Entry 11-1

Fishing with Chad Brauer

Meet Chad Brauer

Editor's Note: Twenty-nine-year old Chad Brauer, from Osage Beach, Missouri, has fished professionally for six years. He won the 1996 Tennessee Top-100, has had nine top-10 finishes, has competed in the BASS Master's Classic and enjoys fishing with Strike King lures.

Question: How many years have you been a bass pro?

Answer: I've been a bass pro for six years.

Question: Have you been in the BASS Master's Classic?

Answer: I've made it one time. I actually made it the year that my dad [Denny Brauer] won -- in 1998.

Question: What major wins have you had?

Answer: Actually, when I started, my main win was the Tennessee Top-100 in October of 1996. It was the third tournament I fished.

Question: How did you become a bass pro?

Answer: When I was about 10, my dad began to fish professionally. So, I grew up around the sport, for a better part of my life. When I was in my teens, I went to tournaments and practiced with Dad. I knew what the job entailed and how the business end of things worked. When I was in junior high, I decided what I wanted to do. So, I based all my school courses, after that point, on becoming a bass pro.

When I finished high school, I had the choice of starting to bass fish professionally or going to college. I actually chose to go to college for four years and get my degree so I would have something to fall back on. My degree is in fisheries and wildlife from the University of Missouri. Mom and Dad made a deal with me; if I got my degree, they would be my first sponsor and help me out when I first started. That agreement made the decision easy.

Question: When did you team up with Strike King?

Answer: I have been with Strike King for six years now -- since my first year, when I was trying to qualify to get into the Top-100 circuit. Actually, the first year that I signed on with Strike King was the year that Dad designed the Pro-Model jig for Strike King.

Question: What did you learn from your dad along the way?

Answer: Everything, and I'm still learning. The biggest lesson I've learned from him is how to work with the sponsors, what your job for them is and what they expect out of you -- how to do a good job for the sponsors. From the fishing aspect of it, I'm still trying to pick up on that.

Question: How hard is it for you not to have to stand in your dad's shoes?

Answer: It's really not that hard. I've answered that question a million times. When I first started fishing professionally, every single interview had that question. But to me, it's more of a benefit than a hindrance. In the fishing industry, you have your fishing skills, but name recognition is also helpful in hooking up with sponsors.

Having the last name of Brauer is a huge advantage in getting my foot in the door with sponsors. A similar situation is like someone with the last name of Earnhardt getting into car racing. Of course, there's a certain amount of pressure and expectation that goes with that recognition, but it's no more than I expect for myself.

Fishing with Chad Brauer

Meet Chad Brauer

Next: Chad Brauer's Favorite Lures

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