CHAD BRAUER - COMING OF AGE

Chad Brauer's Fishing Career

Editor's Note: Years of patience and perseverance have paid off for Chad Brauer this year. At the halfway point of 2004, Brauer leads the race for Angler of the Year and took third place at the Lake Guntersville BASS tournament at the end of February, 2004. With Brauer having the chance of winning this prestigious award, Strike King wanted to learn from Brauer how he's doing so well and how the tactics and techniques he's using can help your bass fishing.

QUESTION: This is the highest you've ever climbed in the BASS Angler-of-the-Year race, isn't it Chad?
BRAUER: Yes, I've been 9th before, but I've never led the race for Angler of the Year. I've been through quite a few ups and downs in my professional fishing career. And the last two or three years have been pretty rough. For awhile, I thought every decision I made seemed to be wrong. But now everything seems to be clicking for me and my fishing, and things seem to be going right.

Last fall I fished two circuits of the BASS Open - the Southern Division and the Central Division. I seemed to be making right decisions this past fall, and now it seems I'm able to carry that momentum through the spring. Lately it seems that every day I go out - whether I'm practicing or fishing in the tournament - I can find and catch bass. My confidence level is really high, and I just feel that I'm going to catch bass every day I go fishing. I really believe that what happens is when you're not performing well as a bass fisherman, you begin to question, trying to second guess every decision that you make. But when you start winning and doing well in tournaments, you have that confidence you need, and begin to believe in your fishing ability. I believe that confidence level plays a tremendous role in my ability to find and catch bass.

QUESTION: Chad, how old are you, and how long have you been fishing competitively?
BRAUER: I'm 31, and I've been competing for 8 years.

TOMORROW: BRAUER'S TECHNIQUE FOR CATCHING BIG PRE-SPAWN BASS