Entry 132-5
George Cochran’s December Bass Tactics
How Cochran Fishes Top-Water Baits in December
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: Most bass fishermen won't even talk about using a top-water bait during December because they believe their buddies will laugh at them. But, just like cold fronts will move through an area during December, so will warm fronts. Think about it for a minute. When a cold front hits, the only way for that cold front to move out of the area is for a warm front to come in behind it. Therefore, during the month of December, yes, you will have cold fronts, but the area where you fish also will have warm fronts.
For example, let's say that the bass are up in the creeks, and I've been catching them for four or five days on a Strike King Series 4 crankbait, a Strike King Compact spinner bait or the Strike King tube. But, then for some reason, a warm front will move onto the lake. The shad will move up close to the surface. You'll see them flipping on top and the bass boiling the water chasing them.
Reason tells you that when the bass are looking up and feeding on top, they won't take a bait that's running below them. The bass are looking at the surface, wanting to eat a bait on the surface. I've learned that when a warm front comes onto a lake, and that warm front lasts for 4 or 5 days, there's no better bait to fish than the Spit-n-King because it looks just like a shad. I'll work the bait real slow to make it appear to be skipping across the top of the water, and I've caught some big stringers of bass using top-water tactics in the middle of December.
Once I was shooting a television show in December and catching bass on the Series 4 and the Series 1 crankbaits. I saw a bass blow up on the surface catching shad. I always have a Spit-n-King tied on one of my rods during December just because I'm expecting to see a bass on the surface this month. I simply reached over, picked up my Spit-n-King and cast it right to the spot where I'd seen the bass on the surface and caught a 2-pound largemouth.
So, don't forget your top-water lures, especially your Spit-n-King in December. You can have some of the best days of top-water fishing you've ever had in your life with your Spit-n-King this month. Just watch the shad, and look for the bass feeding on top. When you see the bass working the shad on the surface, do as I do. Pick up that Spit-n-King top-water lure and cast to the spot where you see the bass breaking the surface. Often you'll catch several bass in the same spot, often out in the middle of the creek, with a top-water lure during December.
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
