Anybody miss Cooch?

Otay Michael · Post by **Otay Michael** » Thu Jul 08, 2021 3:40 pm

Headed up to the Delta in a few days, was thinking about the many trips I've already made, and the good times I've been blessed to have, all the Nutcase rallies, etc.. Then Cooch came to mind, and a big hole in my heart opened up again! Anybody else miss him, I sure do. He's was one of a kind, so generous with his time, taught me a lot. Was a kick in the pants, to say the least. Any good memories to share? I'll start.

I was once out with him 'fun fishing' (not a nutcase rally, thought I fished with him at one at Clearlake), and we were fishing frogs (he hated them), and I asked if he'd ever seen a bass eat a frog? Well he reponded "hell yeah, I had two clients out and I knew of a spot where a 10+ lived, and tossed my frog past the spot and was working it up to it when a bird landed on a reed at the same spot and the bass blew up on it and the bird was gone, and so was my chance for it to hit my lure!", Great story and great times.

Otay Michael · Post by **Otay Michael** » Thu Jul 08, 2021 4:03 pm

Funny, just after posting this, and doing a search for 'forums, Calif Delta' to see if another site with Delta info might be out there besides this one, Cooch's name came up in a forum from back east. Some guy posted a pic of him and a monster he got in 2012!?!? What's the odds?

Here it is: https://forums.northeastbass.com/index.php?topic=5438.0

And here's the pic of Cooch with a 14# in 2012. He passed in Oct. 2017.

mark poulson · Post by **mark poulson** » Thu Jul 08, 2021 4:59 pm

The Grey Ghost of the Delta, our Gandalf.

HappyDogBassFishing · Post by **HappyDogBassFishing** » Thu Jul 08, 2021 5:07 pm

I sure do. I enjoyed fishing with him on guided trips and reading his post here on WB! I'm sure he will be missed by many people.

bassdaddy · Post by **bassdaddy** » Thu Jul 08, 2021 5:20 pm

I can't even imagine how much Cooch is missed.

aaafffqqq · Post by **aaafffqqq** » Fri Jul 09, 2021 6:12 am

Before he was the legendary "Cooch" I fished clubs with him. He was just Andy back then. I stayed at his house in and fished the Delta with him twice. One night his dog ate the kids hamster, that was bead, Andy had to clean it up before the kids saw it. Even before he was the legend, he had an instinct about the Delta that amazed me. Today I take high school kids out on their tournaments and, 30 years later, I tell them stories about Cooch. SO yeah, I think of him a lot when i am on the Delta.

Fly'in V · Post by **Fly'in V** » Fri Jul 09, 2021 1:03 pm

Next time you are launching on the Delta, Turn-up some Stevie Ray Vaughan and Cooch will be right there with you.

Fly'in V

Bassinlee · Post by **Bassinlee** » Fri Jul 09, 2021 9:07 pm

Cooch always answered his phone, waved at us when we passed him in the Delta, was free with information about current fishing conditions without a care about 'giving away secrets', and was a great friend to my fishing buddy Snooky Flowers, who we lost in February last year. As you may know, Snooky was Janis Joplin's saxophonist and band leader. They played at Woodstock, and toured internationally. And since Snooky was a lifelong blues musician, he and Cooch got along famously on the water. The two of them spent time blasting blues music on Snooky's big 620VS, and it was hard to determine who talked the most smack, but despite my friendship with Snooky, I think Cooch would win that battle. Here's hoping Cooch is bopping with Janis and Snooky, and out-fishing the Big Man in that pond in the sky.

Pat · Post by **Pat** » Sun Jul 11, 2021 7:21 am

I think of him often. We were team partners for 100% Bass, and fun fished a lot too. Friends off the water too, went to a few blues shows and festivals. I was on Clear Lake last week fishing Frazier point and remembered how he loved to fish jigs in that deep water. 1/2 oz, brown with a Yamamoto 164 grub(No longer made). He taught me that there were rock piles around the bases of those deep pilings. Things were never dull around Andy, sometimes he was a ditz, I remember him showing up to a tournament with no gas in his old Stratos. In the very beginning of NCBF there was a group of us who would email every day, called ourselves the "Morning Gang." Cooch was a big part of that. Loved him a lot, feel very fortunate to have been his friend and hear HAR HAR HAR.

