Entry 226-3
Fishing the New 2008 Lures with Denny Brauer
Editor’s Note: One advantage Strike King has over other lure companies is that its professional fishermen design and test new products before they hit the market. In most instances, Strike King pros, like Denny Brauer of Camdenton, Missouri, fish with the new lures for a year before the lure is introduced to the public. For this reason, the pros can speak with a great deal of knowledge about the new products they’ve helped create and test before the public sees them. This week, veteran Strike King pro and world-champion fisherman, Denny Brauer, gives his view on the new 2008 Strike King lures.
Part 3: A Raging Brauer
Question: Denny, why do you like the Rage Craw?
Brauer: To catch more bass, I’ll fish a non-traditional lure in a place that calls for fishing a traditional lure. The Rage Craw is a classic example. If the water where I normally fish a tube has too much tube pressure on it, I’ll fish a Rage Craw there. Or, if I’ve already fished a tube, I’ll return to that spot and fish a Rage Craw, giving the fish a similar type of bait that looks really different. Bass are finicky. They have moods. The tube is a subtle presentation that resembles a dying shad, which you can present to very-docile bass. When the bass are in that same type of mood, they’ll take the bait.
If the bass are very active, you can catch more bass quicker with active baits like the Rage Craw. The pincers on the Rage Craw have an unbelievable action –displacing large amounts of water. So, when the Rage Craw hits the bottom, it sits on the bottom like a crawfish in a defensive position with its pincers up. The Rage Craw also is an excellent flipping bait to fish in heavy cover. 
If the bass are accustomed to seeing a tube or a jig in heavy cover, and I flip a Rage Craw into that same cover, I drastically can increase my odds for getting the bass to bite.
Question: What are your favorite colors of Rage Craws?
Brauer: Most of the time I like darker colors. Black-and-blue is my choice for most waters I fish, because it adds a little something extra to the bait. If the water’s clear, I prefer green pumpkin. The same rules of selecting colors for the Rage Craw apply to selecting colors for any other lure – match the color of the lure to the color of the water. I try not to have favorite colors. When I get to the lake I’m fishing, I look at the color of the water and the sky. If I have a sunny day with relatively-clear water, I’ll use more-natural color lures. If I have cloud cover, I’ll use darker colors. 
I carry every color Strike King makes in my tackle box.
Question: What pound-test line do you fish?
Brauer: That depends on water clarity. If the water’s muddy, or if I’m fishing matted grass, I’ll probably use 60- to 80-pound-test braided line. If the water’s clear, I may use fluorocarbon line. If I’m flipping and pitching, I may use line as light as 20-pound-test fluorocarbon line. If the water clarity is average, I’ll probably use 25-pound-test line.
Next: Chunk It
Contents:
- Part 1: Bass Prefer a Cup of Coffee, Too
- Part 2: Let’s Play Football
- Part 3: A Raging Brauer
- Part 4: Chunk It
- Part 5: What About the Rage Toad?
