Entry 155-1
How to Catch Bass Now with George Cochran
Spinner Baits in the Backs of Creeks
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: There’s one thing I’ve learned in 30 years of bass tournament fishing. During the month of December, the bass will be moving up the creeks following the shad. During this time of year, there’s one lure I prefer to use: the Strike King spinner bait with one gold blade and one silver blade. I catch more bass using two different-colored blades rather than only one color blade. Remember, that if the bass knew what they were seeing, they would never eat a spinner bait. Bass don’t eat lead, skirts, hooks or blades. Bass only see a flash of the blades. So I believe that when they see the gold and silver flashing against each other, a bass’s pea brain thinks he’s seeing either an injured or a dying shad. If a bass sees spinner bait blades that are just one color, then the bait doesn’t appear to the bass to be an injured shad.
While working at the Game and Fish Commission in Arkansas before I started fishing for bass professionally full time, I learned that bass are most likely to attack injured or crippled bait. When a shad is injured or crippled, its scales begin to turn different colors. I don’t know if this is why using two different-colored blades seems to catch more bass than fishing with a single-colored blade does, but it doesn’t really matter. However, what does matter is that I have proven to myself that I catch more bass on Strike King’s spinner baits using a gold-and-silver combination of blades.
I choose different blades for various fishing situations. If I’m fishing in shallow water, I prefer to use Colorado blades. If I’m fishing deeper waters, I like to fish with the willow-leaf blades because they put off more vibrations. In my opinion, the color of the water determines the speed of my retrieve. If I fish in clear water, I know the fish are usually holding deep. But, if the fish are holding in the back of a clear-water creek at a depth of 10 feet or more, I’ll throw my Strike King spinner bait, let it fall to the bottom, lift the bait and then crank it slowly. I’m able to catch more fish using this tactic. If the water is stained, the fish will be closer to the surface, so then, I use a Colorado blade with a speedy retrieve.
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