Otay Michael · Post by **Otay Michael** » Tue Aug 31, 2021 10:01 pm

Great stories. Once I drew him as a partner on a Clear Lake Nutcase rally. I showed up with a milk crate jammed full of baits. He took one look and said "What's all that?". "Some of my gear" I replied, not even having the large 'regular' tackle box still in the car... everything but the kitchen sink. "Heck, take it back and just grab a hand full of jigs, that's all you'll need". After shooting off fireworks at the exit of Konocti, scaring his dog that went with us, we ran across the lake. Sometime that morning he swung and stated it was a monster. When it got to the surface we saw it was a nice sized limb!!! ;/). That was SOOOO funny. Nobody's perfect, but he was close.

Larry Hemphill · Post by **Larry Hemphill** » Tue Aug 31, 2021 11:43 pm

He helped me into the computer age!!
He helped me learn computer basics and got me on WB.com
We talked a lot on email and the phone
I only fished with him once, taking him to Oroville
He said he always wanted to fish that lake.
We did well, but missed a lot of bites - laughing too hard most of the time!!
The Lord only made one "Cooch," and i am a better person for knowing him!!

Lunker Larry Hemphill

CBS · Post by **CBS** » Wed Sep 01, 2021 8:45 am

Great guy and like Kent Brown a true ambassador of our sport.

ash · Post by **ash** » Wed Sep 01, 2021 10:18 am

I still have a spanking new Pro-Teen Hat and his Poem in my office. Funny part is when fishing around lil mandie i can still hear him roarin and laughin and will cruise his dock looking for his pet fish. I do miss that guy and who he was for the community and hope to keep his spirit alive through me.

Richard - Sonora · Post by **Richard - Sonora** » Sat Sep 04, 2021 5:06 am

Some years ago Andy/Cooch was the honored guest speaker at a club to which I belonged. Very good presentation that illuminated many things for all in attendance.
Later, during the meet and greet I asked Cooch what he would recommend to best learn how to jig fish the Delta. His answer was clear, straight forward and TRUE! Coochs' response - Leave the launch ramp with no other presentations in the boat - JIGS only, and fish them all day!!

A memorable piece of advice I have used with several presentations.

Richard - Sonora

M Pollard · Post by **M Pollard** » Sat Sep 04, 2021 10:16 am

Years ago my parents got me a guide trip with him. What a great day of information he gave me. From that day
on i considered Cooch a good friend. He would remind me of the pro teens, which i fished a few. What I loved is
Cooch making every kid feel special. He had a way with the Mic. Does everybody remember is shed full of uncle josh
Pork? He stock pilled that stuff...

Morph808 · Post by **Morph808** » Sat Sep 04, 2021 2:59 pm

Never had the pleasure to fish him, but my friend did and he gifted me with a pack of red Senkos and a black jig that belonged to Cooch. Still have them and don't think I'm gonna risk parting with them.

Teambernadettebassfishing · Sat Sep 04, 2021 6:55 pm

Everytime I head up to the Delta from Socal to wet a line I think of Andy.

I got to take a guided trip with him, and years later was also lucky enough to get a final wave from him as he shot by me down one of the sloughs near Orwood days before he passed.

Everytime I flip a jig, Dropshot a 7 inch worm, toss a senko or catch a Big Fish. Yes I do...

Bassmonkey1980 · Post by **Bassmonkey1980** » Sun Sep 05, 2021 10:32 pm

I had the pleasure to meet Mr Andy on the water in passing he was on a guide trip with two guys in his boat, we both pulled up to a area at the same time we exchanged some words and gave him some friendly gestures I let him know how I was a big fan of his before I moved on giving him his space the right of way, one thing that stuck out was he asked me if I was getting them on the rocks or on the tullie islands here is the part that won’t make sense it was April 7 2016 I had just landed my personal best 9lbs on a Spinnerbait my buddie in the back of the boat just dumped her twin on a square bill, which he got all that info out of me as well looking back on that day he was gathering information as he always had one sense down in the river if anyone on this forum was with him that day please ad to the story.