Entry 222-4
Catching Big Bass with Randy Dearman
Editor’s Note: Randy Dearman of Onalaska, Texas, an avid fisherman, professional angler and member of Strike King’s Pro Fishing Team, has fished professionally for 20 years and competed in seven Bassmasters Classics.
Part 4: The Strike King Denny Brauer Premier Pro Model Jig
Question: Randy, what’s another one of your confidence baits?
Dearman: My other confidence bait will have to be the Strike King Denny Brauer Premier Pro-Model Jig, another bait you can fish from 2 inches of water to 50-feet deep. There’s probably more big fish caught on a jig than any other lure. When you need a big kicker fish to add weight to your string, you can’t go wrong fishing a jig because a jig is a big-bass bait. My favorite jig is the 1/2-ounce in the Texas craw color. I’ll be fishing the jig on 60-pound-test braided line.
Question: Where do you like to fish the jig?
Dearman: I like to fish the jig in regions that are so thick with cover that nobody else will try to fish them. If I’m fishing really-heavy cover, I’ll use a 1-1/4-ounce jig to punch through that cover.
Question: Why are those bass holding in really-thick spots?
Dearman: In really-thick cover, the bass will rarely, if ever, be harassed. The more difficult a spot is to fish, the fewer baits a bass will see. When you go into those thick, rough places, you need the equipment to bring the bass out. That’s the reason I use 60-pound-test braided line.
I’ll usually be fishing a heavy-action, 7-1/2-foot Quantum rod with a baitcasting reel. As soon as I get a bite, I set the hook as hard and fast as I can to bring the bass out of thick cover. If you give that bass time to bury-up in the cover, you’ll have a difficult time getting it out. I believe in the Strike King Denny Brauer jig so much that I’ll use it in every tournament I fish.
Question: Why do you like the Strike King jig?
Dearman: The Strike King jig has a really-strong, really-sharp hook in it. The jig also has a good hook angle, which means I get good hook sets. It also has a very-good weed guard that allows me to punch through that really-thick cover. The Strike King jig also works through the cover really-well without hanging up. I don’t see how any tournament fisherman can go to a tournament at any lake in this country and not have a jig tied on to his or her line.
Next: The Red Eye Shad
Contents:
- Part 1: The Amistad Reservoir Tournament
- Part 2: Count on the Spinner Bait
- Part 3: Fishing the Zero
- Part 4: The Strike King Denny Brauer Premier Pro Model Jig
- Part 5: The Red Eye Shad
