Entry 155-5
How to Catch Bass Now with George Cochran
More from Cochran on the Crankbait
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: At the tournament I was discussing yesterday on the third day when I couldn’t get a bite on my Strike King 45 I’d had so much success on in days 1 and 2 of the tournament, I changed from the Series 4 to the same color in the Series 1, which is a smaller crankbait. I started catching bass again by downsizing my crankbait and working it slowly through the cover.
Often thing fishermen don’t realize about crankbaits that when bass are holding on cover, if your bait doesn’t come into contact with the cover and bump or bounce off the cover, more than likely the fish won’t take the crankbait. The bass are lying under or around that cover and are waiting on the shad to come up and feed on the algae. To eat the algae, the shad must come into contact with the cover. Just like cattle, when the shad are grazing, they’re not looking at what’s going on around them. This makes them easy prey for bass.
At this time of year, I move the crankbait fast and bounce it off the cover. As soon as the crankbait hits the cover, I stop it just for a second and start the retrieve again, and usually this is when the strike will occur. Oftentimes, I’m fishing 15-pound-test line when I’m using a 4S crankbait. My retrieve is steady, but faster than normal, and I let it hit the cover, then I stop the bait, and then start the retrieve again. When I fish the Series 1 crankbait, I usually fish it with 12-pound-test line, and I slow the retrieve down a bit more. The Series 3, which is about the same size as the Series 1, has a longer bill, which makes the bait dive deeper.
When I’m fishing the backs of creeks this month, I have three different crankbaits tied onto three rods. These baits are the Strike King Series 1, Series 3 and Series 4 crankbaits. If I see a brushpile in 2 feet of water, I’ll cast the Series 1 crankbait to it. If I spot a brushpile in 6 feet of water, I’ll cast the Series 3 crankbait. If I think there’s a bass holding next to a tree in the water, I’ll cast a Series 4 crankbait. Often I like to try all three crankbaits in the tree tops and let the bass tell me which one they prefer. The shad in the creek will tell you what size crankbait to fish. If the shad are small, use a Series 1 or Series 3; but if the shad are big, then fish a Series 4 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
