This Week @ Bass Edge

Shallow Minded

I often hear the opinion that a change in weather conditions or fishing pressure will cause fish to vacate the shallows. To James Niggemeyer those popular opinions are music to his ears.

Outside the Box

“There is no question changing conditions may have an effect on the feeding habits of a bass. However, by being creative and challenging those myths, I have found success in areas often passed over by other anglers,” said Niggemeyer, a resident of Van Texas. Fishermen as a group often follow the opinions of their peers. Taking time to personally test those hypothesis and break away from the crowd will often payoff more times than not.

Bass behavior is a moving target that seems elusive and unexplainable to some anglers. With that said, bass sometimes move into the least expected areas. By not investing the time to explore areas deemed “least likely” to hold a bass under the given condition, anglers will be at a disadvantage compared to those fishermen who break the rules.

Frontal Systems

One of the most popular myths is when a weather system or a cold front has descended upon your area, that bass move out of the shallows to the deep haunts requiring anglers to probe the bottoms. “Nothing could be more inaccurate,” says Niggemeyer. Although some bass may wander away from the skinny structure, all bass relating to shallow cover don’t just up and leave. There is always plenty of bass to be caught by those who can present their lure tightly to visible cover.

For example, during post-frontal conditions, James often makes multiple passes presenting his lure several times to the same piece of cover. These areas are the same locations he’s found actively feeding bass prior to the change in weather patterns. “Many times it is on the 3rd or 4th attempt that a bass will often strike,” adds Niggemeyer.

During changing conditions Niggemeyer does what few anglers do, he stays put. Unlike other anglers however, he maintains confidence in that particular area, only changing his approach by targeting very specific types of cover with a few “go-to” lures. “I love wood and grass,” he said. “The defined edges present shade and perfect ambush points for bass to attack their prey.” Previously if the bass were responding well to moving baits such as a spinnerbait or crankbait, he will often follow up flipping a jig or tube directly against the shady side of the cover using a slow, methodical approach.

James recalls a recent day on the water on Lake Fork in Texas. The day prior to his outing, a strong storm system moved in plummeting temperatures by more than 20 degrees with winds in excess of 45 mph. Previously, he was having tremendous success on spinnerbaits fished extremely fast in 1 – 5 feet of water “around” pole timber and above the grass lines. Following the front, he was able to catch bass in those same areas by merely changing to a square-bill crankbait working it tight to the cover and slowing down the retrieve.

Fishing Pressure

With the popularity of fishing and heightened skill of anglers as a group, it is safe to assume bass receive a lot of opportunities to eat which are induced by fellow anglers. “Fishing pressure does not impact my decisions as a whole,” says Niggemeyer, “Many times other anglers are not using the same bait, presenting it the same way, or have not realized the subtle adjustment necessary to coax bass into biting.”

Think of it like this, if you live in a newly formed subdivision and the owners of the lot next to you recently started construction on a new house. The new construction brings with it a lot of traffic, heavy equipment generating loud noise, and extra people in your space. As a result, you are not going to all of the sudden pack up your belongings and move your family across town. You may not like it but you understand the contractors have weekends off. Likewise, since you still have evenings and nights to yourself, their effects are further diminished. In addition, whose to say that progress on the other side of town isn’t worse?

“I have experienced days when I had found fish in practice the days before and returned during tournament hours and the bite was non-existent,” added James. “By staying in the area and fine-tuning my approach, the fish suddenly started biting again.”

Bass must eat to survive. Although their behavior may be altered as a result of weather changes and fishing pressure, eventually bass will feed. Anglers, whom are able to effectively cover water, think outside of the box, move forward with confidence, and alter their presentation, will no doubt receive it as a compliment the next time someone refers to them as shallow minded!

• Season 01: Episode 07