Author Danielle Englund
Wayne Nidiffer, a well-known and successful tournament angler on Philpott lake, set his sights on Smith Mountain Lake this weekend for the 2023 Spring Big Bass Tour.
Nidiffer caught his 7.87 pound fish first thing Friday morning, and says he knew it could potentially be a winner as soon as he had it in the boat. After catching just one other fish that day, he chose not to fish the last two days of the event. He says that Saturday and Sunday were some of the most nerve-wracking days he’s had, especially when he was nearly unseated by Randy Rose’s 7.77 on Saturday.
As the last few minutes ticked away, we had an opportunity to speak with Nidiffer and hear a little bit about his event and how he caught this fish that ultimately won him a 2023 Nitro Z18. While he doesn’t want to give away all his secrets, he does tell us that he found the most success with a topwater walking bait in shallow water. He says there is a specific color that the fish seem to prefer, so, if you can figure out what that is, it might be you who catches the next big one.
Photo taken by Brian Myers
