There are many L.A. sports GOATs. Kobe Bryant. Jackie Joyner-Kersee. Wayne Gretzky. And Butch Brown. Meet the man who's caught over 1,500 10-plus-pounds largemouth bass — the most revered angler in the bass fishing community.
It’s a name spoken in hushed tones of reverence in the bass-fishing community. For most anglers, catching a largemouth bass weighing over 10 pounds would be the fish of a lifetime, an achievement demanding selfies with the bass, a call to the folks back home and humble bragging on Instagram.
Brown finishes off the piping-hot liquid with a recipe of black glitter and a few drops of green pumpkin coloring. A quick stir and he methodically pours it into his bluegill lure mold. But with all his fishing rock star status, the self-proclaimed “Harry Homeowner” is still humble and approachable. Even when it’s raining, he happily offers a “Beautiful day, isn’t it?” as he launches his boat and suggests an insider tip to nearby shore anglers.People often approach the GOAT for a photo at the launch ramp, perhaps hoping he’ll bring them a little double-digit magic. Brown is happy to oblige.Fellow trophy bass hunter Ben Dehnadi operates the Low Down Customs shop in Tustin.
Largemouth bass fishing is a $60-billion-a-year industry, and the obsession for taking a selfie with a double-digit will have anglers trying new baits, old baits, new fishing holes, old fishing holes, checking the weather app, checking the moon app and basically tossing every penny they have into the Tacklewarehouse.com wishing well.
Brown, who eschews pro bass tournaments, has instead pioneered the practice of videotaping his trophy catches. With his office shelves overflowing with hundreds of tapes, no one can question the authenticity of Brown’s heavyweight bass. So, he’s asked, is Brown the GOAT? “Hands down. He’s been there from the start and he’s still here now.”
This morning Brown fishes several locations where he feels giant females are lurking. Bulked up with spawn eggs, they have transformed from summer slim to a possible world record Rubenesque. They take every opportunity to carb up for the exhausting spawn, devouring bait fish, crawdads and, if lucky, a related family member, the bluegill.
Brown has helped Deps craft 12 custom colors that “match the hatch” of bass forage in American waters, and these namesake lures sell out instantly at trade shows and tackle shops. “Butch has a complete understanding of the forage in his water and works with our production team to get the color perfect,” Okumura says. “He will not substitute for perfection.”[real thing] big fish hunter.”
As the bait touches bottom his line goes slack. He slowly turns the reel’s handle and starts a steady crawl back to the boat. Then suddenly … thump!“Too fast,” he says. “It was probably a small male guarding a nest. If it was a bigger one, it would’ve crunched it pretty good.” “When I first started, I didn’t even think about that kind of stuff. But then I started catching bigger ones. I got into that 15-, 16-pound range and I said, ‘Man, you know I might have a shot at this,’ ” says Brown.
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