The second-largest bass that Florida Bassmaster Elite Series pro Bobby Lane has ever caught in competition wasn't quite big enough to take big-fish honors in a derby at Lake Kissimmee last weekend sponsored by a local rotary club. Not even close.
The fish he's displaying in the photo weighed 11-09 – just 2 ounces lighter than his personal best for a tournament. However, it was nearly 2 pounds lighter than one caught that day by an angler named Van Soles (13-08).
Lane and his partner also lost out on 1st place by just a tenth of a pound with a 24 1/2-pound sack.
"Some big fish are biting down here, but the bites are kind of few and far between," he said. "They're pre-spawn fish and they're as wide as they are long."
He was back on the water today for some fun-fishing.
"The weather's pretty bad," he said. "It was 74 this morning and I had to go with jeans and flip-flops instead of shorts and flip-flops. I think it's only going to get up to about 86 today."
