The Game Plan with Denny Brauer for His Lake Champlain
Win in Mid-July
Brauer Reveals a New Tournament-Winning Strategy
 Editor’s
Note: Last week, Denny Brauer told us how he planned
to fish the 2006 CITGO Bass Elite Series’ tournament
on Lake Champlain. We talked with Brauer after the first
day of practice, and much like a pool shooter who calls
a shot, Brauer accurately predicted how he would fish,
where he would find the fish, and how he would catch
them to win this $100,000 tournament. Four days after
we talked to Brauer, he executed the plan he’d
laid out for us. Not only did he win the $100,000 first
prize, he also passed the $2 million mark in tournament
winnings, which moved him into first place as the No.
1 bass angler to win the most money on the Bassmaster
circuit. This week, Brauer will take us day-by-day through
the tournament and show us how he executed the plan
he’d laid out for the tournament won one of the
biggest events of his life. We’ll not only see
the strategy of a champion, but we’ll also witness
the mindset of a winner.
Question: How did you fish on day three, Denny?
Brauer: Once I learned what effect the wind was having
on the bass, I felt like I knew where and how to fish
to catch bass. When I got to my spot where I’d
been fishing before, I found that the wind was coming
from the same direction it was when I caught the bass
in the reeds. I had a camera boat following me that
wanted to shoot some footage of me catching bass for
a TV show. After 15 minutes of fishing, the camera boat
pulled out. They had all the footage they needed, and
I’d caught a limit of bass that weighed 17 or
18 pounds. Once again, I pulled out of there after fishing
it for only 15 minutes and decided to go to my secondary
spots to catch bigger fish.
Question: Did you have any tournament boats around
you while fishing this area?
Brauer: Yes, I did. There were several other competitors
fishing some of the same regions I was fishing. Tommy
Biffle of Oklahoma, fished part of the area I was fishing.
Terry Butcher, also of Oklahoma, who finished high in
the tournament, was also fishing in my spot. As a matter
of fact, he was fishing the exact same reed patch I
was fishing. However, he had a different starting spot
than me. He would come in later in the morning or in
the middle of the day and fish the same reed patch I
was fishing. The real secret to catching the fish was
knowing when to fish for the bass in that patch and
how to make the bass bite.
Question: How were you catching bass in that reed patch
when the other guys weren’t catching bass?
Brauer: I learned that early in the morning, you could
pick the bass off from the little reed points. The bass
were holding within 10 feet of the edge of the reeds.
Once the sun came up, the fishing pressure intensified,
or, the bait moved back into the reeds. Then the only
way to catch bass was to get a bait deep in the reeds
and dead-stick it, which is allowing the bait to fall
to the bottom and letting it sit still for 5 to 10 seconds
before moving it. I pitched that heavy 3/4-ounce jig
as far back in the reeds as I could. When it punched
through the reeds, I let it sit absolutely still for
5 to 10 seconds before I moved it. To fish with that
much patience, you need plenty of confidence in this
dead-sticking technique. Most people, when they’re
fishing jigs, pitch them into thick cover. Once the
jigs hit the bottom, they hop them off the bottom and
pull them out of the spot. That’s how I normally
fish the bait. However, on the third day, I got into
an area and tried dead-sticking a jig. I caught a 4-
and a 5-pound bass using this technique. I hadn’t
tried this tactic the entire tournament. When I caught
those two big bass back to back, I decided that dead-sticking
the Strike King jig was the best way to catch those
big bass in that thick cover.
Question: What let you know that dead-sticking would
work?
Brauer: From past experience. Over the years, I’ve
tried to fish lures a variety ways to learn how a lure
can catch a bass. I’ve learned that dead-sticking
is one technique I can use when bass fishing starts
to get tough. When you’re fishing a four-day tournament,
subtle variations in bait presentation can make the
difference in catching or not catching bass, especially
when you’re fishing for bigger fish that are smarter
than the younger fish.
Question: When the jig’s lying still on the bottom,
how do you know when the bass takes the bait?
Brauer: I keep a fairly-tight line when the bait’s
lying still on the bottom. I can feel a tick on the
line when the bass sucks the jig off the bottom. By
using the braided line, I feel that it’s more
sensitive than the monofilament, which allows me to
feel that subtle strike much better. When I feel the
tick on the line, I start to lift my rod tip. I can
feel the pressure of the bass on the line, and that’s
when I set the hook.
Question: Denny, this is a relatively-new technique
that anglers aren’t aware of, and very few people
have tried dead-sticking a jig and letting it sit on
the bottom that long. Most anglers are familiar with
dead-sticking a worm or a jerkbait, but not a jig. Do
you think this is a tactic that more anglers should
utilize?
Brauer: Absolutely. When fishing conditions are tough,
or, you’re fishing on a lake that has a lot of
fishing pressure, I’ve learned that dead-sticking
a jig can be the difference in catching bass or not
catching bass. It was for me in this tournament.
Question: Denny, what place were you in going toward
the final day of the tournament?
Brauer: I was in second place after the second day.
I was still in second place after the third day. I’d
closed the margin of difference between me and the first-place
contestant to 1 pound, 4 ounces.
Tomorrow: Going for the Win
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