He has always played sports and loves the competition. Jim started fishing on Lake Don Pedro in 1994 with his friend, who introduced him to bass fishing. Within months he bought his first bass boat. He joined the local Merced Bass Club. At that point, Jim was “All-In” on bass fishing. For the next several years his love for the sport grew with a strong passion. In 2007, Jim started fishing the California Bass Federation (CBF) after friend Ben Willis, (Delta Region Tournament Director) encouraged him to join. “The Bass Federation is full of great people that share a common interest.” He has made many new friends and can’t wait for the season opener next year. When asked what he likes best of The Bass Federation, he says “The camaraderie and the head to head competition”.
Congratulations to Jim for his 2014 Angler of the Year Honor. The California Bass Federation Delta Region results: 3/9/14 tournament 15.65 lbs. for 6th place, 4/14/14 tournament 18.87lbs for 3rd place, 5/18/14 tournament for 19.10lbs for 2nd place, and on 6/1/14: 20.91lbs for a 1st place finish. His results reflect consistence on the Delta. Considering the competition, this is a great accomplishment! Jim recalls his tournament season as he relied heavily on spinner baits and senkos early in the year as well as chatter baits and even a few swim baits. Jim is a very diverse fisherman, he likes to throw jigs and punch baits too. His favorite technique however, is reaction fishing; making them bite when the fish are in a neutral or negative mood.
In May of 2013, the “Chatter Bait King” walked away with a 2.8lb margin in the 2013 Rayovac FLW Western Delta tournament weighing a 3 day total of 59 pounds 13 ounces. Jim will be forever immortalized. He confessed that he had a horrible pre-fish for that tournament, but he made key adjustments. “The whole tournament I noticed most everyone was running the banks and fishing the same techniques, so I moved off the banks and fished the chatter bait and swim bait.” If you know Jim, giving up is not an option. He was excited about winning on only his 7th FLW tournament. Awesome job Jim!
He also qualified for the 2014 State team at Lake Oroville in October 2013.
In 2007, Jim purchased C & C Marine as a business that he and his wife could maintain during their graduated years. C & C Marine has been sponsoring CBF since 2007. He is also the proud owner of Creative Plumbing and has been a plumbing contractor since 1993, doing mostly residential and some commercial work. He still works at his plumbing business today. Jim is married to Lynda, and has three daughters; Alissa, Jenny, and Crysta, who as a family support his fishing activities.
When asked about on the water decisions he makes when fishing gets tough during tournaments, Jim replied, “If I had fish biting during pre-fishing and went to the same area during the tournament but could not get them to bite, I would not leave and go somewhere else”. He knew the fish were there, he just needed to figure out how to make them bite. Jim expresses that over the years he has learned to never give up. He says “you are only one cast away from a game changing fish.”
Jim is definitely a first class individual and angler. If you get the privilege to meet and talk with him, don’t hesitate to go up and introduce yourself. Jim is always willing to take the time to talk with you and share his knowledge and experiences.
Thanks for the interview Jim Moulton.
Author: Brian Carpenter
