Entry 196-3

How Mr. Money Finds Bass in Three Stories of Water

Part 3: Fishing Shallow Water

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.

George CochranAlthough I’ll fish all three stories of water for bass, I like to find and catch bass in that top story of water. Since I’m basically a shallow-water fisherman, any time I can catch bass in shallow water, I feel like I’ve got an advantage. But regardless of the time of year or what lake or river you’re fishing, you’ll locate some bass in the shallow, the middle and the really-deep water. One of those three stories of water may not hold as many bass as perhaps the other two depths, however, usually some bass will be in each story of water. I’ve found that once I locate the bass in shallow water and figure out what lure(s) they want, I can catch them consistently.

One of the reasons I enjoy fishing for shallow-water bass is because when bass move into shallow water, they’re generally feeding. Even though there’s not as many bass in shallow water as in deep water, they’re coming up to feed there. Personally, I think that shallow-water bass are much easier to catch than the bass feeding on the bottom. Never forget that weather impacts a fisherman’s finding and catching shallow-water bass more than any other factor. George CochranFor instance, if I know that because of the time of year bass will be getting ready to spawn or are spawning, and the water temperature is above 60 degrees, then I also understand that bass probably will be on the sides of the pockets getting ready to spawn.

When the bass are shallow, I really pay attention to the weather. If the weather’s cloudy and windy, then I understand that the best bait to fish is a spinner bait, because the bass can’t tell that the spinner bait isn’t a live fish. But, if there’s clear weather without much wind, then I’ll use a 7-inch Strike King finesse worm on a jig head or rigged Texas style to flip and pitch around cover on the sides of the pockets.

Too, when the weather’s clear with a small amount of wind, and I’m not catching as many fish on the spinner bait or the plastic worm as I think I should, then I’ll start fishing with a crankbait. A crankbait will move fast and look real to the bass, which means the bass will be more likely to take it. George CochranWhenever I’m fishing for shallow bass, I’ll generally have four rods out, each rigged with a different lure. I’ll have a spinner bait tied on one rod, a finesse worm on another, a Strike King jig on the third rod and either a shallow-running Mr. Money crankbait or a Strike King Series 3 shad-pattern crankbait on the other rod. The color of the water tells me what color to use.

Generally when I’m fishing shallow water I’ll use spinner baits first, finesse worms second and crankbaits third. However, my favorite bait regardless of the weather, the wind, the temperature or the region of the country I’m fishing is Strike King’s Mr. Money crankbait, a small crankbait that runs shallow that will produce a limit of bass almost anytime, anywhere. If I can’t catch bass on the Mr. Money, then the Strike King Series 3 crankbait is my next choice. In dingy water, I’ll use chartreuse and red, crawdad colors, especially in the summer. If the water’s clear, I’ll fish shad colors.




 

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