Entry 230-4

James Niggemeyer and Strike King’s New Products

Part 4: Let’s Play Football

Question: James, what do you think about the Strike King Football Jig?

Niggemeyer: This is where I have to double-up on products. The Football Jig is a great jig by itself, but I’ve found that I can double its effectiveness by putting a Rage Tail Craw behind it as a trailer.

Question: Why do you like the Football Jig?

Niggemeyer: The Football Jig was designed to be pulled through rocks and gravel and become hung-up far less than any other type of jighead. It also has a different action than any other type of jig on the market. The bulk of the weight of the jig is on the center of the head. Toward the edge of the head, where the lead’s narrower, the jig can pivot and move. It also has a unique action when you hop it along the bottom. The new look and action causes bass to key on this jig more than on other styles of jigs. Mechanically, it’s best for hard-substrate bottoms. If you watch the Football Jig crawl along the bottom, it moves and acts more like a crawfish than other baits I’ve seen or used.

Question: What’s your favorite color?

Niggemeyer: You can’t beat green-pumpkin and some of the brown colors. I like the jig with brown-and-green-pumpkin strands in the skirt.

Question: Why do you like the Rage Tail Craw for a trailer?

Niggemeyer: Generally, you’ll fish this bait along the bottom and then hop it off a sharp, vertical drop. For example, you can move it across the top of an underwater boulder and then hop it off the top of the boulder and let it freefall to the bottom. Or, you can pull it along the bottom and let it fall off a sharp, vertical break. When the bait falls, the claws on the trailer really start flapping. You’ll have a subtle presentation as the bait falls, but the action will trigger an instinctive or a reaction strike from the bass that sees it.

Question: What pound-test line will you be fishing with this lure?

Niggemeyer: If I’m fishing a lake with numbers of rocks in it, I’ll probably be fishing 12-pound-test line; on scattered rocks, I’ll be fishing 10-pound-test line; and on a bottom with heavy rocks and big fish, I may fish as heavy as 15-pound-test line. This is the lure that earned me $100,000, so when I get that kind of payday with one lure and a trailer, I’ll keep it in my tackle box and fish it as often as I can.

Next: The Shaky Head

Contents:

• Part 1: Don’t Go Fishing Without a Rage Tail Craw
• Part 2: How and Why to Fish the Rage Tail Shad
• Part 3: Take the Red Eye
• Part 4: Let’s Play Football
• Part 5: The Shaky Head