Entry 320-2
George Cochran and the Evolution of Bass Fishing with Tips On How to Make Your Fishing Better
Editor’s Note: George Cochran of Hot Springs, Arkansas, has had a tough year this year. He missed two tournaments this year on the FLW Series because of illness. “I’ve had to go to the hospital twice, but finally, I’m healthy and back fishing,” Cochran says. Even with his illness, Cochran barely missed the cut for the FLW World Championship. Cochran, a two-time Bassmaster Classic champion (1987 and 1996) and the 2005 FLW Cup winner, is still one of the most-competitive fishermen on the pro circuit, even when he’s sick. For 28 years, Cochran has maintained his high level of performance on the BASS and FLW circuits.
Part 2: What’s a George-Cochran Place, and How Do You Fish It?
Question: George, for many years, tournament fishermen would drive by a clay bank with no visible structure that seemed to have no reason for anyone to fish it, and they’d smile and say, “That’s a George-Cochran fishing spot.” But today, more boats are fishing those George-Cochran places than you once have seen. How does this affect your fishing?
Cochran: Tournament fishing has caused these changes. In today’s major tournaments, the contestants have 4 days of practice. In the past when there were only 3 days of practice, there weren’t as many people who would find my little secret spots. But when you put 150 of the best bass fishermen in the nation on any lake, and you give them 4 days to locate the most-productive places to catch bass, they will find every best site to catch bass in that lake, regardless of how the area looks. Rarely will you discover a spot on any lake that another pro fishermen have not already discovered. In the past, I’d look for sites that didn’t look good, and I’d have those places to myself. But today, rarely will I have those spots to myself.
Question: What’s a George-Cochran place, and how do you fish it?
Cochran: I’m basically a shallow-water fisherman, and I try to catch bass less than 5-feet deep year-round, unless the weather’s really cold. 
In the summertime, I may only fish in 2 or 3 feet of water, but my boat probably will be sitting in 5 or 6 feet of water. I like a bank that has cover, but it’s underwater cover you can’t see. This underwater cover may be very small. There may be one little stick-up – an underwater stump, a small underwater rock or a little hump – that you can’t see from the surface, but bass will hold there.
I’ll fish a lot of grass and cattails, too. I like to fish places where every time I make a cast, I expect to catch a bass. For this reason, I don’t like to fish open water where I have to depend on my electronics. Even on clean banks, there’s always some type of invisible cover under the water, which is why most people don’t fish these clean banks. So, if I can find that cover on banks that don’t appear to have cover, I can catch the bass most fishermen won’t.
Question: What type of lures do you use to catch bass on those clean banks that are known as George-Cochran places?
Cochran: The weather dictates the bait. If we have a windy day, I’ll use spinner baits or crankbaits. If I’m fishing a calm day with clear skies, I’ll fish with worms or jigs. I like Strike King finesse jigs and finesse worms to fish these clean banks.
Question: George, I know you’ve said you once had ugly spots on a lake to yourself because no one would fish them. But today’s anglers have learned to fish those places, haven’t they?
Cochran: Yes, they have. 
I’m practicing on Lake Dardanelle right now and in August, during these 4 days of practice, I’ve fished every site that looks like it may hold bass, every spot that may hold bass, and every section that there’s no reason for bass to be holding there. I’m not the only one who’s fished this way. All 150 contestants in this tournament have fished the same way. So, today, there’s really no such place as a George-Cochran spot, because often when I go to those ugly banks where in years past no one would fish but me, there will be one or two contestants fishing that bank. There are so-many good fishermen now who have learned how to catch bass that rarely will any angler find a secret area that no one else is fishing.
Question: How do you overcome all this fishing pressure?
Cochran: I’m really lucky. Strike King has a tremendous pro staff and research-and-development team are constantly creating new lures and colors. I’m a firm believer that new colors will catch more bass than old colors will. 
The classic example is the Sexy Shad color. When Strike King introduced this color, no one had seen it before, and neither had the bass. The bass went nuts. Look at Strike King’s new catalog today, and you’ll see all the new unusual colors the company has. Those new colors and lures allow me to compete and perform well, even with all the fishing pressure we face on the lakes today.
I use to fish only a black-back chartreuse crankbait for a number of years. But today, I’m catching more bass on the various colors of crankbaits Strike King releases each year. These new colors are producing more bass for me now than the old chartreuse with a black back used to produce.
