Entry 317-2
How to Catch Bass from Texas to New York with James Niggemeyer
Editor’s Note: We caught up with James Niggemeyer of Van, Texas, a Strike King Pro, as he was leaving his home in Texas, heading for New York to fish a Bassmaster Elite Series tournament on Lake Oneida in August. In Texas, temperatures often will soar over 100 degrees on the same day that New York anglers may wear a light jacket in the morning to go fishing. We wanted to know how anglers like Niggemeyer can change their bass-fishing tactics when they come from the extreme southern part of the country and have to fish in the extreme northern region. This versatility and attention to detail are what make the Strike King Pros such great fishermen. They make those kinds of drastic environmental changes, often weekly. As of this writing, James Niggemeyer is 31st in the Bassmaster Angler-of-the-Year race, making him an almost-certain competitor at the Bassmaster Classic on Alabama’s Lay Lake in February, 2010.
Part 2: New York Has Largemouths, and I Can Catch Them on the Same Strike King Lures I Use in Texas
Question: James, you know how to find and catch bass and what lures you need to use when you’re fishing on Lake Fork in Texas this month. How will you find bass and know what lures to use when you’re fishing on Lake Oneida in August in the Bassmaster Elite tournament?
Niggemeyer: As I’ve mentioned, even though these are northern bass in Oneida, they still set-up on structure and cover just like southern bass do during the summer months. Now it’s true, the summers in New York aren’t nearly as hot as summers in Texas, and the bass will be where the bass ought to be in a late summer pattern. Bass are bass, whether you go to the East Coast or the West Coast, or north or south. They’re still bass, and they still have seasonal patterns, which will help you fine-tune the way you find them and catch them. Sure, there will be differences in fishing in New York and fishing in Texas, but there will be a lot of similarities too.
Another advantage I have is that I’m originally from California, so I’ve got a lot of experience fishing clear water in the summertime, which is what we’ll face on Lake Oneida. 
I also know the bass at Oneida will be highly-pressured, since I’ve fished on clear water in California and on highly-pressured lakes, I believe that that experience will help me on the next BASS tournament on Lake Oneida. I actually like to fish under these conditions.
Question: James, most of your current fishing is for largemouths on Lake Fork. How will you adapt to catching smallmouths on Lake Oneida?
Niggemeyer: As I mentioned, you there are a lot similarities. Right now, you can catch bass on Lake Fork fishing a drop-shot with a Strike King finesse worm and/or a shaky head jig with a finesse worm. Well, those tactics are two I’ll probably have to use when I fish for smallmouths on Lake Oneida. I know this is true because I’ve fished Lake Oneida in the past.
Another factor is the last two times that the Bassmaster Elite Series Tournament fished Lake Oneida, the tournament has been won with largemouths, not smallmouths. 
Even though smallmouths are the dominant species on the lake, there’s a good population of largemouths on the lake. The Strike King lures that I use to catch largemouths in Texas at this time of year will also catch largemouths in New York at this time of year. So I have the option of fishing many of the same Strike King lures and techniques that I’ll be fishing with at Lake Fork this month when we compete on Lake Oneida.
Contents:
- Part 1: A Span of 1,500 Miles and They're Still Just Bass
- Part 2: New York Has Largemouths, and I Can Catch Them on the Same Strike King Lures I Use in Texas
- Part 3: Practice Down South to Catch Bass Up North
- Part 4: Being the New Guy in Tournament Bass Fishing
- Part 5: Choose Where to Fish for Summer Lunkers
