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Denny Brauer on Catching Bass in Sizzling-Hot Temperatures

The Sexy Spoon Catches Everything that Swims

Click to enlargeEditor’s Note: The end of July and the month of August in some areas of the country can be so hot that bacon will sizzle on the sidewalk. In some areas of the Deep South, temperatures will be more than 110 degrees with no breezes on a bright, sunny day. For most of us, this time is the worst part of the year to find and catch bass, but not for Denny Brauer of Camdenton, Missouri. A professional angler for 29 years, Brauer has won or has finished in the top 10 in 81 tournaments, has career earnings of over $2.5 million and has qualified for 18 Bassmaster Classics, bringing home first place in 1998.

Question: Denny, one of the most-difficult places to find bass is on really-deep, clear lakes when the weather is extremely hot, and the sun is high in the sky. How are you finding those fish, and how are you catching them on these types of lakes?
Brauer: My first tactic is fishing the Anaconda on points and other current breaks, if there’s current coming through the lake. But if no current is coming through the lake, or for some reason I’m having Click to enlargedifficulty catching bass on the Anaconda, my second lure of choice will be the Sexy Spoon, also from Strike King. That Sexy Spoon will catch just about every fish that swims in the lake. Right now, I’m catching saltwater striped bass, hybrids (which we locally call wipers because they’re a cross between saltwater stripers and the white bass), catfish, white bass, the occasional walleye, Kentucky spotted bass and largemouths. What’s so unusual is we’ll catch that variety of fish all in the same place.

Question: Okay, Denny, on what kinds of sites are you fishing the Sexy Spoon to catch that many different kids of fish?
Brauer: I’ll be fishing any type of outcropping where the current is hitting that structure – for instance, a point that faces into the current, the end of a bluff that the current crashes into or the upper end of an island. When you locate a place like this, you’ll often find all kinds of fish bunched-up and feeding on shad. You can absolutely wear those fish out with a Sexy Spoon.Click to enlarge

Question: What pound-test line are you fishing the Sexy Spoon with, and what type of action are you giving the Sexy Spoon?
Brauer: I normally use 15-pound-test monofilament when I’m fishing open water, and there’s not structure on which I can get hung-up. If I’m fishing around structure, I change the hooks out and put a light wire hook on the end of the Sexy Spoon. Then if it gets hung-up, I can straighten the hook rather than lose the Spoon. I also move my line weight up to 20-pound test to have the power in the line to straighten the hook and get my Sexy Shad back.

Question:  Some anglers suggest that you fish the Sexy Spoon with tension on the line to feel the Spoon as it falls. Other anglers suggest that you fish the Sexy Spoon on a totally-limp line with slack in it, because they believe that a slack line gives the Sexy Spoon more action than a tight line does. Which do you prefer?
Brauer: I fish the Sexy Spoon with a cross between those two styles. I want the Spoon to fall naturally on a slack line. But, I don’t want to have a lot of slack in the line, or else I can’t tell when I’m getting a hit. Most of your strikes will come as the Spoon is falling. Click to enlarge

You have to remember that the Sexy Spoon is a totally-different deal than the jigging spoon. The Sexy Spoon is a flutter spoon, and the jigging spoon is almost a dead-stick bait. It’s heavy, and you can give it a little action. However, but you primarily fish the jigging spoon straight up and down. But with a flutter spoon like the Sexy Spoon, you cast it out, let it free-fall to the bottom, pop it up off the bottom and allow it to fall back. The action in the spoon comes into play on the fall of the bait, rather than any type of action the fisherman gives the spoon with the line. You’ve really got to pay attention as the Sexy Spoon is falling to see the bite. Once the Spoon hits the bottom, I’m sweeping it up off the bottom 5 or 6 feet and letting it fall back. I’m fishing it much the same way that I described fishing the Anaconda yesterday.

Question: Why does the Sexy Spoon catch so many different varieties of fish?
Brauer: The Sexy Spoon reflects a lot of light, making it easy for any fish to see. It’s a different lure than what most fish are conditioned to seeing, and it’s a tremendous shad-imitating bait, which is what most fish in most reservoirs are feeding on. It also has a really-erratic action as it flutters to the bottom, which I think helps trigger any fish to strike. So all the species that I’ve described earlier will eat a bait that looks like this.

Question: How else are you using the Sexy Spoon?
Brauer: I think one of the big mistakes that most fishermen make is when they get on a school of bass, and they’re catching those bass with a jig, a crankbait or a worm. Then if the fish quit biting, they leave that spot and go look for another place to fish. I believe a better tactic is to change baits and fish that spot where you’ve already located the bass. That’s where the Sexy Spoon has paid some good dividends for me. If I’m catching bass on a worm, and the bass quit biting the worm, I’ll start fishing the Sexy Spoon and catch more bass. Before I leave any site where I’m catching bass, I’ll fish that same place with 4-5 different lures. One of those go-to lures for me is the Sexy Spoon.

To learn more from Denny Brauer, visit www.brauerbass.com.

Tomorrow: The Weather Isn’t Hot All Day or Every Day – Look Shallow


Check back each day this week for more about "Denny Brauer on Catching Bass in Sizzling-Hot Temperatures"

Day 1: Brauer Bets on the Anaconda in Hot Weather
Day 2: The Sexy Spoon Catches Everything that Swims
Day 3: The Weather Isn’t Hot All Day or Every Day – Look Shallow
Day 4: Shhh … the New Series 6 XD is the Secret Weapon of the Strike King Pros During Hot Weather
Day 5: Knock ‘Em Out of the Trees




 

Entry 518, Day 2