As bass fisherman we are always looking for something to give us that edge over the competition. Whether it is a specific bait or technique, but even a simple modification to a certain bait we have.
College angler Ryan Lachniet from Campbellsville University, found the competitive edge he needed earlier this year as he finished second in the MLF College National Championship on Lake Toho. He was fishing a bait we all know too well, a Megabass Vision Oneten +1 Jr. This bait had some personalization to it though, Ryan had upsized the hooks and added a piece of Styrofoam from a Chick-fil-A cup to help him capitalize on big bites.
Austin: “What specific modifications did you make to this bait besides the styrofoam? What hook size was used?”
Ryan: “I modified my vision 110+1 Jr with the Chic-Fil-A cup and braid split rings. I put two size 5 hooks and a size 6 feather treble on the back.”
Austin: “So what caused you to make these modifications/adjustments and what conditions were you fishing?”
Ryan: “I did this because I had lost some big ones in pre-practice on that jerkbait because the hooks were too small, and I didn’t want that to become a problem come tournament day. So having bigger hooks around the heavy cover I was fishing helped me to land those fish a lot more efficiently and effectively.”
Austin: “What kind of setup were you running? Rod? Reel? Line?”
Ryan: “I threw that jerkbait on a 7’ jerkbait rod with a 7.5 Lews lite with 12lb fluorocarbon.”
Ryan used a piece of the Chic-Fil-A cup to help balance out the larger hooks used on his jerkbait. He used these modifications allowing him and his partner to catch 42 pounds, 3 ounces in two days of competition. Ryan and his partner ended up finishing only an ounce behind first place.
Big thanks to Ryan for taking some time out of his day to answer my question!
Go give Ryan Lachniet a follow on his Instagram (@rylachniet_fishing) as he catches some studs!
