Entry 312-2
How to Catch Bass in Extremely-Hot Weather with James Niggemeyer
Editor’s Note: James Niggemeyer of Van, Texas, one of the newest Strike King pros and a professional guide on Texas’ famous Lake Fork, has earned over $300,000 in tournament winnings in his short 2-year professional bass-fishing career. After recently qualifying for a second Bassmaster Classic to take place in 2010, Niggemeyer is one of the up-and-coming Strike King pros who’s proven he not only can fish with the big boys, but he also can compete against some of the nation’s best bass fishermen in one of the biggest bass-fishing championships – the Bassmaster Classic. Since Niggemeyer guides on Lake Fork, he has a tremendous depth of knowledge about how to catch bass in extremely-hot weather. This week, Niggemeyer will tell us how to find and catch bass in extreme heat.
Part 2: Bet on the Big Worm
Question: James, what’s your second lure choice for catching bass at this time of year?
Niggemeyer: I like to fish the Strike King 10-inch Rage Tail Anaconda rigged Texas style or the new Rage Thumper Worm, which has not yet been released to the market.
Question: Around what type of structure will you fish these worms?
Niggemeyer: I’ll be fishing 16-pound-test Sunline fluorocarbon line with a 1/4- to a 3/8-ounce slip sinker and a No. 4/0 XPoint offset hook on the bottom, dragging that big worm through a rough spot or an underwater root system of an old tree. Too, I like to fish the big worms on the edge of a grass line. I’ll be fishing the worms on a 7-foot St. Croix medium-heavy action rod. I’m not just fishing for one or two bass. I’m looking for a place where I can catch a number of bass with these worms. A point is a good place to look for bass with a plastic worm, but search for the sweet spot – a place on that point where most of the bass are holding.
Question: What color worm will you use?
Niggemeyer: I like red bug, grape and plum colors, and if the weather’s cloudy and overcast, I’ll use Junebug. I also like the red-shad color. Green pumpkin or watermelon sometimes can be effective in really-clear water or when you’re fishing around grass.
Question: What kind of action will you give the worm? Will you drag, hop or swim it?
Niggemeyer: I let the bass tell me how they want me to present the worm to them, but most of the time I’ll drag it until my bullet weight hits something on the bottom. 
Then I’ll shake the rod tip. Sometimes the bass will take the worm on the drop, often they’ll be holding close to some type of bottom structure. Before I drag or hop the worm over the structure, I shake the worm like you shake a shaky-head jig. Many times the bass will take the worm on the fall, so I may jerk it up really high – like 2 or 3 feet – and let it fall to see if I can get a strike. But sometimes a straight, steady drag can be deadly effective. For some reason, the bass seem to like that larger-worm profile during the summer months. The worm often will perform better and produce more bass than any other technique you can use in July and August.
Contents:
- Part 1: Fish Zones, Structure and Crankbaits
- Part 2: Bet on the Big Worm
- Part 3: Put Some Sexy Spoon in Your Fishing
- Part 4: Fishing the Grass
- Part 5: Bring 'Em to the Top
