Cochran on Winning Big

Exclusive interview!

   Previous to George Cochran's recent FLW Championship victory and his 4th place finish at the 2005 Bassmaster Classic, most fans were of the opinion that his performance was waning. Cochran is well known as one of the best shallow water fishermen in the world, and the FLW Championship fish were expected to be in deep brushpiles scattered across Lake Hamilton. "I tried to catch fish deep on brushpiles," Cochran said, "I never would have dreamed that I would’ve won it by fishing shallow."

   Then, just like when he achieved victory at the 1996 Classic, "The fish weren't deep. The ones that were biting were up shallow." The fishing played right into Cochran's expert hands. Using worms and topwaters, he nailed the Lake Hamilton bass four days in a row to clench the FLW Championship trophy and a $500,000 check.

   When you really delve deeply into Cochran's win, the fact that he achieved victory is even more amazing. Several excellent deep water fishermen were present at the Championship, while Cochran's expertise lies in probing the shallow haunts of bass. "I didn’t think my chances were real high on winning on Lake Hamilton," he said. On top of that, the pro hadn't fished the lake in several years.

   As he did in the 1996 Classic, Cochran went against the flow by fishing shallow in a summer tournament where bass were thought to be deep.

   His winning pattern came on four lures: a 5-inch Strike King 3X Trick Worm, a Spittin' King (also by Strike King), and a Storm Baby Chug Bug. A buzzbait also provided two large fish the final day.

   The Trick Worm was rigged wacky style and skipped to spots Lake Hamilton bass frequent in the hot summer months, such docks and shady spots. The Baby Chug Bug also came into play, while in windy weather Cochran turned to the Spittin' King topwater.

   "Every day I figured out how to catch more fish. Each day I found the best area of the lake," Cochran said. "I saved my favorite bank for the last day, and started culling after about 30 minutes." 

   When asked what was the number one thing he would attribute his success to, Cochran replied: "I guess I never gave up." While his version of never giving up may be slightly quieter than fellow pro Michael Iaconelli's version, there is no doubt that Cochran's perseverance pays big dividends when the money is on the line.

   The FLW Championship's bracket format has many advocates, but just as many opponents. Cochran's opinion? "I love it because I won!" he said. "Everybody knew how it was going to be going in. I think it’s exciting having a bracket deal; it’s like a bunch of little tournaments in a tournament, then it narrows down (on the final day) and they are head-to-head."

   Cochran not only enjoys the controversial bracket format, he also considers the FLW Championship a higher prize than the Bassmaster Classic. How much of a difference is there between the two events? "About $400,000 worth," he said. "In the last Classic I won, in '96, I won about a hundred thousand. Winning half a million in one tournament... you have to pinch yourself." 

   Since winning the big bucks, Cochran's life hasn't changed in any drastic way, but he says that is because "I haven’t had time to slow down." After winning the Championship, Cochran took on the Bassmaster Classic, and during the interview was driving to Eagle Mountain Lake in Texas to fish another tournament for which he had qualified. "Nothing's changed yet, but I know it will," Cochran revealed. "If I’m going to be competitive like I have this year I’m going to have to fish about half as many tournaments," he concluded.

   Which leads us to another interesting fact: Cochran, as announced around the time of the FLW Championship, will not be fishing the 2006 BASS Tour. "I’ve straddled the fence for the last five years (and) I just get completely run down. I'd like to fish tournaments another ten years, and if I'm going to do that I'm going to have to slow down." His decision to only fish FLW next year came through an effort to condense his tournament schedule and focus on fewer events. FLW's higher payouts came into play, and Ranger boats also had a part in his decision. For the most part, his sponsors "don't mind what I do. I’ll probably have a couple of sponsor changes at the end of the year. I’m hoping not."

   George Cochran is definitely on a hot streak right now, and with his simpler tournament schedule next year and the subsequent focus on each event, he will be a threat to win any event on the FLW Tour next year. He's at the top of his game, and shows no sign of being anywhere else in the near future.

Special thanks is due to George Cochran for taking the time to be interviewed. Check out his website at: www.cochranoutdoors.com.

By Brandon Shook