Entry 287-5

Denny Brauer Predicts How the Strike King Pros Will Do in the 2009 Classic

Part 5: Denny Brauer on Classic Pressures

Question: Denny, you’ve been to and participated in many Classics. What are some of the pressures that a Classic contender has to deal with that the general public may not know or understand?

Brauer: Greg’s probably going to be affected more than anyone. He’s the hometown favorite, and he may have more family, friends and fishing buddies at the 2009 Classic than anyone else. They all truly expect Greg to win. When you’re expected to win a tournament, then winning is much harder. That expectation can and often will get to you. But when you come from 10th place and catch a big bag of bass the last day, you have no pressure. Usually you don’t know you’ve won, you’ve thought all the other competitors have caught big bags of fish, and you don’t know for sure until you reach the weigh-in. The question is will being the local favorite put so much pressure on Greg that it affects his performance in the Classic? I personally don’t think it will. I expect Greg to do just fine in this tournament.

Question: The other fisherman who will have a lot of pressure on him this year will be Kevin VanDam. He’s the BASS Angler of the Year, he’s done well in all the tournaments he’s fished, and he’s won two Classics in years past. How will that pressure affect him?

Brauer: Kevin’s the most-recognizable tournament fisherman in the nation right now. He’s had a super-hot year, and he’s the angler all the fans expect to be in the hunt in all the tournaments he enters, and that’s hard to do. Kevin burns the wind when he’s fishing, and when he’s getting ready to fish. But I don’t think anyone or any thing puts more pressure on Kevin VanDam than Kevin puts on himself. Kevin expects himself to do well in every tournament.

Now being the hometown boy, being the superstar of the year and being some of the top fishermen in the nation all create pressure that all four of these Strike King Pros who are fishing the 2009 Classic will have to deal with daily. These guys know how to handle that kind of pressure, and I believe that all four of them are totally capable of handling anything they have to deal with in the 2009 Bassmaster Classic. They are some of the best of the best. I think the bottom line on the Classic will be the man who finds the biggest school of bass in the right backwater area and figures out the best way to catch that school of bass will be the guy who wins the tournament. I don’t believe the tournament will be lost by outside influences like spectator pressure or the expectations that other people have for the Strike King Pros. The tournament will be decided by the guy who lands on the right school of fish at the correct time with the most-productive lure.

Question: Both Kevin and Greg are high-energy people and power fishermen. Mark Davis and Shaw Grigsby both have more-laidback personalities, they fish slower, and they work places thoroughly before they leave them. Neither one of them ever seems over-excited or affected by pressure. What will affect them in this tournament?

Brauer: I think Shaw will have a little-more pressure on him, because he hasn’t won a Classic, and he wants to win one badly. I’ve learned that if you put too-much pressure on yourself to win, you usually don’t fish as well as you will if you don’t have that pressure. I hope this doesn’t happen to Shaw. Now Mark’s been to a Classic before, he’s won a previous Classic, and he’s not in the limelight to win. So, I believe Mark Davis has an advantage. Mark has learned that if he fishes the Classic like it’s was any other tournament, he can deal with the emotions of the Classic much better. I don’t believe Mark will get too caught-up in all the hooplah of the Classic.

Question: Denny, you’ve been to 19 Classics. What are the biggest distractions for you at the Classic?

Brauer: There’s much-more media hype at the Classic than at any other event. You also have to talk to and work with your sponsors, attend events and make appearances because the event is the Classic. You can’t lose focus that the reason you’re there is to win this fishing tournament. The first few Classics I went to, I was all about, “Golly gee, I’ve made the Classic. I want to enjoy this moment now that I have it.” But, after you get over that part of the Classic, you soon realize that you need to stay focused and concentrate on what you need to do to win this fishing tournament.

The job of being a tournament pro includes dealing with the press, working with your sponsors and still fishing at the highest level you possibly can. You have to make the right decisions at the Classic just like you do when you’re fishing anywhere else. Oftentimes, someone will want to conduct a photo shoot, and you’re working on your tackle. So, you need to be extremely organized and learn to manage your time as best you can to meet all the different demands on your time that are unique to the Classic.

One of the biggest problems at the Classic is trying to manage how much sleep you get. If you don’t get enough sleep at the Classic, you can’t perform at your best. Winning the 2009 Classic is why these Strike King Pros are there. And above all else, that’s their jobs. I wish them all Godspeed, clear minds and remind them that the decisions they make on the water about catching fish each day of the tournament are what’s most important.

Contents:

• Part 1: Kevin VanDam
• Part 2: Shaw Grigsby
• Part 3: Mark Davis
• Part 4: Greg Hackney
• Part 5: Denny Brauer on Classic Pressures