BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - Chris Lane's dream of
winning the 2014 GEICO Bassmaster Classic is different than the dreams of the
other 55 anglers in the game.
Sure, every qualifier hopes to win the world championship of professional bass
fishing. A win molds a pro career and changes your life, and not just because
of the $300,000 first prize.
As the 2012 Classic champ, Lane knows that to be true. Yet this time around
would be different. In 2014 - his fourth Classic - he's not only a competitor,
he's the hometown entry.
Florida-born, Lane now lives on Lake Guntersville, the famed Alabama fishery
where the Classic field will compete Feb. 21-23, with weigh-ins in Birmingham
at the Birmingham-Jefferson Convention Complex.
Friends, neighbors and fans in his adopted hometown of Guntersville are looking
to Lane to take a second Classic title - this time for them. Fans everywhere
assume he has a home-water advantage and expect more of him.
"There's added pressure when it comes to fulfilling the expectations
people have of you because you're fishing at home," Lane said. "I
think my biggest challenge will be time management, using my time each evening
preparing for the next day's competition. It's hard to put everything else
aside when you're at home."
Recognizing what's ahead of him, Lane set to work as soon as he nailed a
Classic qualification by winning the final Bassmaster Elite Series event of the
2013 season. His mission: Sew up a gaping hole in his lake knowledge.
"In the five years I've lived here, I haven't fished the lake much from
December to March because I've had other things scheduled," he said.
"I knew I needed to learn a lot to give myself a chance to do well."
A Lake Guntersville crash course was made easier because he could go to school
at home.
"I could just takeoff from my own dock, get back for lunch with my kids
and be home every night," he said. "I was able to put in a lot of
time on the water right up until cutoff on Dec. 31."
Lake Guntersville has been off limits to Classic anglers since that date. Lane
drives over the lake bridge to take his kids to school, but those teasing
glimpses are as close as he can get to the water until the official practice
period begins in February.
Then, he said, get ready for a slugfest.
"The lake has a lot of big fish," Lane said. "The 30-plus-pound
bags are here."
By February, the lake's bass will have been feeding to get in shape for the
spawn, and they'll be as fat as they'll get all year,
Lane said. That means a limit of five big bass a day will be needed to top the
leaderboard, he said, and the game could easily change from one day to the
next.
"Anyone could come from behind with a huge sack and take over," Lane
said. "This will be a Classic that's a nail-biter to the very end."
He predicts the winning weight will be about 83 pounds. That would easily break
the Classic record of 69 pounds, 11 ounces set in 2011 on the Louisiana Delta.
Lane made his predictions with a disclaimer: "Weather permitting. Water
clarity will be a big factor in the weights."
Only one angler has won a Classic in his home state. Interestingly, the state
was Alabama, and Boyd Duckett triumphed in the 2007
Classic on Lay Lake, 120 miles from his Demopolis home. But no angler has won a
Classic in his home town.
Lane wants to be that angler: "It was so sweet to win a first Classic.
Winning this one would be just as sweet, being at home."
2014 Bassmaster Classic Title Sponsor: GEICO
2014 Bassmaster Classic Official Sponsors: Toyota, Bass Pro Shops, Berkley,
Evan Williams Bourbon, Humminbird, Mercury, Minn Kota, Nitro Boats, Skeeter
Boats, Triton Boats, Yamaha
2014 Bassmaster Classic EXPO Presenting Sponsor: Dick's Sporting Goods
2014 Bassmaster Classic Official Apparel Sponsor: Carhartt
About B.A.S.S.
For more than 45 years, B.A.S.S. has served as the authority on bass fishing.
The organization advances the sport through advocacy, outreach and an expansive
tournament structure while connecting directly with the passionate community of
bass anglers through its Bassmaster media vehicles.
The Bassmaster brand and its multimedia platforms are guided by a mission to
serve all fishing fans. Through its industry-leading publications - Bassmaster
Magazine and B.A.S.S. Times - comprehensive website Bassmaster.com and ESPN2
and Outdoor Channel television programming, Bassmaster provides rich,
leading-edge content true to the lifestyle.
The Bassmaster Tournament Trail includes the Bassmaster Elite Series, Bass Pro
Shops Bassmaster Open Series, Carhartt Bassmaster College Series, B.A.S.S.
Nation events and the ultimate celebration of competitive fishing, the
Bassmaster Classic.
B.A.S.S. offers an array of services to its more than 500,000 members and
remains focused on issues related to conservation and water access. The
organization is headquartered in Birmingham, Ala.
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