Entry 11-2

Fishing with Chad Brauer

Chad Brauer's Favorite Lures

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: What is your favorite Strike King lure and how do you fish it?

Answer: My favorite Strike King lure is the Pro-Model jig. I actually helped my dad design it. I grew up learning how to fish with a jig. There are many ways that you can fish with a jig. My personal favorite is flipping and pitching in heavy, shallow cover.

Question: We're talking to you at the Alabama/ Lake Eufala B.A.S.S. tournament, Chad. Have you been successful today?

Answer: I was one shy of the limit. I had good quality fish, and somehow I survived the day. I think it went well for Dad. I heard he was in first or second place.

Question: Is it weird for you and your dad to compete in the same kind of arena?

Answer: No, it's great. It gives us a double chance of winning every time. Two people working together during practice can usually find bass more quickly than one person can by themselves. Our fishing the same tournament is really a big help for both of us.

Question: Tell me about the worst fishing weather in which you have ever had to try and catch bass,

Answer: My least-favorite fishing weather is cold and rainy.

Question: Why?

Answer: You can hardly stay dry, no matter the quality of rain suit you have. When you're running your boat, you will get wet down the hood. Once you are wet, it's very hard to get warmed back up. That's not too much of a hindrance fishing-wise, often the fishing is good, but it's tough to keep your mental focus and remain in those conditions.

Question: Are there other weather conditions that have the same effect?

Answer: Yeah, lightning. As tournament anglers, we get forced to deal with all kinds of weather and we don't get to pick-and-choose the days we go out. Unfortunately, when you don't get to decide, you just deal with what weather you have. I've have fished from 120-degree weather in Las Vegas to 9-degree weather out in Oklahoma to rainy 33-degree days or 30-mile-per-hour winds. You also get everything in between. Fishing can become dangerous when you're out on some of the bigger bodies of water, like Lake Erie. When one of those storms rolls in, you can really get into some trouble.

Question: What are some fishing techniques you use when the weather isn't too bad? How do you find the fish?

Answer: Well, some of the best bass fishing you can get is right before a big storm. The barometric pressure drops, which triggers the fish to really go on a feeding frenzy. There isn't a particular technique, but when the activity level of the fish start to pick up, you can work your baits a little faster and expect quite a few strikes.

Fishing with Chad Brauer

Chad Brauer's Favorite Lures

Next: Chad's Windy Fishing Tips

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