The Game Plan with Denny Brauer for His Lake Champlain
Win in Mid-July
How Brauer Fished the Second Day of the Tournament
Editor’s
Note: Last week, Denny Brauer told us how he planned
to fish the 2006 CITGO Bass Elite Series’ tournament
on Lake Champlain. We talked with Brauer after the first
day of practice, and much like a pool shooter who calls
a shot, Brauer accurately predicted how he would fish,
where he would find the fish, and how he would catch
them to win this $100,000 tournament. Four days after
we talked to Brauer, he executed the plan he’d
laid out for us. Not only did he win the $100,000 first
prize, he also passed the $2 million mark in tournament
winnings, which moved him into first place as the No.
1 bass angler to win the most money on the Bassmaster
circuit. This week, Brauer will take us day-by-day through
the tournament and show us how he executed the plan
he’d laid out for the tournament won one of the
biggest events of his life. We’ll not only see
the strategy of a champion, but we’ll also witness
the mindset of a winner.
Question: Denny, what did you think on the second day?
Brauer: As I was running down the lake headed to my
primary spot that I was going to fish on the northern
end of the lake, I could hardly wait to get there. I
was feeling really good. Of course, in fishing, you
never know what’s going to happen. You don’t
know how the fishing conditions will change from day-to-day.
I went straight to the creek channel ledge where I’d
caught my fish on day one. I fished hard for a half
hour before I finally caught one, 3-1/2-pound bass.
I know that the bite is best in the morning, and I had
only one bass. I went back to the reed patch where I’d
started on the first morning, and sure enough, the bass
had moved back there. By 8:30 am, I had my limit of
bass. So, I moved away from the reeds and started fishing
my secondary spots.
Question: Denny, how did you make the decision to move
from the creek channel where you’d really hammered
the bass the day before to the reeds where you didn’t
get a bite?
Brauer: The critical key in making that decision was
wind direction. I’d learned that when the wind
changed direction, it could change the water clarity
where you were fishing. I knew that when the wind had
changed from the north to the south, the weeds would
clear up more than the creek channel would. I assumed
that maybe the bass moved from the creek channel back
to the reed patch. From past experience, I’d learned
that the wind was a critical factor in where and how
bass positioned themselves on cover.
Question: Denny, do you believe that most weekend bass
fishermen don’t understand how critical wind direction
is to bass movement patterns?
Brauer: Absolutely. Many bass fishermen get tunnel vision.
They start fishing like robots. They fish where they
have before the way they have when they’ve caught
bass. What they don’t realize is that when wind
direction changes, the bass move. Many times, little
subtle changes in the bass’ environment cause
them to move from one type of cover to another. Noticing
those subtle changes in that environment while fishing
is often the difference in having a bad day or a mediocre
day of fishing. If you understand and look for those
subtle changes, you’re more likely to have a great
day of fishing when you’re really focused, on
top of your game, and are very aware of what’s
going on around you. Catching bass is much easier. When
you’re not in tune with changing fishing conditions
around you, bass fishing can get really tough. Don’t
get me wrong, I’m not always as dialed-in on changes
in fishing conditions as I was in this tournament. However,
in this particular tournament, I was extremely aware
of those subtle changes in wind and water conditions
that made the difference in finding or not finding bass.
Tomorrow: Brauer Reveals a
New Tournament-Winning Strategy
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