Entry 312-5

How to Catch Bass in Extremely-Hot Weather with James Niggemeyer

Part 5: Bring ‘Em to the Top

Question: James, what’s another technique you’ll try in the hot-weather months?

Niggemeyer: Early in the morning or on cloudy, overcast or rainy days, I’ll choose either Strike King Rage Toad or the Rage Shad and fish the bait on 65-pound-test Sunline braided line with a No. 4/0 XPoint hook. First thing in the morning, these lures can be really productive when you fish them around shallow cover or grass. I fish these lures like buzzbaits. I want them to create a disturbance on top of the water and a little bit of splash. I’ll be fishing shallow pockets and small indentations and trying to cover a lot of water. I’ll be fishing the baits all the way down the shoreline looking for places where bass may have pulled-out of deep water to feed in the shallows and are still holding there before the sun climbs too high.

Too, I’m looking for bluegill beds. Sometimes the bluegills will bed late in the year, and bass will move in close to shallow-water bluegill beds to feed on them. So, I’ll search for bluegill beds and run these baits over the beds, imitating small bream scurrying around on top chasing bait. When a bass sees one of these baits, it will eat it.

I prefer to run the Rage Toad on the surface because it resembles a frog. I throw out the bait, let it hit the water and then crank it straight back to the boat to get those tails flappin’ and to create a lot of action on the surface. I’ll do the same action with a Rage Shad. Sometimes the bass want these two baits moving really fast, and at other times, they want them moving as slow as you can move the bait and still break the surface.

I prefer Strike King’s Rage Toad or the Rage Shad because I can fish them around the heaviest type of grass or cover and bring them back to the boat without getting hung-up. I rig both baits Texas style, fish them really fast and cover a lot of water. Now, most people think that you have to fish these baits around lily pads or grass, but I’ve caught bass fishing down a riprap bank or on points like I’ll fish top-water baits. Sometimes I’ll lift my rod tip high to get the braided line out of the water and keep the bait moving. This technique is most effective early in the morning, but I’ve also caught bass with this tactic in the middle of the day.

I’ve found that many times the bass will come up and blast a lure on top of the water at noon. When the sun’s directly overhead, and you’re moving this bait on the surface of the water, the lure is actually casting a shadow right below it. Many times the bass see that shadow and realize there’s some type of bait moving on the surface, and they’ll come up to eat it. I’ve fished the Rage Toad and the Rage Shad early in the morning, in the middle of the day and late in the afternoon.

Question: When will you choose these soft-plastic top-water lures over a buzzbait?

Niggemeyer: I prefer to fish the Rage Shad and the Rage Toad when I have a lot of slop, trash or weeds in the water – areas where a buzzbait always will get fouled-up. Sometimes when slime’s on the surface, it can get in the propeller on your buzzbait and cause it not to work properly. Or, the slime can get on the hooks or gum-up the skirt. These are places where the Rage Toad and the Rage Shad really shine. You can throw them up in the slime, and they’ll come through it without picking-up any of that slime. Too, the slime won’t stop the action of these two lures. With these lures, you can fish in water where you need to throw a buzzbait. When you look at the Rage Shad and the Rage Toad, you may not be impressed. But when you find situations where you need a top-water lure and nothing else will work, these lures can make your day.

Next: Page 2

Contents:

• Part 1: Fish Zones, Structure and Crankbaits
• Part 2: Bet on the Big Worm
• Part 3: Put Some Sexy Spoon in Your Fishing
• Part 4: Fishing the Grass
• Part 5: Bring 'Em to the Top