Entry 133-3

Denny Brauer on Strike King’s New Baits

Why the Bleeding Bait Tube

Editor's Note: Denny Brauer of Camdenton, Missouri, fishes in all kinds of weather and under many varied water conditions. Since he must know how to catch bass year-round, he's especially excited about Strike King's new offerings for 2005.

Question: Denny, the two lures that you're the most identified with are the jig and the tube. You, more than any other angler, have used these baits in competition and proven their value for the bass-fishing public today. Why do you now say that the Bleeding Bait Tube is a better tube than some of the standard colors of tubes?

Brauer: The design of the tube itself is what makes the bait so special. The inside of the lure is where you'll see the red so that when the skirt on the tube flares the red color stands out and then it disappears. I think the new Bleeding Bait Tubes look like a baitfish that flares it gills. When a baitfish flares its gills, you'll see a flash of red and then that red will disappear.

The Bleeding Bait is a totally-unique design from any other tube on the market today. We've combined a lot of new colors that you won't believe will go together or how good they look in the water. I've been totally impressed with the new colors of tubes that Strike King has come out with this year. Apparently a lot of other fishermen have been too, because these new colors of Bleeding Bait Tubes have been selling off the dealer shelves.

Now think for just a minute, do you really believe that the Bleeding Bait Tubes will be selling so well if bass fishermen aren't catching more bass on them? That's the proving ground for any new idea in fishing. Does the new idea or the new lure actually help anglers catch more bass? If it doesn't, the fisherman may buy one, but then he won't buy more. However, if the new tube does catch more bass than the other tubes, then you can bet a fisherman will load-up his tackle box with them, which is exactly what we're seeing with the new Strike King tubes.

Don't forget, the other Strike King pros and myself make our livings catching bass. If a lure won't catch bass, then we don't need to carry it in our tackle box. However, if a lure does catch bass and consistently produces bass, we'll keep aboatload of that lure with us every time we go to fish. I promise you my boat is loaded with the new Strike King tubes.

Question: Which one of the new Strike King tube colors do you like the best?

Brauer: I like the white tube with the red inside. But instead of flipping or pitching this tube, I'll fish it like a jerkbait. Because this jig has a solid head, it casts really well, and I can get a lot of distance on my cast. When I fish that tube like a jerkbait, I'll stop it, and then the lure will flare and flash red. This tube becomes one of the most-awesome soft-plastic jerkbaits I've ever fished. The tube hasn't been designed to be fished that way, but this way is how my son Chad and I fish the new Bleeding Bait Tube. We've really caught a lot of bass using it like this.

Another color I like is the watermelon-copper craw, two colors that really go together well and cause the tube to look exactly like a crawfish. Yet another color I like is the chartreuse-pepper, a gaudy-looking color that makes the tube look almost like a fire-tiger crankbait. You know how deadly a fire-tiger crankbait can be in muddy water. This fire-tigertube gives you the same color in a different look for fishing stained water. I fish these three colors the most. These colors just immediately have grabbed my eye. Too, I've immediately had a lot of confidence in them. Also, since I've been fishing them, they've proved to be everything I've hoped they'll be.

Although I'm sure than some of the other new colors will be good too, you have to remember that these colors are so new that I haven't had a chance to fish them all yet. But I'll bet on the success of these three I've mentioned. When I went to El Salto in Mexico, those big bass down there went absolutely nuts over the watermelon-copper craw. We absolutely ran out of these tubes. We had guys in our group of 12 fishermen who actually melted those tubes back together when the big bass would tear them up, just so they could continue to fish that tube.

Next: The Family at El Salto

Contents:

• Part 1: A Bitsy Bit Better
• Part 2: Scoop on the Red
• Part 3: Why the Bleeding Bait Tube
• Part 4: The Family at El Salto
• Part 5: I'm Going to Catch Some Bass on This One