Entry 132-2
George Cochran’s December Bass Tactics
What to Do When the Bass Don't Bite
Editor's Note: Two-time Bassmasters Classic winner and longtime avid bass angler, George Cochran, fishes in all kinds of weather and at different times of the year.
Cochran: Often, in the middle of the day, especially when we have cold weather in December, the bass really don't want to bite. That's when I put down my crankbait and start fishing the 4-inch Denny Brauer tube. At that time of the day, the bass are in what I call their house. They like to bury-up deep in heavy cover and not feed. So, I use that tube to go into their house and introduce this bait to them that they just can't resist. I'll flip the tube right into the cover and yo-yo it up and down right in front of the bass's face. Even if that bass isn't hungry, it often will eat that tube because it presents such an easy meal that the bass doesn't have to leave its house to eat. Really all the bass has to do is open its mouth and suck it in.
The best days in December to fish the tube are on bright sunny days when the bass are holding tight in the cover, hunting shade. When I'm flipping the tube, I'll be fishing with at least 20-pound-test line. I'll be using a 3/8-ounce sinker up the line. I want the heavy slip sinker so that when I lift the jig up off a limb, the jig will fall quickly and dart. That heavy sinker gives me a faster fall of the tube and causes the bass to react instinctively to take the bait,instead of having time to look at the bait and decide whether or not the bass wants to eat the lure. I've noticed I catch more bass using this heavy sinker than I do when I use a lighter weight.
I like to use the No. 4/0 Shaw Grigsby hook made by Eagle Claw because it has a clip on it that helps hold the tube on the hook straighter for a longer time than most other hooks will. Another thing I don't do when I'm flipping the tube is I don't peg my sinker. I've learned over many years of fishing that I lose a higher percentage of bass when I peg the sinker than I do when I don't peg the sinker. I believe that when you don't peg the sinker to the hook, as the bass sucks the bait into its mouth, the sinker falls away from the tube. The bass can close its mouth all the way on the bait with only the line sticking out of its mouth.
However, when you do peg the lead to the head of the tube, and the bass sucks the bait in, often the lead will be right at the front of the fish's mouth. When the bass closes its mouth on the bait, the lead stops the bass from closing its mouth all the way, which causes two things to happen. Immediately the bass knows that there's something hard and unnatural about this bait. The bass may try to spit it out. Too, because that lead is keeping the fish's mouth open, if the hook's not sitting just right in the fish's mouth when you set the hook, you'll pull the tube right out of the bass' mouth. I'm convinced that I hook more bass that take my tube when I don't peg the sinker than I do when I do peg the sinker.
Contents:
- Part 1: Crank 'Em Up
- Part 2: What to Do When the Bass Don't Bite
- Part 3: What to Do When Cranking Doesn't Work
- Part 4: Me and Mr. Money
- Part 5: How Cochran Fishes Top-Water Baits in December
