Entry 183-5

The Secrets of Mr. Flippin’ and Pitchin’

Part 5: Bet on the Diamonds

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: During the winter months, what’s another technique that can be deadly?

Brauer: Once again, your lure choice and technique will be determined by the type of lake you’re fishing and the area of the country in which you’re fishing. But another technique I like to use in lakes with underwater hydrilla at this time of year is the Strike King Diamond Shad above the hydrilla. At this time of year, when the water’s really cold, the fish like a crankbait with a really-tight wiggle. On Lake Sam Rayburn and many southern lakes, the bass really like that lipless bait when you slow roll it just above the grass, let it touch the grass and then rip it up out of the grass. Many times, that’s the only way you can make those bass bite at this time of year.

One thing that’s even better than the Diamond Shad is Strike King’s new Red Eye Shad. The Red Eye Shad is a little more compact than the Diamond Shad, it vibrates better and is another step up in the lipless crankbait type of lures. I probably throw the Red Eye shad more than I do the Diamond Shad. The other thing I like about the Red Eye Shad is when you kill it and let it fall, it slips down. Therefore, when it hits grass or gets stuck in grass, and you rip it up, the bait appears to be dying, catching a second burst of energy and comes back up.

Many fishermen yo-yo this bait up and down in the grass, but when a fish takes the bait, I like to pull the lure sideways to get a better hook set than if I’m pulling the lure straight-up. When I set the hook, I’ll pull my rod at a 45-degree angle in the water.

Another technique I use is I’ll fish the Red Eye Shad on braided line. Occasionally, I’ll fish it on fluorocarbon line, but most of the time, I fish braided line. The lack of stretch in braided line allows me to rip the Red Eye Shad through the grass better. If you’re fishing monofilament line, because of the stretch in the line, the lipless crankbait will often ball-up in the grass more when you try to pull it free than it does on braided line. I’ve found that most of the strikes I get come when I rip that Red Eye Shad out of the grass.

In many cases, you can cast the Red Eye Shad out, steady retrieve it and never get a bite. But you can cast that same lure in the same area and slow roll it until it hits a clump of grass and then rip it out of that grass. That’s generally when you’ll get a strike. When I’m ripping the Red Eye Shad through the grass, I’m only using 20- to 30-pound-test line on a Daiwa TL-701, the same rod I use for spinner bait fishing and a little bit stiffer rod than I normally use for crankbait fishing. I want a stiffer-tipped rod when I’m fishing a lipless crankbait at this time of year to rip that crankbait out of the grass easier than I can rip it with a softer-tipped rod.

Question: Why does everyone consider you a flipper and a pitcher, and do you consider yourself a flipper and a pitcher?

Brauer: I’m primarily a flipper and a pitcher, and the reason these are my two favorite techniques is that I’ve won an awful lot of money using them. If the conditions are right for flipping and pitching, I should beat your butt using those two techniques because that’s what I do best. But I have to use other techniques when we’re fishing lakes in weather conditions that aren’t conducive to flippin’ and pitchin’. I flip and pitch so much that I think I know when the water and the weather conditions are best for this kind of fishing, but when they’re not, I don’t hesitate to use another tactic. I use techniques besides flipping and pitching when I determine that they’re not the best to use on that day.

Question: Other than flippin’ and pitchin’, what do you think are your best strategies?

Brauer: I don’t think I have any other strong suits, except maybe golf. No, seriously, I love spinner bait fishing, I love top-water lure fishing, and I really like to fish the buzzbait. My least-favorite technique to fish is fishing the crankbait deep. Although I don’t like jerkbait fishing, I’ve caught quite a few big bass fishing the Strike King Wild Shiner. During cold water conditions, in February and March in the Midwest, if you’re not throwing a jerkbait, oftentimes, you’re not catching bass. I know that Kevin VanDam is one of the best jerkbait fishermen in the U.S. He designed the Wild Shiner, and I fish it in jerkbait conditions like we find in February and March. But that doesn’t mean I like to fish the jerkbait, or that I like to fish a deep crankbait. I’m really more comfortable flipping and pitching jigs and tubes or fishing a spinner bait or the Spit-N-King, my favorite top-water lure. I don’t care what anybody tells you, there are certain lures each angler fishes best. I’ve found that at least for me, flippin’ and pitchin’ are the tactics I enjoy fishing the most and that I feel I’m best at fishing.

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