Entry 239-3
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 3: Brauer’s Back-Up Pattern for February
Question: Denny, what other tactic will you use in February to catch bass?
Brauer: Without question, the Wild Shiner and the jig are my two-best ways to catch bass this month, but you’ll still catch some bass on a Series 4 crankbait with its wide wobble. Because the bass are on a crawfish bite at this time of the year, they seem to like that wide-wobbling crankbait when they’re holding on a chunk-rock bottom. The crankbait at this time of the year for me is a weather-specific lure. If the Lake of the Ozarks gets 3 or 4 warm days like we often do this month, those bass will move up into more-shallow water like 2- to 6-foot-deep water.
On those days, I take that Series 4 crankbait in that shallow water and grind the bottom with it like I’m operating a grist mill. 
I want the nose of that crankbait digging the bottom, bouncing and ricocheting off the rocks. I’m going to be strictly fishing the crawfish patterns of this crankbait, either in the brown-crawfish or the green-crawfish patterns.
If the water’s somewhat more clear, I prefer the green-crawfish pattern. If the water’s dingier, I’ll choose the brown-crawfish pattern. This is a great technique to use, especially if you’re not sure what type of bank to fish. At this time of the year, the bass will often move from chunk rock to pea-gravel banks, and you can cover more water using this crankbait technique than you can with the Wild Shiner or a jig. 
I think the strongest, most-productive place to fish this time of the year will be on secondary points.
Question: What pound test line are you cranking with, Denny?
Brauer: I normally like 12-pound-test line because I’m not usually cranking very deep. So, there’s no reason to use a lighter pound line like 10-pound-test to try and get it any deeper. If the water dingies up, I may even use 15-, 17- or 18-pound test, especially if I’m fishing on a lake like Truman Lake with its rocks and timber. The thing you have to be careful of when you’re cranking 17- to 20-pound test is that you can flex (bend) your hooks. Therefore, you may want to consider changing-out your hooks when you use that heavier line and instead put Mustad 3x hooks on your lures. However, you don’t want to use those heavier hooks, if you’re fishing 10- or 12-pound-test line.
Next: Go Big and White
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
