Cochran: No More BASS

Exclusive interview!

   During the 2005 Forrest L. Wood Championship on Lake Hamilton, AR, George Cochran announced that he would be fishing FLW tournaments exclusively, which ended his 26-year career with BASS. "Cochran said he’ll be exclusively fishing the FLW Tour in 2006," FLW said on the final day. "I said they (FLW) were the best tour,"  he acknowledged. As published here in an earlier article: "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."

   BASS, somewhat understandably, was upset with Cochran's decision. They made certain comments during the Classic's final day weigh-in which were upsetting to both Mr. and Mrs. Cochran. "They started being not good to me, being kind of ugly," he said. "I did the best I could on stage. I looked at my wife and she got very upset. She left, so I left."

   BASS officials were searching for the missing pro during the weigh-in, as he was supposed to take the "hot seat" for leading the tournament. "I heard that they were looking for me," Cochran said. "At the time I was upset with BASS, and I didn’t think they needed me anymore. I knew who was going to win. So I just left because my wife left."

   Cochran was expecting a "pat on the back" from BASS as he retired from the Tour. "I've supported them for 26 years," he said. Instead of a thanks from BASS, he claimed, "they were mad at me, and they showed it." 

   The incident has created quite a buzz in the world of professional bass fishing, but information on it is few and far between.

   "The last day they caught me off guard. I knew BASS was mad because of my statements about fishing FLW not BASS. I didn’t realize what was coming down the last day." After the weigh-in, Cochran was understandably upset, and quite simply walked out.

   Has BASS attempted an apology? "No," Cochran revealed. "I’ve had ESPN call and apologize because of what happened; they said it wasn’t staged or anything it was just the announcer." Keith Alan was "the announcer" who upset the pros and ESPN with his comments. Is it just me, or does the phrase "in hot water" adequately portray his current situation?

   Cochran does not believe that the incident portrayed him in a negative light, nor does he anticipate any sponsor troubles because of it.

Extra

   > His 4th place finish in the 2005 Classic gave him an automatic qualification to the 2006 event. Will he fish the 2006 Classic? Surprisingly, "Yeah," he said. "I’m planning on it."

   > If Cochran were to win the 2006 Classic, it would create a very difficult situation for BASS. The organization would have a Classic champion that did not fish the BASS Tour, plus Cochran would most likely remain in favor of FLW.

   > Cochran was traveling to the Dallas/Ft. Worth, TX, area to fish a 24-man tournament on Eagle Mountain Lake during the interview. He did not seem to be upset with BASS, nor does he regret his decision to fish FLW exclusively next year.

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