Entry 196-1
How Mr. Money Finds Bass in Three Stories of Water
Part 1: George Cochran’s Fishing Philosophy
Editor’s Note: George Cochran has received his nickname Mr. Money because fishermen know when a tournament pays out big money that they can bet on Cochran. He’s won more than $1.2 million on the B.A.S.S. circuit and at two Bassmaster Classics through the years. Cochran now fishes the FLW circuit, where he’s won over $700, 000. According to Cochran, “The first world championship I won paid $50, 000, and the last world championship (the FLW title in 2005) paid me $1/2-million. So, I’m well aware that tournament bass fishing has really grown nationwide.” Cochran names his ability to find bass no matter where they’re holding – the top, the middle or the bottom story of water – and to fish Strike King Lures as the secrets to his success.
The main difference between a pro fisherman and a weekend fisherman is that the first thing the pro does when he arrives at a lake is try to identify the water depth where the majority of the bass are holding, the type of lure those bass are most likely to bite, and the location of several different places on the lake where he’s likely to catch bass at that depth with that lure. The pro tries to establish a pattern before he ever goes fishing because once he establishes that pattern, he knows that he has the greatest chance of catching the most and the biggest bass when he starts fishing.
A weekend fisherman will go to a lake and start working immediately with very-little knowledge of where the most bass are concentrating, the story of water where they’re holding, and what baits they’ll most likely bite. If you fish like a pro and establish the pattern first, you’ll catch more bass every time you go fishing.
I’m convinced that the biggest secret to consistently catching bass is to keep an open mind about where the fish may be, find where the most bass are holding, and determine what bait they’re most likely to hit. If you don’t find the bass first, then you’ll be fishing in a lot of non-productive water where there are no bass.
Contents:
- Part 1: George Cochran’s Fishing Philosophy
- Part 2: The Quickest Way to Find Bass
- Part 3: Fishing Shallow Water
- Part 4: Suspended Bass in the Middle Story
- Part 5: Bottom Bass and Other Keys to Pinpointing Bass
