Entry 317-3
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 3: Practice Down South to Catch Bass Up North
Question: James, what Strike King lures that you fish in Texas will you be fishing in New York when you compete in the Bassmasters Elite Series on Lake Oneida?
Niggemeyer: The new Burner spinner bait will catch bass both in Texas and New York in August. The Bottom Dweller spinner bait will catch bass deep in Texas and deep in those clear lakes in New York. Also, Strike King jigs are fantastic baits. I think you can almost fish them in a mud puddle or the ocean and still catch bass. I can fish jigs around the grass in Texas lakes and in New York lakes and expect to catch the same number of bass in either place.
But I may fish a different type of Strike King jig in New York than I fish in Texas. I may be fishing a Football Head Jig on ledges and humps in deep water in Texas lakes, and I may be fishing the Strike King Premier Elite Jig around grass edges, boat docks and rocks in New York. If I want to target smallmouths, I’ll switch to the Strike King Bitsy Bug, because the smallmouths will really key on that Bitsy Bug. The Coffee Tube is yet another bait that I fish in Texas and that I’ll also be fishing on Lake Oneida. 
Now I may be fishing with the Coffee Tube on 8-pound-test line in New York, while I’ll be fishing it on 20-pound test in Texas. However, I’ll still be using the Coffee Tube.
Although we may use different tactics and change the size of the lines and maybe the rods and reels that we’re using when we’re fishing in New York, the same Strike King lures we normally catch bass on in Texas at this time of year will produce bass at this time in New York. The Strike King lures will catch bass wherever you fish them. But you may have to adjust the tackle with which you fish for them and the type of presentation you use in different areas of the country.
Right now, bass in New York, Texas and all of the waters in-between will be schooling. Those bass, whether they’re in New York or in Texas, will take a Shadalicious or a Strike King swim bait like the Baby King Shad, which is brand new this year. Now the one change that I may make is I’ll use a bigger Shadalicious and King Shad type bait in the South than I’ll fish with in the North. In the South, I’ll use 20-pound-test fluorocarbon on those two lures, and in the North, I’ll probably use 14-pound-test fluorocarbon. Fishing’s still fishing. 
However, when you change geographic locations as drastically as from Texas to New York, you may have to change the sizes of your lures and line and the type of rod and reel you use. But basic summer patterns apply to bass in Texas and in New York and will consistently catch bass.
If you want to be a versatile fisherman and learn how to fish all over the country, start by realizing that you don’t have to abandon everything you’ve learned in the South, if you head North for a tournament. The same applies to those northerners coming south to fish. You don’t have to have a separate tackle box when you change between northern and southern fishing. Your Strike King Lures will be just as productive in any body of water that you fish as they are in your favorite body of water.
For instance, we’ve had a break from tournament fishing for the past couple of weeks, but I’ve been trying to think about what lures the bass on Lake Oneida will bite when I go there to compete. 
So I’ll take those same lures and tactics and go out and practice with them in Texas. Even though I’m 1,500-miles away from where I’ll be competing, I can still practice catching bass using the same Strike King lures and the rods and reels I plan to fish with in New York. Those same rods and reels and same Strike King lures that I believe will produce bass in New York have been producing bass for me in Texas. What you have to remember is baseball is baseball whether it’s played in New York’s Yankee Stadium or at Atlanta’s Turner Field. The sport remains the same. Bass fishing is bass fishing, whether it’s in Texas or New York.
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
