Entry 270-4
Fishing the New 2009 Strike King Lures with Denny Brauer
Editor’s Note: Lure manufacturers like Strike King continually bring new lure products, colors and designs to the market every year. Fisheries research indicates that a bass isn’t nearly as likely to strike a lure the third time it sees the lure as the bass is the first time it sees the lure. The more often the bass sees the same lure, the less likely it is to strike that lure. To continue to produce new lures that tantalize the bass’ taste buds, Strike King relies heavily on pro fishermen like Denny Brauer of Camdenton, Missouri. Brauer has fished most of Strike King’s new 2009 products for more than a year on the BASS Elite Series. This week, he’ll tell us which lures he’s fished, and how and why to fish them to catch big bass.
Part 4: The Anaconda – A Big Bait for Big Bass.
Question: Denny, what’s an Anaconda, why do you need one, and where and how do you use it?
Brauer: The Anaconda is available in two sizes – the 7 and the 10 inch. It’s a totally-unique plastic worm. It has a tail you’ve never seen before on any other worm. Because of the tail, it looks different and sends out more-distinctive pressure waves to the bass than they’ve ever felt from any other type of worm. This is a big-fish bait because of the action. In the last 2 years, from fishing lakes like Falcon and Amistad in Texas, we’ve learned that bigger bass will eat bigger baits. By using the new bigger Strike King baits, we can catch bigger bass. The Anaconda isn’t a finesse bait but rather is a Bubba bait that appeals to big fish. I’m a big-worm bass fisherman, and on lakes like Lake of the Ozarks, my home lake, this worm is productive at producing plenty of big bass.
Question: Denny, because of the unusual tail, would this be a good worm for suspended bass?
Brauer: Definitely. I’m looking forward to getting this worm up on Truman Lake where one of the strongest summer patterns is fishing out in timber for suspended bass. On this lake, the timber may be in 40 to 45 feet of water, and the bass often will be suspended 15- to 20-feet above the timber. Those fish have always loved to eat big worms. When those suspended bass see the Anaconda, it’ll be lights out. I like to put enough weight on the Anaconda to generate a reaction strike as the worm falls. To successfully fish the Anaconda, don’t fish it too slowly or too fast. I’ll generally use a 1/4- to a 1/2-ounce weight, depending on the size line I’m fishing. 
If the water’s stained, I’ll fish 60-pound-test braided line, especially if I’m pitching into cedar trees. If I’m pitching into big hardwoods, the bass aren’t nearly as hard to pull from the timber, so you may not need heavy line. If the water’s clear, I’ll use 25-pound-test fluorocarbon line.
Question: What kind of rod do you use for this technique?
Brauer: I prefer a 7-1/2- to an 8-foot heavy or medium-heavy-action rod to provide enough power in the line and the rod to hoist those fish out of the timber.
