As he went on to explain, the guy on the backseat needs to watch where the other angler casts and try not to cast to the exact same spots..."hit anything they miss," as he simplified it.
There are times, however, when the backseater will want to throw his bait to the exact same spot. One such occasion might be when the man in front is power-fishing a buzzbait, spinnerbait or chatterbait. The guy in back should follow up with something more finesse-like, such as a squarebill, small swimbait, or swim jig. Why? Because a bass couldn't get to the power-fisherman's bait in time, or perhaps it just wasn't in an aggressive enough mood to commit to the power presentation. When the backseater's finesse offering comes right back, the fish often will slam it.
Said Baker, "Another great way to catch fish behind someone is to keep an eye on the back graph. Whether you're fishing as a co-angler or fishing with a buddy, watching the graph at the driver's console will alert you to fish that are right underneath your feet...where the transducer for that graph usually is located."
The Wired2Fish writer went on to explain that the backseater should "keep a drop shot or worm handy, and whenever you see a fish pop up on the graph, reel in whatever you're fishing with and drop a bait right behind the motor. A drop shot works extremely well for this because it gives you a bait that will make a beeline for the bottom and get as close as possible to where you last saw the fish. But a shaky head or Texas rig works really well, too, when the angler on the front of the boat is moving along pretty fast. That way, you can just fire your bait out behind the boat and drag it along to try to intersect the fish.
"It's also a good idea to keep an eye on the graph to try and find cover. The down- and side-imaging will reveal boulders, stumps and clumps of vegetation that you can try to make contact with and pick off fish. Just always remember where those images are coming from. Instead of the transducer being a little in front of you, like it would be if you were fishing from the bow, it's a little behind you...likely mounted just below the outboard."
When Baker finds a productive area, he milks it for all it's worth. One way to do this is to go back over the same area with a different bait. Pick one that's a little more finesse-like on the second go-round and hopefully pick off a few fish that wouldn't commit to a topwater, spinnerbait or whatever else you might have thrown the first round.
One thing Baker especially likes to do sometimes is actually to flip those two presentations. He occasionally starts with something finesse-like, then swaps to power-fishing baits on the second or third round...when a good feeding window comes along. An example of this would be a cold morning in spring, while fishing shallow.
Said Baker, "I know that fish should be up, trying to spawn, but a cold night before will make them a little lethargic and reluctant to commit to a power-fishing tactic. Instead, they might just swat at a bait and become even harder to catch. So I'll start with something more finesse-like, such as a floating worm or wacky rig, then swap over to a more aggressive bait like a frog or buzzbait in the morning, as the water warms."
However, there's another really big key when fishing shallow behind yourself, as Baker noted. He likes to make sure he's hitting things from every angle. If you're going around a pond, for instance, don't keep going round and round in the same direction. Turn and fish back in the opposite direction, and you'll find new lanes opening up in the grass and between bushes you haven't been able to cast to yet. Your bait will approach laydowns and other cover from a completely different angle, and you stand a chance to catch fish that haven't even seen your lure yet.
Anglers often mistakenly get the notion they've caught every fish in an area after getting a few bites, but that's rarely a fact.
"If the angler in the front of the boat is catching fish pretty regularly and skipping a lot of cover, don't be ashamed to tie on the exact same thing and hit whatever he/she misses," said Baker. "If the bass are just swiping at the other angler's bait, back off on your presentation a bit, and try bringing something more finesse-like along the exact same trails. And always make sure, when you want to recycle your own water, to do it from a different direction. That simple tactic will almost guarantee you to catch more fish."
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