Entry 242-5

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

Part 5: The New Shadalicious

Question: James, this year, at the Bassmaster Classic, Strike King introduced the Shadalicious. What is a Shadalicious, and why did Strike King decide to introduce it at this time? Also, what problem will it solve?

Niggemeyer: The Shadalicious is a hollow-bodied swim bait you can fish with offset weighted hooks. This will be a bait you can follow with after fishing a spinner bait in the same area. For instance, if you fish down a bank early in the morning, and you’ve caught bass on a spinner bait, as the sun gets bright, and if the water’s clear, you can come down that same bank with a Shadalicious and still continue to catch fish. This bait is designed to be fished in clear-water situations where the bass have longer to look at the lure than they do in stained or dirty water. If I have to target one fishing problem the Shadalicious solves, it will be fishing deep, clear water. This is a very-natural-looking bait and is great for a swim-bait application in shallow water.

Question: Why did Strike King make the bait hollow?

Niggemeyer: The hollow bait increases your hook-setting ability because driving a hook through a bait this big is hard, if it’s solid plastic. Strike King has made a groove in this bait so the hook doesn’t have to penetrate as much plastic to reach the fish’s jaw, just like in the Z Too.

Question: This will really be a shallow-water, clear-water swim bait, right?

Niggemeyer: That’s what this bait is designed for, but you also can catch bass on it in stained water.

Question: This year, Strike King introduced two new lures – the Shadalicious and the Sexy Spoon. Why did Strike King choose to introduce these two new lures at the 2008 Bassmaster Classic?

Niggemeyer: Mainly because of timing. Swim baits have really come a long way and are very hot in the marketplace right now. The Shadalicious is a new design in swim baits. As soon as Strike King had the bait ready with this new technology, the company wanted to bring it to the fishing public.

Strike King has developed more-effective lures than any other company, and the company’s past history has been to bring a lure to the market as fast as possible. That way Strike King can put new technology in fishermen’s hands as fast as possible. The Bassmaster Classic offers an excellent showcase for presenting new lures because all the world of bass fishing focuses its interest on this event. These two wonderful baits will be powerhouse baits not only on the tournament circuit, but also for the average weekend fisherman.

Question: James, why do you think you missed qualifying for the 2008 Bassmaster Classic, and what will you do this year to make the 2009 Classic?

Niggemeyer: I just fished inconsistently this year. I had some really-good tournaments, and I also had some tournaments when I fished rather poorly. If I can just fish more consistently this year than I did last year, I can make the 2009 Classic.

Question: What did you learn this season?

Niggemeyer: I’m starting to learn the type of fishing that’s most productive for me. I flipped and pitched better this year and learned how to fish soft plastics and power fish better. I’m also learning more about when to hold ‘em and when to fold ‘em, and how to make changes in my fishing when necessary. I’m trying to stay more current with what’s going on hour by hour on the water. The key to tournament fishing is understanding how the fishing conditions affect the fish every hour of the day, and how the fisherman needs to adjust to those conditions.

You may not get banner days every day by learning to adjust, but you’ll fish more consistently and do better in the tournaments as you learn how to adjust your fishing. Also knowing when to stay with a pattern that has produced but may not be producing right then is very important. The only way you can know when to hold ‘em and when to fold ‘em, when to change and not to change baits, and when to move locations or stay where you are is by putting time in on the water to become more confident with your decision-making abilities. So, this year, I’ll put the time in on the water, and hopefully, I’ll be in the 2009 Bassmaster Classic.

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