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Charlie Brewer returned from World War II to Lawrenceburg, TN, and opened a radio and TV repair shop with knowledge gained in the South Pacific. A natural-born tinkerer, he grew weary of the long, fishless hours throwing a baitcaster spooled with black nylon line and a crankbait, such as the Heddon River Runt. He figured there had to be a better way to catch bass more consistently when they aren't active and chasing lures.Brewer developed a unique leadhead designed to plane in the water, instead of falling to the bottom like a smooth rock. He also poured his own slender 4-inch ringed worms with an egg sack that tapered to a paddle tail. He cast these worms on short graphite or graphite-composite rods with a Tennessee handle for increased sensitivity. He removed the bail from the reels to increase casting distance for his 1/16-to-1/4-ounce leadheads and diminutive worms. He founded the Crazy Head Lure Company in 1970, now known as the Charlie Brewer Slider Company.
The key to Brewer's system is presentation. The Slider method is designed to find bass suspended in the water column or hanging just above the bottom. Bass in clear-water lakes, such as Lake Cumberland, Laurel River Lake, and Dale Hollow Lake suspend most of the time during the day, especially in summer and winter. Suspended bass represent one of the toughest bass-fishing situations.
The original Crazy Head was a flat-bottomed leadhead that came through the water in a straight line on the retrieve. Brewer later developed other styles of flat-sided heads and bullet-shaped ones, but the basic concept remains. The heart of the Slider system is manipulating the speed of the retrieve and the weight of the leadhead until you hit the combination of depth and speed bass want that particular day.
This may require cutting some weight off the Slider head 'til it weighs just 1/32-ounce or flattening it to slow the rate of fall. Find a likely fish-holding structure, such as a channel point laden with boulders or stumps. Cast parallel to the structure and count to 10. Reel the Slider worm with a rhythmic but slow cadence and watch your line intently. Keep counting down and reeling slowly until you get a rapid peck or nip from a bluegill, baby bass or crappie. This is the activity zone. Count down a little more on the next cast and you'll be in bass.
Once you find the depth and speed they want, you can fish similar areas all over the lake and catch fish all day. The Slider worm resembles a minnow more than anything, and fish can't help themselves. It is simple and ingenious. Plus, light to medium-light spinning rods and 6-pound line make 2-pounders feel like trophies. It is simply a fun and relaxing way to catch bass after bass, plus the occasional trophy bluegill, crappie, walleye, and even freshwater drum.
Brewer also believed bass anglers do way too much running and gunning, instead of fishing. He felt folks should pattern their fish close-by and focus more on technique than covering water. He relates in his touchstone book Charlie Brewer on Slider Fishing that some of his best fishing days stemmed from engine trouble that forced him to scour the fishy-looking areas near the ramp. This also saves gas and wear and tear on the big motor.
All you need is a small box or a paper bag with a few colors of Slider worms, some Slider heads, a pair of sidecutter and needlenose pliers and knowledge. Largemouth, smallmouth and spotted bass gobble them up with the same abandon now as they did when Sliders first hit the market in the '70s.
This text was taken from a 2009 piece titled "Charlie Brewer--The Father of Finesse Fishing," by Lee McClellan, Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources.
Thought you also might like to see a sampling of videos from back in the day of Charlie and his Slider system:
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