Entry 296-4
James Niggemeyer – Bassmaster Champ in March, 2009 on Toledo Bend
Editor’s Note: Earlier in March, Strike King pro James Niggemeyer of Van, Texas, won the Bassmaster Central Open on Toledo Bend Reservoir on the Texas/Louisiana border and earned $51,686 for the weekend. This week, Niggemeyer will tell us how he turned disaster into victory in one of the most-unusual bass tournaments ever held.
Part 4: It’s a Tie!
Question: James, on the last competition day, you were tied for first place. What did you think would happen?
Niggemeyer: I thought I’d lost the competition because as I understood the rules, if there was a tie, the tie went to the fisherman who weighed-in the heaviest bag of bass during the tournament, fellow Texan Jerrel Pringle. But I’d forgotten that this rule only applied to second place and below. The BASS rules state that if there’s a tie for first place on the last day of the competition, the two tied contestants have a fish-off on the following day. I’d never been in a fish-off before, and as I understood it, this only had happened two or three times in BASS’s entire history. When I learned I’d be in a fish-off, I went to my motel room that night knowing I had a second chance to win that tournament.
Question: So, what were you thinking that night in the motel room?
Niggemeyer: I decided that the strategy I’d used so far during the tournament should continue to work. I’d moved up from eighth to first place by sight-fishing. I didn’t want to abandon the plan that had put me in a position to win. Too, I knew that I had left a good 5-pound bass on the bed because I ran out of time and had to go in for the final day weigh-in. I knew there was a 50-50 chance that 5 pounder still would be on the bed. So, my game plan was to catch that 5 pounder first.
Question: What did you think your chances were to win realistically?
Niggemeyer: Jerrel, one of the most-popular anglers in Texas, had won a number of tournaments, and he rose from 17th to 1st place. So, he had as good a chance to win as I did. I decided to go out and fish as hard as I could and let the chips fall where they would. I knew I needed to focus on catching as many bass as I could, as fast as I could, and put together the biggest bag of bass that I could, rather than focusing on winning. If I could do this, I knew I would do my best, and that’s all I could do.
Next: The Last-Day Fish-Off
Contents:
- Part 1: The Game Plan
- Part 2: First Day of a Now 2-Day Tournament
- Part 3: The Second Day of Competition
- Part 4: It's a Tie!
- Part 5: The Last-Day Fish-Off
