the power of the bladed jig lies in its ability to cover a variety of water depths and cover types .
“ From the bank to 20 feet deep ,” he says , “ Grass , docks , rocks or wood .”
Throughout his career , Browning has been known as a shallow-water fisherman . That hasn ’ t changed .
“ I ’ m rolling along looking for visible cover ,” he says . “ The trolling motor is on 50 percent , and I rarely come off of it .”
The Jack Hammer allows Browning to quickly read a body of water and develop a pattern – tasks imperative to succeeding in the BPT format . Speed and efficiency are key components of his system .
browning ’ s key tools
Browning often keeps four or more bladed jigs on deck at all times , relying exclusively on three weight sizes : 3 / 8 , 1 / 2 and 3 / 4 ounce . Each is thrown on a St . Croix Legend Tournament rod ranging from 7-foot , 2-inches for target fishing to 7-foot-10 for “ when I ’ m just bombing it out there .” Lines are exclusively Gamma fluorocarbon in 16- to 20- pound tests . Why not braid ?
“ Missed strikes ,” he explains . “ With [ no-stretch ] braid , that hook will flex and drag , I believe , instead of penetrating .”
Using his current system , Browning estimates he lands 95 percent of the bass that bite his Jack Hammer .
Trailers and colors are fairly basic , but not without scrutiny . Green pumpkin , black-and-blue and white are the starting points . Trailers are all Z-Man ElaZtech products , including RaZor ShadZ swimmers , DieZel MinnowZ paddletails and the GOAT soft bait , a flat , twin-tail design Browning relies on for the thickest cover .
“ That flat body will come up and over just about anything without snagging ,” he says , adding that the plastic acts as both a deflector and stabilizer for the ChatterBait ’ s hook .
With such a simple system , Browning ’ s most critical fundamental may lie in his mindset . Overall , he ’ s totally unconcerned about hot local lures or the approach of his competitors . “ Zero interest ” is how he describes each , with “ supreme confidence ” summarizing his approach . But what about fisheries that don ’ t seem to match his preferred method – many northern venues , for instance .
“ Big smallmouth love it ,” Browning adds with a chuckle , citing a recent waylay on Lake St . Clair .
While there are exceptions to every rule in bass fishing , for the most part , Browning lets few circumstances stand in the way of his plan .
morgan ’ s flipping / pitching career
Andy Morgan is another competitor who doesn ’ t sway easily . Fans of fishing recognize Morgan as one of the greatest competitors of all time , finding himself in the hunt for every Angler of the Year award for a large portion of his career . This season , Morgan was again in the hunt , thanks to a solid approach that ’ s never let him down : flipping and pitching . Since the beginning of his career , Morgan has sought out areas of the lake to apply the short-line technique . Even with the unique format of the BPT , Morgan finds little reason to change . But how can a flipper compete with the fastpaced approach of his competitors ?
“ You have to be efficient and keep your foot on the pedal ,” he says .
Morgan is a master at dissecting visible cover . While he rates docks as his favorite cover type , he ’ s equally adept at picking apart laydowns and grass lines .
His goal is much like Browning ’ s : establish a pattern that can be run throughout the lake , often regulated to certain cover types . Once he establishes a productive environment , Morgan can hop around , making dedicated pitches to the spots with the most potential .
While he relies most on his instincts and his eyes , Morgan has found the advent of forward-facing sonar to be an advantage , even to his type of fishing .
“ The ends of laydowns and docks ; those are two places I ’ m relying on that technology ,” he explains .
Morgan routinely now bypasses docks appearing void to his electronics ’ eyes , concentrating more on those revealing brush piles and individual fish . a flipping / pitching master ’ s toolbox
When it comes to equipment , Morgan continues to utilize the setups that have won him millions . Favorite Fishing rods measuring 7-foot-6 are paired with 16- to 20-pound-test Gamma fluorocarbon . Lately , Morgan has been utilizing braid with a fluorocarbon leader , and he sees line advancements as the most important factor in modern flipping . “ Fish are harder to get to bite ,” he says . That fact has pushed him to smaller diameters for line as well as smaller baits .
Throughout his career , Morgan has likely gone through more Zoom plastics than anyone on earth . Still , today , he utilizes a Zoom Z-Craw and Z-Craw Jr . more than any other Texas rig bait , sometimes supplementing his selection with a new Strike King jig he helped designed , tipped with his dependable Zoom Super Chunk Jr . It should be noted that Morgan never “ threads ” his trailer , and still continues to simply pierce the chunk on his jig .
“ No matter what , I ’ m always looking for a place to do what I want to do and trying to find a way to get more bites flipping ,” Morgan adds .
And , just like Browning , Morgan has found a way to excel in the most unlikely places .
Fans will remember Morgan and close buddy Wesley Strader nearly taking down 2021 Bass Pro Tour Stage Seven on Lake St . Clair . Both utilized flipping techniques around the Detroit River mouth to catch hundreds of quality largemouth . In the end , perhaps splitting the fish cost one of them the victory . While most of today ’ s pro bass fishing press centers on the young standouts and their masterful versatility , and on offshore wizards ( thanks in part to advances in modern electronics ), two cagey veterans continue to prove that mastering a single technique can – and will – get you paid . Don ’ t give up on the one-trick ponies ; they ’ re continuing to validate the effectiveness of old-school bassin ’.
morgan has found the advent of forward-facing sonar to be an advantage , even to his type of fishing .
OCTOBER-NOVEMBER 2022 | MAJORLEAGUEFISHING . COM 23