Entry 155-3
How to Catch Bass Now with George Cochran
Use Strike King Buzzbaits
Editor’s Note: George Cochran has won many professional bass tournaments, including two Bassmasters Classics and his recent $500,000 win in the FLW Championship. Cochran has proven that he can find and catch bass at any time of the year, so we’ve asked Cochran to tell us where and how he fishes during the month of December.
Cochran: You won’t believe it, but you can use buzzbaits effectively in cooler months. Most people think of the buzzbait as a spring-time early-morning bait. But, I use the buzzbait even at this time of year. This year, Strike King has come out with a new double-bladed buzzbait because the pros have kept asking for one. This buzzbait has two arms that hold two separate blades. This completely balances the bait, making it easier to pull through lily pads, brush and other structure without getting hung-up.
The main thing I like about this buzzbait is that it puts out more noise and splash than the other buzzbaits. I fish this bait from September to January because during this period of time, hardly anyone else uses a buzzbait. On a cloudy day, the big bass hammer this buzzbait around shallow cover.
One of the biggest mistakes people make during lure selection is that they base their choice on water temperature. However, you should make your lure selection based on what the shad are doing on the day you’re fishing. Whatever they’re doing and wherever they’re located is where you’ll find the bass. If you see shad flipping on the surface, then you can catch bass on a buzzbait. It doesn’t matter what the water and air temperature are, the shad you see flipping on top of the water are not just there to get their tails cool. There’s a predator fish nearby forcing them to the surface. This shad action tells me that the bass will feed on the surface at this time of year. If the bass are feeding on surface bait, then they’ll hit a buzzbait.
One myth in bass fishing is that if the water temperature is below 50 degrees, the bass won’t be feeding. If that were true, we would have major die-offs every winter. I have caught bass on buzzbaits when the water temperature was 47 degrees. One way to catch big bass at this time of year is to fish the backs of creeks. When you see shad flipping around shallow cover, cast a double-wing Strike King buzzbait in either of my favorite colors of chartreuse or white. This buzzbait is a lure that bass haven’t seen a lot of before, and in December it really works for me.
Next: Bet on the Crankbait
Contents:
- Part 1: Spinner Baits in the Backs of Creeks
- Part 2: The Rubber Has More Wiggle
- Part 3: Use Strike King Buzzbaits
- Part 4: Bet on the Crankbait
- Part 5: More from Cochran on the Crankbait
