Entry 183-2

The Secrets of Mr. Flippin’ and Pitchin’

Part 2: The Jigging Spoon

Editor’s Note: Denny Brauer of Camdenton, Missouri, one of the top professional bass fishermen in the nation, has been professional bass fishing for over 20 years. When we ask Denny, why he’s able to win so much and be so successful, he explains that, "I like to fish to win. I don’t fish for second place, and I don’t fish for the points required to make the Bassmasters Classic. I fish to win every tournament I enter." We’ll find out this week, how and why Brauer fishes to win.

Question: Why do you use the jigging spoon?

Brauer: The jigging spoon is one of the most-effective tools to catch January bass because most of the time, the bass will be suspended at this time of year, and you can lower the jigging spoon to the level where you usually find bass and get them to bite. I’ve been down on Toledo Bend Lake, bordering Texas and Louisiana, in January and fished a jigging spoon in deep standing timber right next to creek channels on river bends. Those bass may be 40- to 50-feet deep, and the only way to catch them is with a jigging spoon.

In other lakes like Table Rock Lake and the Lake of the Ozarks, both in Missouri, you’re searching for large schools of baitfish. You’re also looking for bait pods with your electronics. When you see those large schools of baitfish, you can drop your jigging spoon down to those schools of baitfish and catch the bass feeding on those bait pods. The real secret to catching bass in January is to find the baitfish that the bass have to be feeding on during the month of January. When you find the baitfish, often in deep water, a jigging spoon is a great lure to use to catch them.

Question: How will you work the jigging spoon when you find the baitfish, especially in deep water?

Brauer: Often a fisherman overworks the jigging spoon. He moves it too much and gives it too much action. When fishing the jigging spoon, most fishermen fish it too slow in the summertime and not slow enough in the wintertime. Many times, when I’m fishing the jigging spoon in deep water for suspended bass, I’m barely rocking the jigging spoon back and forth. Oftentimes, I dead-stick the bait (don’t move the bait at all) when it reaches the depth of water I want to fish. When you’re dropping that jigging spoon down to the bass or the bait pods, as it falls, it will often twist your line. When you’re simply holding that line still, the jigging spoon is turning round and round and looks like a shad standing in place quivering as it dies. You’ll be surprised at how many bass you can catch in January using this technique.

Next: The Wintertime Baits

Contents:

• Part 1: Why Flippin’ and Pitchin’
• Part 2: The Jigging Spoon
• Part 3: The Wintertime Baits
• Part 4: Fishing Tubes
• Part 5: Bet on the Diamonds