Entry 178-5

What Makes Them Great

Part 5: Why I Switched

Editor’s Note: In recent years, many of the Strike King Pros have chosen to fish the B.A.S.S. and/or the FLW circuits. We asked George Cochran what made him leave the B.A.S.S. circuit and fish only FLW.

George CochranQuestion: George, you’ve chosen to only fish the FLW circuit and no longer fish the Bassmaster circuit. Why did you leave Bassmaster and decide to fish FLW exclusively?

Cochran: For several years, I fished both circuits. However, with a large number of tournaments that both circuits now have, fishing both circuits is almost impossible. And, for me to fish both circuits, I don’t feel like I can fish my best at them all. The other problem is the schedule for both circuits often conflicts with each other. I don’t feel like I’ll build up enough points on either circuit if I fish them both.

Now, this isn’t just a George Cochran problem. The scheduling issue has become a problem for all the bass-fishing pros. If you’ll look at who went where, there’s about 50% of the nation’s top-pros fishing FLW and 50% fishing B.A.S.S. circuit.I had to look at the big picture and what would be best for George Cochran and his family. George CochranMy major sponsor, Ranger Boats, is with FLW, I like the concept of the FLW tournaments, and the FLW pays out more money to the fishermen than B.A.S.S. does.

A good example is the championship that each circuit holds. I won the FLW championship and took home a check for $500,000. The Bassmaster Classic champion took home a check for $250,000. You don’t have to be a rocket scientist to figure out the FLW pays its fishermen more than B.A.S.S. does. In the FLW’s regular tournament, if you finish in the top 50, you go home with $10,000. B.A.S.S. isn’t paying those kinds of pay-outs for their regular-season tournaments. Too, the entry fee for B.A.S.S. is much higher than the entrance fees for the FLW.

I’m not into the politics of playing one circuit against the other. I just feel like for me and my family, the FLW offers more opportunity than B.A.S.S. does. George CochranEach fisherman has to look at what’s important for his family and choose the circuit that’s best for his and his sponsor’s needs, which is the reason you see good fishermen on both circuits.

When I chose to just fish one circuit, I cut down on the number of tournaments I was fishing. I’m fishing 12 tournaments in one circuit, instead of 19 national tournaments in both circuits. At my age, 19 is too many tournaments. Back when I was in my 30s, I dreamed of the day when I’d be able to fish 20 tournaments a year, but we only had six or seven each year. The only problem between wanting to fish 20 tournaments when I was 30 and fishing 12 now is that I’m 56. And, I hope that as I’ve gotten older, maybe I’ve gotten a little wiser, too.




 

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