moving baits like the shaky head or dragging a bait like the Football Jig. The water, the type of lake and the area of the country you’re fishing are all factors you must consider to determine whether to fish either power baits or finesse baits when the bass won’t bite.

Next: The New Shadalicious

Contents:

• Part 1: Fishing Rainy, Cold Weather
• Part 2: Changing Tactics with Changing Weather
• Part 3: Adjust Your Fishing Every Day
• Part 4: When to Hold ‘Em and When to Fold ‘Em
• Part 5: The New Shadalicious