Entry 214-4
James Niggemeyer – Strike King’s Rising Star
Part 4: What Happened on the Second and Third Days at the Potomac
Editor’s Note: The first part of August 2007, James Niggemeyer of Van, Texas, tied for the biggest bass caught in the Bassmasters Elite Series’ Capitol Clash tournament on the Potomac River at Washington D.C. Out of 107 of the best pros in the nation, Niggemeyer finished in 16th place, winning $10,000 and an additional $1,000 for catching the biggest bass. He was only 1-1/2-pounds and one bass away from making the 12th-place cut on the final day. During Niggemeyer’s rookie year on the Bassmasters Elite Series trail, he’s done extremely well. This week, he’ll tell us how he fished on the Potomac and what his life’s been like since making the move from amateur fisherman to full-time pro angler.
Question: What happened during the second day of the tournament?
Niggemeyer: I caught that big 8-pound 2-ounce bass on the second day at my first stop. I was sharing my water with two other competitors, and we were fishing the same flat. One of these competitors was ahead of me in the tournament standings, and the other was behind me. Although we were all working the same section of water, this probably was some of the most-friendly competition I’ve ever had. We really didn’t bother one another.
After I had that 8 pounder in my live well, I was just hoping to catch a few more bass to finish my limit. I felt certain I could make it into the top-50 cut. I only caught two or three other fish on this day, and it probably took approximately 3 hours to catch these fish. My total weight was 18 pounds even, and I moved up the leader board to 6th place, easily making the top-50 cut.
Question: On the third day of the tournament, you had to place in the top 12, so what happened?
Niggemeyer: Because I’d done so well on the first and the second days, I didn’t feel a need to adjust my technique. I returned to the same two areas I’d fished on the two previous days and used the same pattern. I really didn’t think I’d catch another 8 pounder, but I knew it could happen. The fishing was very slow for everyone on this day. Out of the three of us who fished the part of the river I was fishing, one of the contestants had five bass, I caught four bass and the other contestant had two bass. I never caught another bass after 10:30 am. I weighed-in 7 pounds, 9 ounces. That low weight caused me to fall from 6th place to 16th place, so I didn’t make the last cut. All I needed was one more 1-1/2-pound bass to make the top-12 cut, but I didn’t catch it.
