James Niggemeyer lands a bass on the way to a second-place finish in the FLW Tour’s Forrest Wood Cup on Lake Ouachita. The Van fisherman was fishing the tournament for the first time. (Robert Matsuura/FLW/Courtesy)

James Niggemeyer had an up and down season as a professional bass fisherman last year. He did not qualify for the Bassmaster Elite Series for the first time since 2007 and thus the Bassmaster Classic, but he did have a good enough year on the FLW Tour to make its championship Forrest Wood Cup.

That became a pretty good consolation when the Van fisherman finished second during the three-day event on Arkansas’ Lake Ouachita in August.

Alabama fisherman Clent Davis won the tournament’s $300,000 top prize with 36-13 thanks to a final day catch of 17-13. Niggemeyer was in fifth after the first day with 12-2 and then dropped to ninth with a two-day total of 20-14. He caught 8-11 on the last day for a 29-9 total.

“It was a huge blessing,” Niggemeyer said of his tournament finish that earned him a $60,000 paycheck.

He said fishing was tough in Arkansas as is typical during August and September in the South. The water was hot and clear and bass were not on structure consistently. As for Davis’ final day stringer, Niggemeyer said all anyone could do was congratulate him for having a career day.

Niggemeyer joined the pro ranks in 2007, and last year was the last guy out in attempts to again qualify for the Elite Series. After weighing the options and talking to friends, he decided to go the FLW route for the first time.

“I didn’t re-qualify so I didn’t have much of a choice of where to go. For a guy trying to make a living fishing who does not have a tour to fish, opens are not enough money,” he explained. “So my choice was the FLW Tour. They pay $10,000 for 60th place. They have a larger field with 187 boats, but you have a much greater chance to make some money.”

He added there are other differences between the two tours. The Bassmaster Elite field is about 80 boats smaller and while Elite anglers have an observer onboard, there are co-fishermen on the FLW Tour. Also, FLW allows anglers to use a net to land a fish while they are not allowed on the Elite tour.

“There are subtle difference like that, but there are good fishermen on both sides. Both are tough competition. It comes down to unless you catch them, if you don’t do your part, in the end it does not matter,” Niggemeyer said.

No matter which banner the fishermen are competing under, he noted those who do the best in any tournament are those who find fish under the current conditions, not based on what happened in the past, and are able to adjust to changing conditions.

Niggemeyer could qualify again for the Elite series, but at this point it would be for the 2020 season. By not making the tour this year, he will miss the Toyota Bassmaster Texas Fest on his home lake, Lake Fork, in May. However, while he still guides on the lake as often as possible, the angler said he really has not fished Fork since June so he might not have had an advantage.

While FLW is often looked at as being the younger brother of the two leagues, Niggemeyer said, with the exception of Yamaha, all of his sponsors transferred with him. Yamaha’s decision may not be that surprising since it is a major sponsor with B.A.S.S. In its place he picked up Mercury as his motor sponsor.

“I think some prefer one (tour) over the other and for some it doesn’t matter at all. I think all sponsors are investing in a person,” he said.

Niggemeyer turns 47 in November and although pro fishermen can take a beating from the travel and competing in all types of weather conditions, he said he has no plans to slow down anytime soon.

“I love it. I am older compared to some of the 20 and 30 year olds. Up against them, it looks like I have been doing this a long time, but I didn’t qualify for tour level competition until 2007. So I have only been doing this 11 or 12 years. What weighs on you as you age is how long you have been doing it,” said Niggemeyer, a California native who moved to Texas in 2001 to pursue his fishing dream.

Even without another scheduled event until January, the pro fisherman does not have a lot of time to rest. Along with promotions for sponsors, Niggemeyer is also looking for open events on other circuits that allow pros and will be guiding as much as possible. One option he is considering is the upstart Bass Pro Tour. Constantly on the go is the life for someone who wants to make their living fishing.