How Understanding Weather Helps You Catch More Bass with George Cochran
Day 3: Bassmaster Classic Winner George Cochran Explains How Rain and Blowing Wind Impact Catching Bass
Editor’s Note: With the 2014 Bassmaster Classic taking place at Alabama’s Lake Guntersville, February 21 – 23, Night Hawk talked with George Cochran, a past Bassmaster Classic winner about ways to always catch bass. Cochran of Hot Springs, Arkansas, passed a milestone in his fishing career, earning over $2 million in tournament winnings. According to Cochran, “I believe my understanding of weather and its effect on bass has helped my fishing career. Any bass angler who wants to regularly catch more bass must know what various types of weather do to the bass he’s trying to take.” To help us get a better understanding of the importance of weather in successful bassing and how you can change your fishing patterns to react to the weather like the bass do, I’ve asked Cochran to pick weather situations, tell us what happens to the bass under each weather condition and explain how his fishing changes with the weather.
  “When rain falls, bass often will leave whatever cover or structure they are on and go toward an area where the rainwater is running into the lake,” Cochran comments. “Often this region is in the backs of creeks or beside little feeder creeks that come into the main lake. Notice sometimes that the small, brown stains of muddy water coming into a lake usually will have many baitfish flipping and splashing in that dirty water. Within an hour after that water begins to run into the lake, bass will move-up into that muddy, shallow water and start feeding on those baitfish. If an angler can find one of those areas where the water’s running into the lake, he can catch plenty of bass in a short time. But as soon as the water stops running into the lake, the bass will quit biting and probably return to the creek channels or whatever cover they were holding on before the rain.”
Blowing Wind:
  “During the summer, wind on a lake greatly can improve your bass fishing,” Cochran observes. “If I’m fishing in a large bay that has one side of the bay where the wind is hitting and causing the water to splash up against the rocks, then often that’s where the bass will be, because the baitfish will feed in that muddy, churned-up water. The bass will follow and eat the baitfish. When the wind blows water and causes it to splash, this also puts more oxygen in the water and tends to cool the water, which creates better conditions in warm weather where the bass can feed and hold. Another thing that many anglers fail to realize is that wind creates current. When the wind’s blowing water against a stump or a log, there’s a slight current caused by the wind around that stump. The baitfish react to that current created by the wind as do the bass. Wind narrows down the areas of the lake where the bass will be holding. In the summertime, I’d look for bass in the regions of the lake being hit by the wind. During the winter months, windy banks aren’t productive for bass fishing, because when the wind churns-up the water, that water will become cooler. Of course bass aren’t looking for colder water during the winter months but rather are searching for warmer water. Therefore, on windy days during the winter, I look for protected areas out of the wind. The rule of thumb during the summer is run to the wind to catch bass. During the winter, run away from the wind to find bass.”
To learn more about bass fishing, get John E. Phillips’ Kindle ebooks, “How to Bass Fish Like a Pro,” “How to Win a Bass Tournament” and “Catch the Most and Biggest Bass in Any Lake: 18 Pro Fishermen’s Best Tactics” go to http://www.amazon.com/kindle-ebooks, type in the names of the books, and download them to your Kindle and/or download a Kindle app for your iPad, SmartPhone or computer.
About the Author
John Phillips, winner of the 2012 Homer Circle Fishing Award for outstanding fishing writer by the American Sportfishing Association (ASA) and the Professional Outdoor Media Association (POMA), the 2008 Crossbow Communicator of the year and the 2007 Legendary Communicator chosen for induction into the National Fresh Water Hall of Fame, is a freelance writer (over 6,000 magazine articles for about 100 magazines and several thousand newspaper columns published), magazine editor, photographer for print media as well as industry catalogues (over 25,000 photos published), lecturer, outdoor consultant, marketing consultant, book author and daily internet content provider with an overview of the outdoors. Click here for more information and a list of all the books available from John E. Phillips.
|
