Day on the lake with Denny Brauer

See if Denny Brauer redeems himself on his second "Day on the lake" outing.

For the January/February 2015 Bassmaster’s reality series, “Day On The Lake,” we let one of the greatest pro anglers of all time, Denny Brauer, face his second challenge. Followers of this series recall that Brauer failed to catch a single keeper bass during his initial outing in July 1999; ever since that article was published, pros who boat their first keeper on their outing often comment that they’ve beaten Denny Brauer! The legendary angler, formerly from Missouri and now residing in Del Rio, Texas, retired from the Elite Series tour at the close of the 2012 season, citing health reasons. Will Brauer redeem himself on his second “Day On The Lake” outing? Here’s what happened Feb. 28, 2014, when we put him on Lake H, a small, remote reservoir. Brauer started out at 7:30 a.m. with a square bill crankbait around fallen timber on a steep channel bank.
For the January/February 2015 Bassmaster’s reality series, “Day On The Lake,” we let one of the greatest pro anglers of all time, Denny Brauer, face his second challenge. Followers of this series recall that Brauer failed to catch a single keeper bass during his initial outing in July 1999; ever since that article was published, pros who boat their first keeper on their outing often comment that they’ve beaten Denny Brauer! The legendary angler, formerly from Missouri and now residing in Del Rio, Texas, retired from the Elite Series tour at the close of the 2012 season, citing health reasons. Will Brauer redeem himself on his second “Day On The Lake” outing? Here’s what happened Feb. 28, 2014, when we put him on Lake H, a small, remote reservoir. Brauer started out at 7:30 a.m. with a square bill crankbait around fallen timber on a steep channel bank.
9:46 a.m. Brauer hooks a good fish on a submerged log with a jig.
9:46 a.m. Brauer hooks a good fish on a submerged log with a jig.
9:46 a.m. Brauer’s first keeper of the day, a 2-4 largemouth, hit his jig on a submerged log.
9:46 a.m. Brauer’s first keeper of the day, a 2-4 largemouth, hit his jig on a submerged log.
11:38 a.m. Brauer bags a 1-pound keeper off a submerged log on a jig.
11:38 a.m. Brauer bags a 1-pound keeper off a submerged log on a jig.
11:47 a.m. Brauer battles a lunker bass that hit his jig beneath a laydown tree.
11:47 a.m. Brauer battles a lunker bass that hit his jig beneath a laydown tree.
11:47 a.m. Brauer’s fourth keeper is a fine 6-1 largemouth.
11:47 a.m. Brauer’s fourth keeper is a fine 6-1 largemouth.
The 6-1 largemouth hit a jig on the bottom in 12 feet of water.
The 6-1 largemouth hit a jig on the bottom in 12 feet of water.
12:35 p.m. Brauer hangs a huge bass on a square bill crankbait.
12:35 p.m. Brauer hangs a huge bass on a square bill crankbait.
12:35 p.m. What a hawg! Brauer’s sixth keeper of the day, an 8-9 largemouth, ate his square bill crankbait on an offshore rockpile.
12:35 p.m. What a hawg! Brauer’s sixth keeper of the day, an 8-9 largemouth, ate his square bill crankbait on an offshore rockpile.
12:50 p.m. Brauer hangs a good bass on a square bill crankbait.
12:50 p.m. Brauer hangs a good bass on a square bill crankbait.
12:50 p.m. Brauer’s seventh keeper, 3-8, hit a square bill crankbait on a main-lake point.
12:50 p.m. Brauer’s seventh keeper, 3-8, hit a square bill crankbait on a main-lake point.
Brauer’s two biggest bass on Lake H weighed 8-9 and 6-1. “The day unfolded pretty much like I thought it would, with my best bites coming from around noon on,” Brauer told Bassmaster. “I got quite a few bites in spite of the cold water and bluebird frontal conditions, but many of those bites were extremely light, and a lot turned out to be small fish. Late winter is a great time to score a real big bass; by sticking with my slow and patient approach, I was able to boat an 8-9 and a 6-1 and lost one that would have really helped my weight total. If I were to fish here tomorrow under these same conditions, I’d keep working those deep banks with cover on them with the jig, and hammer isolated rocks and wood with the square bill.”
Brauer’s two biggest bass on Lake H weighed 8-9 and 6-1. “The day unfolded pretty much like I thought it would, with my best bites coming from around noon on,” Brauer told Bassmaster. “I got quite a few bites in spite of the cold water and bluebird frontal conditions, but many of those bites were extremely light, and a lot turned out to be small fish. Late winter is a great time to score a real big bass; by sticking with my slow and patient approach, I was able to boat an 8-9 and a 6-1 and lost one that would have really helped my weight total. If I were to fish here tomorrow under these same conditions, I’d keep working those deep banks with cover on them with the jig, and hammer isolated rocks and wood with the square bill.”