Entry 99-2

George Cochran On Strike King Lures

Why Fish the Diamond Shad?

Editor's Note: George Cochran of Hot Springs, Arkansas, one of the truly-nice guys on the professional bass-fishing circuit and a longtime member of Strike King's Pro Fishing Team, doesn't call attention to himself. But when tournament day arrives, the quiet Cochran becomes one of the fiercest competitors on the tournament trail. The winner of two Bassmaster Classics in 1987 and 1996 and the 2004 BASS Lake Guntersville tournament, Cochran is one of the best shallow-water anglers in the nation. This week, he will tell us some of his go-to baits that have brought him success on the tournament trail.

Cochran: The weather, more than any other factor, determines how I'm going to fish, where I'm going to fish, what baits and what color baits I'll use. No one lure will perform really good day after day after day. But during the summer through the fall of the year, one of my favorite lures is the Diamond Shad. The reason it's my favorite is that when days are clear with no wind, your lure selection decreases tremendously because the bass see so well on these kinds of days. On these days, the bass can see so well that you have to have a lure that moves fast on the water and that the bass will attack.

I like the Diamond Shad because when it makes contact with cover, it has a very erratic motion that makes the bass decide instantly to attack. Too, the rattles in the bait notify the bass when it's approaching, and the bass can hear the Diamond Shad coming. It's a fast-moving bait, and you can cover a lot of water with it. So, when I have to fish in the summer and fall, the day is clear, the water is as slick as glass, and the bass don't really want to bite, I turn to the Diamond Shad. This bait helps me locate numbers of fish and helps me catch plenty of fish when I find myself in these conditions.




 

© 1996-2008 Strike King Lure Company