Entry 214-5
James Niggemeyer – Strike King’s Rising Star
Part 5: What to do When You Don’t Win, and What Life’s Like for a Rookie
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: Did you stay for the weigh-in on the last day, or did you pack your gear and head home?
Niggemeyer: I stayed for the last day of the tournament. I volunteered to take out some youngsters from all over the nation, from various orphanages. There was supposed to be a small tournament, and I volunteered to help. However, there weren’t enough children for me to fish with one. I went to an area around the weigh-in site called “Meet the Pros” and talked to some of the people who were at the tournament to watch the weigh-in.
Question: What are the advantages of staying at a tournament after you’ve been eliminated?
Niggemeyer: There are numbers of people who want to meet a pro and talk to him to learn what tactics and baits he’s using to catch fish. 
There’s not a lot of time during a tournament to talk to people because you have to organize your tackle, put new line on your reels, put gas in your boat, charge the boat’s battery, eat a good meal and go to bed early enough to get a good night’s rest before the next day’s tournament. You don’t have time, if you’re fishing the next day, to talk to the people who may want to meet you. However, when you’re out of the tournament, you do have time to meet spectators and sponsors and talk with the representatives from B.A.S.S. This is a tremendous opportunity to meet people and build your brand image.
Question: Who won the tournament?
Niggemeyer: Skeet Reese won, but I don’t know if he told how or where he was fishing because I was anxious to get out of the parking lot and on the road. I had a 20-hour car ride back to Texas, so I wanted to beat the crowd out of the parking lot and get back home before I got too tired. Besides, I knew I could find all the information about where and how Skeet was fishing this tournament on the Internet when I got home. I’ll print out the tournament reports from this tournament and put them in my file. 
Then I’ll know how and where my competitors, including Skeet, fished. Although, I probably wouldn’t have changed much about the way I fished. I was on a pattern that could have led to a win, had I caught a few more bass.
Question: What’s the most-difficult aspect of moving from amateur status to pro status and fishing on the Elite circuit?
Niggemeyer: I’ve been away from home for 6 weeks. I knew when I moved up to the Elite status that I’d be gone often and miss my family. But I didn’t realize how much I’d miss them. My wife, Sandy, is my best friend, and it’s very hard not to see and talk to her every day. I also have a 2-year-old son, Daniel, and before I left, he was saying one or two words. Now, he’s speaking almost in sentences. I realize I’ve missed out on a lot of family time. Being a pro angler is a glamorous life, but you miss an awful lot at home.
Question: You have 2 weeks off before your next tournament. What will you do during this time?
Niggemeyer: I don’t really have 2 weeks off. I just have 2 weeks before I go to my next tournament. 
I have equipment to change out, rods to repair and replace, sponsors to work with and a honey-do list longer than an 8-year old’s Christmas list to Santa Claus, besides also having to do research for the next tournament at Lake Toho in Florida and packing for that tournament. I’ve learned that the life of a tournament angler doesn’t end when the tournament ends. In many ways, there’s more to do once the tournament is over than you do while the tournament is happening. I’ve learned a lot this year thanks to the good folks at Strike King and my other sponsors. I plan to be in the hunt with my batteries recharged and my research done when I get on the water at Lake Toho in 2 weeks.
