Entry 320-1
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 1: From Bubba Crankbaits to Baby Crankbaits and From Rope Line to Fine Thread
Question: George, you’ve seen and been a part of the evolution of bass fishing for the past 28 years. How has the sport changed?
Cochran: When I first started tournament fishing, I could take a spinner bait, go to any lake, anywhere in the country and find a place to catch bass on that spinner bait. But you can’t do that today. There’s so-much fishing pressure on all the lakes and so-many tournaments held on lakes all over the country that finding a place to catch bass on spinner baits is difficult. You still can catch bass on spinner baits, but you need nasty, windy, cloudy or overcast days to be able to consistently catch bass on spinner baits. The bass have seen numbers of spinner baits, and only on certain days and specific conditions can spinner-bait fishing be as good as it once was. 
Too, I use much-lighter line and smaller baits than in the past, but these are changes I’ve had to make to stay consistent and continue to catch bass.
A bass fisherman has to continuously evolve in what, where and how he fishes. In the past, I fished 15- to 25-pound-test line. Today, I use 8- to 12-pound-test line. In the past, I was a diehard spinner-bait fisherman and that was the only bait I’d fish. I won a world championship with the spinner bait and earned a lot of money fishing just the spinner bait. I still use spinner baits, but instead of using the bigger spinner baits, I use the little Strike King 3/16-ounce spinner bait, known as Mr. Money. This spinner bait has little blades, is small and compact and will catch bass. Too, I use a lot of crankbaits today, especially smaller crankbaits. I’ve started fishing more of the Strike King finesse worms, too.
Question: What size crankbaits did you fish in the past and what size do you fish now?
Cochran: I once used the big crankbaits, like the big Balsa Bee and the big Norman crankbaits. Today, I fish the Strike King Series 1, which is one of my favorite crankbaits, and Strike King makes a little crankbait I call Mr. Money that’s only about 1/2-inch long. But the Series 1 is my favorite, and the Series 3 is my second favorite. The biggest crankbait I use now is the Series 4. I’ve really downsized my lures over the years. By using light line, the action of these little crankbaits has much-better performance than the big crankbaits of the past. These little crankbaits trick the bass and entice them to bite better.
