GREENSBORO, N.C., August 8, 1998 - Denny Brauer cleared the one major hurdle remaining in his illustrious career - and at the same time erased memories of the most frustrating tournament in his past - Saturday by running away with the 28th annual BASS Masters Classic world championship bass fishing tournament battled out on the waters of High Rock Lake near Greensboro, N.C.
While a crowd of approximately 20,000 in the Greensboro Coliseum cheered him on, the Missouri pro brought his third consecutive five-bass limit to the scales. It weighed 16 pounds, 4 ounces and enabled Brauer to blow away his closest competitors. His three-day total of 46-3 was nearly 10 pounds ahead of Arkansas' George Cochran (36-4).
The victory was worth $151,000 and, as the sport's most important title, could lead to as much as $1 million in future business. But the satisfaction Brauer felt had little to do with money.
"After 16 years, you really don't know if it's ever going to happen," he said. "And it finally happened. That's one question I won't have to answer anymore. I'm a Classic champion."
His performance also helps Brauer forget about his last visit to High Rock Lake - the 1995 Classic in which he caught just one bass in three days and finished dead last.
Brauer, 49, had won every other major title in the sport of professional except the Classic, which had denied him on 15 occasions. Among his career highlights: 11 B.A.S.S. tournament victories; the 1987 B.A.S.S. Angler of the Year; B.A.S.S. MegaBucks championship; B.A.S.S. SuperStars championship; and with his latest Classic appearance, he becomes the all-time B.A.S.S. money winner with $1,355,801.
With the Classic victory, Brauer caps off a brilliant season that saw him win two consecutive BASSMASTER Top 100 tournaments, Angler of the Year on another national circuit and nearly capture the B.A.S.S. Angler of the Year title. He pocketed more than $300,000 this season alone.
Like his closest competitors, Brauer caught his bass by fishing shallow. Fallen logs along a mud bank (in the upper end of High Rock) with 1 to 2 feet of water surrendered the winning catch, which fell victim to a black tube jig (with red metalflake) rigged Texas style on 25-pound clear Stren line.
Cochran, a two-time Classic champion, finished second on the strength of a chartreuse-colored Strike King Series 4 crankbait fished in super-shallow water. "I'm tickled to death with what I've done this week," said Cochran, who took home $40,000 for second place. "I was doing something a little different from everybody else and it paid off."
Missouri pro Randy Blaukat finished third with 35-2, followed by California's Mike Reynolds (35-1) and four-time Classic winner Rick Clunn of New Mexico (30-4). Brauer's son Chad took Saturday's big-bass honors with a 4-pound, 11-ounce largemouth.
Although the competition is the highlight of the Classic week festivities, the BASS Masters Classic is a week-long celebration of the sport of bass fishing that attracts spectators and fishing fans from every corner of the country. Highlights of the Classic week include the CastingKids finals presented by Zebco and Kmart, which spotlights the casting talents of 10 young qualifiers from across the U.S. - each competing for $20,000 in college scholarships; and the Classic Outdoor Show, an exhibition of the newest outdoors related equipment that attracts the country's top manufacturers.
The event was taped for a one-hour special to air on THE BASSMASTERS this September on TNN. BASSMASTER Magazine will run coverage in the November issue; B.A.S.S. Times will cover the story in its September issue.