Entry 46-4

When Strike King Saved the Day for George Cochran

How To Fish Strike King's King Rat

Editor's Note: George Cochran of Hot Springs, Arkansas, a longtime member of Strike King's Pro Fishing Team, has won the BASS Masters Classic twice and has qualified for this World Series of bass fishing numerous times. Cochran has proven himself as one of the best shallow-water anglers in the nation. Many fishermen consider Cochran the master of finding overlooked places to fish and using under-utilized tactics to catch bass. We'll find out from Cochran about when Strike King has saved the day for him.

Question: When do you fish with the King Rat?

Answer: The King Rat is a fun bait to fish, particularly in the cover where you can't fish any other kind of lure. Matted grass, real thick lily pads, logjams or any other type of cover that seems impenetrable with a lure is where you want to fish the King Rat. Here's the key to catching bass on the King Rat. When you're working the King Rat through thick cover, most of the time the bass will blow up on the bait. You can't try to set the hook when you see the strike. If you do, you'll lose every fish that strikes the bait.

When a bass blows up on a King Rat, I count to three. After I let the bass have the King Rat for the three count, then I'll reel down and set the hook. You also need to know when to stop it. If I'm fishing it through lily pads, I'll throw the King Rat deep into the pads and work it slowly across the top of the pads. Anytime I come to a hole or open water in the pads, I stop the bait. The bass will blow up on the bait when it stops in a hole in the cover. If you're fishing matted grass, work the rat fairly fast across the top of the grass. Then when you reach a hole in the grass, kill the bait, let it pause, twitch it a little bit, and wait for the strike.

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