"Bob La Londe" wrote in message news:45f7fcc5$0$16361
To add to your question, "As a boater what can you do to help your
backseater fish with you to make a better team and have a better overall
team finish?"

Easy answer, watch your boater and adjust. Like you said sometimes the
boater will get the fish's attention. I find that many many times I have
been on the back of the boat attention to detail is the difference bewteen
catching fish and not catching fish. Vary your technique, bumping a jig the
same way the boater is might not be to productive, but short hopping when he
is doing a big lift and fall might make that fish bite, same with every
other lure.

A good example of this was when I was fishing a night tournament a few
years back on Lake Hopatcong NJ. My boater was fishing a jig and would
consistently lift, wait for it to fall and lift again. Never a change. I
tied on a similiar jig and just kept it in contact with the bottom, every
now and then sweeping it across briskly. The fish hammered it that night. I
wound up with 4 good keepers and a few throwbacks. My boater skunked and
went to sleep. when he woke up his battery was sure enough dead and with no
way or no tools to swap out the batteries, we didn't make it back. I was
only in it for big fish as I was a guest of the club, but it would have been
nice to at least weigh the fish


**********Hit the spots that he doesn't, big time producer of fish when on
the back of a boat. Sometimes that strike zone is very small, take advantage
of those opening and you will catch fish

Honorable mentions include downsizing or upsizing the bait, adding scent or
changing colors