Entry 239-2
Where to Catch ‘Em in February with Denny Brauer
Editor’s Note: Fifty-five-year-old Denny Brauer of Camdenton, Missouri, has fished professionally for bass for 25 years and has earned more than $2 million. A past Bassmaster Angler of the Year and Bassmaster Classic winner, the FLW Angler of the Year and an inaugural member of the Professional Fishing Hall of Fame, Brauer fishes year-round, except when he’s hunting.
Part 2: Don’t Forget the Jig
Question: Denny, what’s another tactic that you like this time of the year?
Brauer: Although most people think that February is the month you fish a jig, and everyone knows I really like to fish a jig, the jig is my second choice this month. The Wild Shiner is my first choice. But this time of the year, we have a lot of bass that will move in and hold on chunk rock banks on 45-degree slopes. I find the bass in the same places where I’ll fish the jerkbait - river bluffs and secondary points.
At this time of the year, I’m not flipping and pitching the jig as I do most of the year, I’m casting the jig out on 12- to 15-pound-test fluorocarbon line, especially if the water is really clear. I’ll be fishing 5- 20-foot-deep water and work the jig extremely slowly. I’m not hopping the jig at all but instead am letting the jig get to the bottom. Then I’m dragging it for a very-short distance, stopping it, dragging it again and then stopping it. If you use this tactic, you’ll find that some of the bites you get will be pretty aggressive.
Question: Denny, which jig are you fishing?
Brauer: I like Strike King’s Premier Pro Model jig that works really, really well for me. I also like the hook that’s in this jig, and I’ve learned that I get a lot of good hook-setting ability even with 10- to 20-pound-test fluorocarbon line with this jig. 
The jig also has a great weed guard, which allows me to negotiate the rocks on the bottom better. I’ve learned that the Football Head jig tends to hang up more in rocks than the Premier Pro Model jig does.
Question: What size jig are you fishing, Denny?
Brauer: I like the new 1/2-ounce jig because it gets down to the bottom somewhat faster than lighter jigs do. You’re not fishing for suspended bass at this time of the year, so don’t waste your time with a lighter, slower-falling jig. You want to get the jig down quickly and let it spend the most time on the bottom where the bass are holding.
Contents:
- Part 1: Bet on the Wild Shiner
- Part 2: Don’t Forget the Jig
- Part 3: Brauer’s Back-Up Pattern for February
- Part 4: Go Big and White
- Part 5: Tube ‘Em Up in February
