Entry 178-4
What Makes Them Great
Part 4: Denny Brauer
Editor’s Note: Many of the Strike King Pros have earned $500,000, $1 million and/or even $2 million in tournament bass-fishing winnings. Inquiring minds want to know, “How do they do it?” Each one of these fishermen takes a different approach to the game of tournament bass-fishing. This week, we’ll take a look at what makes them great through the eyes of George Cochran of Hot Springs, Arkansas, who’s won almost $2 million at tournaments.
Question: What are Denny Brauer’s strengths?
Cochran: Everyone in the world of bass fishing knows that Denny Brauer’s one of the best there’s ever been. Denny’s the father of flipping. He didn’t invent the tactic, but he’s refined and defined it to the highest level that this tactic can be used. Any time we go to a lake and have tough weather conditions, thick cover or grass in the lake, if Denny comes in with a big catch, you’ll know he’s catching those fish flipping.
Denny and I are complete opposites. But we’re exactly alike in that he’s really good with a flipping-and-pitching tactic, and anywhere there’s a tournament held, you can bet that Denny’s looking for water where he can flip and pitch. Every once in a while, Denny will vary from his flipping-and-pitching technique, but most of the time, on most lakes, if you see Denny on the water, he’ll have that flipping stick in his hand. Denny’s one of the top money winners of all time because he stays with his style of fishing and finds water where his style of fishing will produce big bass.
Denny has helped to design Strike King’s jigs, tubes and trailers. If you’re planning to fish a jig, a tube or a trailer, I can’t understand why you don’t use the ones designed by the best – Denny Brauer.
One thing you’ll see emerging from this evaluation is that there are two different types of tournament pros; there are the extremely-versatile pros like Kevin VanDam and Greg Hackney who adapt their styles of fishing to the water, the weather, the lake conditions, the time of the year and the temperature; then, there’s another style of fisherman who fishes the tactics, lures and techniques he feels he’s best at and tries to find the bass on each lake that suits his style. Both strategies are effective, but Denny and I both feel that we play the game best when we use the tactics that we’re best at, and for Denny, that’s flipping and pitching, using Strike King’s jigs and tubes.
Next: Why I Switched
Contents:
- Part 1: George Cochran
- Part 2: Shaw Grigsby
- Part 3: Kevin VanDam
- Part 4: Denny Brauer
- Part 5: Why I Switched
