Tackle: Why Less Is More

After day 2 of the Ouachita River FLW, the sun dipped toward the trees west of Monroe, La. and the scales dried on the weigh-in stage. Out in the parking lot, FLW Tour rookie phenom Bobby Lane prepared to transfer his tackle to the TV boat assigned to him for Days 3 and 4.

The task didn't take long. In fact, this year Lane has become more than familiar with the chore of moving lures and rods to competition boats designated for those anglers who make the Top 10. He's made the cut in each of the three FLW tournaments so far, and has developed a system that minimizes the load he must lug to the final-round fishing waters.

His tips provide insight to a focused tournament plan, and are relevant to any level of competition – from buddy tournaments to the bigs.

Pack Light

"Less than 10 minutes," Lane said of the time it takes to switch his gear to the TV boats. In light of his great success so far this season, his decision of what to pack for the next competition day obviously works for him. It's also good counsel for all BassFans – particularly those who fish from small boats with limited storage space.

"I like to keep it real simple, keep it light," he said. "After all, we're only dealing with largemouth bass, and they love to eat. They aren't as particular as some people think they are about size and color. A 4-pounder won't pass up a black-and-blue tube because he wants a black-and-red one, or a chartreuse crankbait because he wants a white one."

Too much tackle creates more problems for anglers than too little, he said. "It's easy to get confused. You say this looks good and this looks good and before you know it, you've got all your baits in the boat because you want to be ready for emergencies."

The clutter of too many lures not only makes finding baits more difficult, it also increases the temptation to experiment. "You keep thinking another bait might work better, so you fish the one you have tied on with less confidence."

Make Them Eat It

Practice experience dictates the lures, rods and reels Lane packs for competition days. "You've got to pin them down in practice and make them bite," he said. "Then, come tournament time, you reload and come out shooting."

He generally limits his rod-and-reel outfits to four. "I carry two flipping sticks, one spinnerbait rod and a backup rod – a 7-foot G. Loomis that I can use for spinnerbaits, topwaters or worming."

His transfer system is also based on simple deductions made during the first 2 days. "I take only the baits that I caught the most and the biggest fish on."

His typical cut-boat tackle boils down to the minimum. At the Ouachita River, for example, he packed two 8"x12" Tupperware boxes. Inside were hooks and weights, a few Rattleback jigs that ranged in size from 1/2- to 3/4-ounces, and six War Eagle and Hawg Caller spinnerbaits. He also tossed in a few bags of Mizmo and Gambler tubes and craws.

His color assortment is equally sparse. Tubes and jigs are typically black/blue for dingy water and green pumpkin for clear. Spinnerbait colors are white and white/chartreuse. His crankbaits are either chartreuse or, for clear water, natural shad patterns.

He uses a small Plano bag to carry 12 filler spools of line. And if he's on a crankbait bite, he'll pack a few Strike Kings and Fat Free Shads.

After Day 3, he makes another decision based on what he thinks it'll take to win. "Say it's a jig. Then I grab 10 jigs and I'm ready to go. I make them bite the baits I've got.

"If you have 60 boxes of lures with you, then you've got 60 boxes to go through to find what you need. That's too much to worry about, considering bass have brains the size of a penny."

How To Pack a Small Boat

Lane said his system is particularly good for anglers with small boats and limited storage space. "Keep your tackle assortment small. You get a lot more fishing done when you have fewer baits in the boat."

He recommended anglers pack the essentials and learn how to use them well. His list of essentials includes Senkos for finessing bites, a few spinnerbaits and Rat-L-Traps for search baits, a couple bags of soft plastics, a handful of jigs and the necessary hooks and weights. "Anything else is just a waste of time and space.

"Senkos work great year-round. I'd say 98 percent of the non-boaters carry them in our tournaments and they catch a lot of bass on them."

Four rod-and-reel outfits will get the job done and keep the fishing day simple. "Any more than that and you're just adding complications."

He also advises against listening to dock talk. "If somebody tells you they're catching them on a drop-shot rig, don't be tempted to try that in a tournament unless you already know what you're doing with it."

Notable

> While Lane has received lots of attention for making three cuts in three FLW Tour events this year, he's not resting on his laurels. "I'm going for six-for-six," he said.

> His rods are all G. Loomis. "It's the fish-catchingest rod there is." His reels are Shimano Curados.