Entry 98-1

Denny Brauer And His Jigs

How and Why I Became a Jig Fisherman

Editor's Note: Denny Brauer is a legend in bass-fishing circles and has won so many fishing titles that people are in awe of him and his fishing ability. If you had to pick one bait that defined Denny Brauer, that lure would be the Denny Brauer Strike King Pro Model Jig that he helped to develop. When times are tough, Brauer relies heavily on the jig to catch bass and win tournaments. But what makes Brauer so deadly as a jig fisherman, and what can he teach us so that we can learn to fish the jig better? We'll try to answer these questions this week.

Question: When did you first start fishing the jig, and why?

Brauer: I guess my love for the jig and for jig fishing goes back to the early 1970s when I lived in Nebraska. I started reading about the jig, and I thought that the jig might be a good bait for me to fish in the heavy wood cover that you find on many lakes in that area of Nebraska. I felt the jig would offer me an alternative to the spinner bait, which was the lure that most people fished in heavy cover during this time.

Question:Why and how did you built so much confidence in fishing the jig, although you also fish other lures?

Brauer: I think I began to have so much respect for and so much confidence in the jig because I was more and more successful the more I fished it. I think another thing that helped me develop confidence in the jig was when tournaments changed the bag limit from whatever the state bag limit was, often 10 bass per angler, and went to a five-bass limit. When tournament anglers could only weigh in five bass, we knew we had to try to catch the biggest bass we possibly could in every tournament. The sport of tournament bass fishing went from catching 10-fairly-good-sized bass to win to having to catch five really-big bass to win. When that change was made, I already had learned that the jig was a big-bass lure. So, I decided that if I wanted to win tournaments I had to be fishing a lure that would catch the biggest bass in each of the tournaments I fished.

Question:Your favorite color of jig seems to be black and blue. Why?

Brauer: Black and blue isn't my favorite color of jig. That color combination seems to be the color that the bass prefer the most.

Question: Okay. Why are you fishing a black-and-blue jig in most tournaments you fish?

Brauer: I basically select colors depending on water clarity. Black and blue is my favorite color in lightly-stained water, which is the color of water that occurs in many of the tournaments I fish. Therefore, the black-and-blue color seems to be the most appropriate in the slightly stained water. Now when I go to a lake that has really-clear water, then I'll fish browns and pumpkin green. When I'm fishing really-muddy water, I prefer to fish black-and-chartreuse-colored jigs, also known as a Texas crawfish-colored jig.

Question: Most people say a jig is a jig is a jig. Therefore, why did you design Strike King Denny Brauer jig, and what makes it better than other jigs on the market?

Brauer: The Denny Brauer Pro Model Jig has a ton of features that other jigs don't have. For instance, the way the line tie is placed in the jig determines how easily the hook will come through the lips of a bass and give you good hook penetration. A lot of time and study went into the head design of this jig. We had to make sure that the jig was balanced. We designed into the head a rattle that would actually make noise and not just be a sales point. We had a special-size hook built, and we spent a lot of time on the design and the angle of the weed guard. We also had to decide the precise number of strands that was needed in the skirt to make the jig perform properly. The type of paint to be used on the head was also a primary consideration.

Many little elements come together to make a successful lure. We spent a great deal of time on those elements that the consumer never would notice to make this jig perform better than other jigs on the market. When you're fishing for big bass, more than likely you're not going to get a lot of bites. Therefore your jig must perform the very best it possibly can to insure that you hook every bass that bites it. I feel that the Strike King Denny Brauer Pro Model Jig gives me the greatest opportunity to hook the most bass that bite the jig of any jig that is made.




 

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